The BGP100 is a portable Bluetooth gamepad which can be used with a Pocket PC or Smartphone device. Here are some quick specs:


  • Bluetooth

  • Uses one 1.5V AAA battery

  • Foldable

  • 6 customizable keys with start button

  • 4-way control pad

  • Bi-color LED


The BGP100 came in a small plain white box which contained a 2 page manual, CD-ROM, battery, strap, and a shiny black gamepad.
The BGP100 is very small and when closed; it's only 5.5" x 1.5" x 1.25" but it's full of buttons.
When I pulled out the gamepad I noticed that it felt very solid in my hands and appears to be very well made. At first I wasn't sure how to get it opened. It has buttons all over it but to unfold it simply rotate both handles out from the center. One handle rotates up and one rotates down. This is easy enough to do but it looks completely different from any gamepad I've ever used.
Once unfolded it actually looks like a broken Sony gamepad but don't let looks fool you. When I first showed this to my kids they got a confused look on their faces and were not quite sure what to make of it. After answering several questions and explaining that this is how it is supposed to look they gave it a shot and after few minutes the look didn't matter and they were gaming away.

EASY INTALLATION AND SETUP


The software installation used Activesync for my Axim X50v and MPX220 and required almost no user intervention. It was such a silent install on my mobile devices that I wasn't sure it was installed until I saw the gamepad icon. If you have a Symbian Series Smarphone it looks like you'll need to use their PC Suite software for the install but it still looked easy and only had a couple of steps. Once installed you only need to click on the gamepad icon to start up the software. The software consists of only these two screens.
The first two checkboxes on the Config tab setup the Bluetooth connection. All you need to do is turn on the BGP100 and put a check in the Active GamePad box and in a few seconds in connects. I had no problems connecting and it may be one of the easiest Bluetooth connections I've used. You can customize every button on the BGP100. Obviously the about tab gives you the program details.
The BGP100 feels great in your hands. All of the buttons have spring to them and are located in the expected places. The only issue I had with the controls was that the left direction on the D-pad had less spring than the other directions. This didn't affect the control but just felt different from the other directions. Controls were responsive on all action games I played. In most games I was able to control with the default button setup but there were a few games that I wanted to change the default button setup on the controller, and even though this is easy enough to do, there are no profiles in the BGP100 software. Every time you would want to do this you will need to reconfigure the gamepad. The BGP100 handles adjust to fit different size devices and this worked like a charm with my MPX220 Smartphone as you can see below.
I was not so lucky with my Axim X50v.
My Pocket PC was too wide and would not fit between the handles. If you want to fit your device between the handles it will need to be less than 2 3/8" wide. It's not a big deal if you have something to prop up your Pocket PC but it's not as fun. One of the coolest things I like about the BGP100 is closing it. When the handles are open you just push a button and they fly shut with enough force to crush a bug. I don't know why I find it so amusing but there is something entertaining about closing this after I've shown it to someone.

PURCHASING


You guy buy the gamepad from SmartGamePad.com for $79.99.

Pros

  • Uses Bluetooth
  • Six customizable buttons
  • Innovative design
  • Compact
  • Works with most Pocket PCs (though not the x50) and Smartphones

Cons

  • Some devices will not fit between handles
  • No profiles for different button configurations

OVERALL IMPRESSION


If you're an action gamer I would definitely recommend the BGP100 GamePad. The BGP100 is well built and looks terrific but most importantly it works. If the software is updated to allow for different button profiles and your device fits between the handles, you can't go wrong with the BGP100 Bluetooth GamePad. Therefore, I give this product the following score: