Palm Wireless Keyboard and writing on my knees...

Here I am, writing a review on my knees... well, I'm not on my knees, my PalmOne Wireless Keyboard is! I just thought that to really be able to describe this product, I should write my review this way! Now let's see how long it takes me and how many misspellings I make!

What does the keyboard look like?

The keyboard comes folded up, and looks slightly bigger than a PDA (it also depends what PDA: my first one was probably this big!): it is 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 5/8 inches

To open it, you slide the front cover to the side and then lift it away (so it then becomes the place the PDA rests on), releasing the two halves of the keyboard that unfold.
To close it, you push an unlock button to release the right side of the keyboard that folds over the left, so that you then reposition the cover in the opposite way you opened it.

Now, I really don't think (and hope) this detailed description will condition your decision in buying this keyboard, but the point is: it's easy to open and easy to close...

Using the keyboard

Before using the keyboard, two things have to be done:
-insert the 2 AAA batteries;
-install the keyboard driver in the PDA. This is done by easily installing it in the computer (all you have to do is follow the directions on the CD-ROM it comes with), then synchronizing the PDA with the computer.

The same CD-ROM includes the user's guide that shows you all the different functions the keyboard has (shortcuts and special characters) and also how to customize the settings according to your needs (i.e., quick navigation, data entry,… or things like a clicking sound every time you hit the keys and Power Saving). Everything is quite easy to understand, even though it is so much, that I prefer learning by experimenting and then, maybe, consulting the CD. I do miss having a proper booklet, though, because I don't want to rely on the computer each time I need to understand how to use a certain function... Oh, in case you loose the CD, everything can be downloaded from www.palmone.com

The keyboard is slightly smaller than my laptop's (a Compaq Presario R3000) but that doesn't seem to create many problems, cause the actual size of the keys is almost the same (the letters, at least). A few keys, for example slash and delete, are placed in a different position, but it's nothing you can't get used to (even though I do occasionally delete a letter instead of pushing the right arrow!).

The PDA can be positioned three ways (one vertical and two horizontal). All you have to do is align the IR antenna in correspondence to the IR port on the PDA.

When writing, probably the most irritating thing is the hinge that divides the space bar in two parts: my thumb seems to frequently hit it when trying to push "space", so very often my words end up all attached to one another. I just occasionally rest my thumb on it while writing so I know where to push when I have to! And I'm sure it's something else I'll eventually get used to, too.

At the end of it all

So, let's see which have been my most frequent typos at the end of all of this...

-the most frequent is sticking words together because I miss the space bar while typing;
-occasionally I have pressed a letter in such a way that it will double;
-I have words written wrongly because of what I mentioned above: I press "del" instead of the right arrow.

Well, I don't have the Premium version (yet) of my PDA's writing program, so I don't have spell-check. Luckily all my writing goes through my laptop first.

But if you’re planning to use this keyboard to send documents off directly with your PDA, I suggest upgrading your writing program!!!

Other useful technical information found here and there, just so you don’t have to look around too much!

Wireless: Infrared wand is easily positioned for landscape or portrait display devices
Compatible: Works with selected PalmOne*, HP**, and Dell*** models
Standard: Full English QWERTY keyboard
Compact: 5 3/8 x 3 7/8 x 5/8 inches folded
Easy typing
Lightweight: 7.4 oz.
Self-powered: Internal battery lasts up to four months depending on use (in which case, I will definitely update the first time I change my batteries)
Convenient: Application launch keys for common tasks
Easy to setup: Comes with Windows setup software (requires the synchronization software that came with your handheld)
Desktop requirements
Windows: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Mac: Mac OS 9.x or OS X, (version 10.3 or earlier). Mac compatibility only supported with the Palm OS driver

COMPATIBLE WITH:
*Tungsten T3, T5, E2, E, C handhelds
Zire 21, 31, 71, 72 handhelds
Treo 650 and 600 smartphones
LifeDrive mobile managers

** iPaq 4150, 4350, 2200, 1940
***Axim X3i and Toshiba e400, e740