The iPazzport mini keyboard is a text-input universal remote

Sending messages to your Xbox Live or Playstation network friends can be inconvenient without an external keyboard or one of the proprietary controller keyboard add-ons. Now, however, text input on your home game consoles, and other household devices, just got more convenient.

The EFO 3^rd generation iPazzport keyboard, introduced this week, is a small RF wireless handheld keypad that also incorporates a mouse, a touchpad, and a 4-in-one laser pointer.

At a size just larger than a credit card, and a look similar to a Blackberry Smartphone, this little device could be the universal remote of the future.

The QWERTY keyboard has more keys than the average Smartphone and it even includes individual function and multimedia keys. The keyboard also has nice backlighting for convenient nighttime use. Indicator lights on the keyboard show the power, signal, and data transmission status of the device.

The iPazzport is powered by a rechargeable battery that charges in about two hours and can last for up to 600 hours in standby.

In addition to being compatible with the Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii game consoles, the iPazzport is compatible with many HTPC, IPTV or CARPC devices. It also works with Mac, Linux, all recent versions of Windows, and just about any device that will allow you to plug in the USB receiver. Another advantage is that the remote keyboard requires no special drivers or other software to work with these devices.

While the display on the iPazzport isn’t a fancy color LCD, it hardly seems like a necessity when you’re going to be using the device for on-screen control anyway. Plus, lack of such a display will help keep the price of the device, which currently retails for $45, low and easily affordable.

I could definitely see mobile phone manufacturers trying to pick up the functionality of the iPazzport and trying to incorporate it into future handsets. Not only would you be able to talk, text, browse the internet, and use email, but you could also control office presentations and all of your home entertainment electronics with one simple, inexpensive device.