Genovation 634 Travelboard Keyboard for PDA

Rating:
Summary: A Superb Keyboard
Review: A really nice tactile feel to the keys, with larger hands, the GOTYPE wasn't an option. This is one though keyboard, with slightly smaller key placement than a full keyboard. I use my palm as a "mini-laptop" for lots of note-taking and flash-card review. It's lightweight, yet very tough. Software is easy to set up--I was up using it in about 5 min. Couldn't be happier with this one.

Rating:
Summary: A Superb Keyboard
Review: A really nice tactile feel to the keys, with larger hands, the GOTYPE wasn't an option. This is one though keyboard, with slightly smaller key placement than a full keyboard. I use my palm as a "mini-laptop" for lots of note-taking and flash-card review. It's lightweight, yet very tough. Software is easy to set up--I was up using it in about 5 min. Couldn't be happier with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great for Palm users - some strengths & weaknesses
Review: I love mine because I can plug it into my Palm VIIx and update notes, my time card and other chores that I need to quickly take care of when my PDA is far away from my PC.

There are some things you need to consider when deciding between this and the more portable offerings from Palm Computing and Targus. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of this keyboard and the alternatives, then decide:

Strengths: The Genovation's typing area is well designed and solid. I didn't care for the flimsy feel of the Targus and Palm portables. It also draws zero power, ensuring that you do not drain your PDA's batteries prematurely.

Weaknesses: The Genovation keyboard is not portable in the same sense as the Targus and Palm offerings, both of which fold neatly into a package the size of your PDA. If you take notes at meetings the Genovation is much quieter - the alternatives make clacking sounds while the Genovation keyboard makes no noise. So it boils down to how much "baggage" you want to drag to the meeting, and the distraction factor of keyboard noise.

Things to consider: Genovation claims that they have a Windows CE driver for this keyboard, but that it does not work with Pocket PCs (such as the HP 54x-series, Compaq iPaq, etc.) I have an older driver disk that allowed this keyboard to work flawlessly with an HP 545, so I know it can be done. However, do not expect Genovation to support this. They also claim that this keyboard will not work with Handspring PDAs, so if you have one of those pass this keyboard up. Finally, if your Palm PDA is one of the newer models that use USB instead of serial, this keyboard will not work for you - it connects via a serial connection.

I love mine, but my needs may be different from yours. If you value ergonomics and are willing to sacrifice some portability this is a wonderful peripheral for your Palm PDA. If size does matter, then consider either the Palm or Targus keyboards, which fold into a remarkably small size.