| I bought one of the very first StowAway keyboards (for my Handspring Visor) back in 2000. It was a way-cool idea a "full-size" keyboard that folded into a compact little package. |
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Unfortunately, I never liked the way I had to work to "dock" the Visor and I really never used the keyboard 😦 Two days ago I discovered that the technology has advanced. The StowAway is now IR-enabled. Yeay! No more "docking" difficulties. There are two models to choose from. |
| ThinkOutside (the original creators of the StowAway), offer a very small, silver-finish, 4-row keyboard with multiple shift and function keys and a faux leather zipper-case. I tried this one but didn't care for the 4-row format. It just felt… wrong. |
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The other choice is from Targus (original OEM of the original StowAway, so they have a lot of history too). This keyboard is ever so slightly larger, with 5 rows of keys and a "mouse" control. I personally like this one a lot better. |
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The only objection I have to Targus is that they don't include the vanilla Palm OS driver (.prc file) on the CD that comes in the box. Instead, they include a Windoze .exe installer and list "System Requirements: Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP" on the package. That's not true and it's a bad marketing move as well!
If you have Linux, BSD, or Mac OS, you'll need to download the file from the Targus website. (At least it's there). Both keyboards worked well with my Kyocera 7135. Because the Kyo is a "clamshell-format" smartphone, its screen is at a different angle when it's open. I was pleased that both keyboards allowed me to lower the "easel" back and position the IR wand appropriately for the Kyocera. If you've thought about a keyboard for your PalmOS PDA, try one of these. They're compact, easier to fold than the originals, and simple to use. Under $70 at a (r)etailer near you. |
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Slightly Off KIlter 