Nextel Motorola iBoard Portable Keyboard

Rating:
Summary: it works BUT there's a newer generation from Motorola
Review: YES, it does the job
BUT
NO it is _not_ the 'latest' generation Mot/Nextel keyboard.
Although the following Motorola item is NOT (yet) available
as of this writing (this review's date) through Amazon, you
should make a mental note of the COMPACTNESS & mobility (!)
of the 'replacement' model (i.e., the new, improved version
that is worth the additional cost): 'Part Number: NTN2074A'
(this is the verbatim terminology on the Motorola website's
page). According to the newer keyboard's OEM (Motorola) the
smaller keyboard has the following features:
A full QWERTY
Create and edit email,
access options and enter commands on your phone KEYBOARD
Quick and easy text messaging!
For use with: i205, i265 i315, i325, i530, i730, i830, i860

I would venture to say that the forthcoming Motorola models
i930 and i960 will be (my guess) compatible with either one
(the Mot i930 & i960 supposedly will have an SD card slot).
BTW, although the i930 and i960 are to be a bit larger than
the i860 (which is not necessarily a good thing), the extra
MEMORY available through use of a removable SD card makes a
difference. Although the i860 is better than an i730, you'd
be better off waiting for the promised i930 or i960 because
of the additional flexibility of an SD card slot. Keyboards
which detach and can be reattached (such as the iBoard) can
eliminate the hankering for a Nextel-compatible Blackberry:
model 6510 (being phased out; no speaker; no Bluetooth);
model 7510 (speakerphone YES, color screen YES);
model 7520 (speaker YES, color screen YES, Bluetooth YES).
N.B.: In case you are a klutz and drop yell phones OFTEN,
I'd recommend that you opt for either an i305 or an i530.
Ditto in case you expose your phone to the elements often
(the i305 and i530 have limited mil-spec RUGGEDNESS built
into them: read their Amazon pages to see if they're more
appropriate for your particular environment). A keyboard,
although it can DEtach for safekeeping when not needed to
thumb-type a text message, requires Tender Loving Care in
comparison to the imperviousness of the i305 and/or i530.
Although the Blackberry Nextel phones (6510/7510/7520) do
not seal out the elements, in contrast to Motorola Nextel
phones (i305/i530), the RIM/Blackberry Nextel models have
a BUILT-IN thumb-friendly QWERTY keyboard that can't snap
off during rough mistreatment. Plus a bigger screen. -Ric