Rating: Summary: Extremely handy! Review: Just picked this up hoping that it would help me get my editing done without having to sit in front of a computer. Three cheers to LandWare for making such a useful product. It's not exactly plug-in and go out of the box, but once you get throught the confusing process of getting it set up and learning all of the shortcuts, it's FABULOUS! I highly recommend it to anyone who spends a lot of time using a word-processor.
Rating: Summary: Replaced my laptop at college Review: Like a lot of other new PDA owners, I found myself desperate for an alternative to Graffiti within two days of picking up the stylus of my Visor Neo for the first time. I didn't mind the (slow, aggravating, inaccurate) handwriting system for quick functions like jotting down assignments or contacts, but when it came to typing notes in class, I simply couldn't keep up. That's when I started looking at the GoType and Stowaway keyboards. I liked the small storage and large full foldout size of the Stowaway, but ultimately decided on the GoType because of its lower cost and sturdier design. Many of my classes are held in lecture halls with those tiny, barely-adequate fold-away writing desks, and I also find myself wanting to type up documents on my lap when I'm travelling or not at a desk. In these situations, the one-piece construction of the GoType excels over the Stowaway. What's the point of getting the compact Stowaway if you have to carry a 14" sheet of plywood around with you to stabilize it? I toss this keyboard without any additional protection into a backpack stuffed with books, keys, and art supplies several times a day without any concern for its safety, and haven't noticed any wear and tear on it since I bought it 4 months ago. Since buying the GoType, I've completely replaced my laptop with my Visor at school and on the road. Using either the bundled text software or Documents to Go, I've typed reams of notes, completed homework assignments, answered long emails, and written entire papers on my Visor, things that would have taken me an eternity to do with Graffiti. This keyboard has made it possible for me to go pretty much paperless at college, with the added benefit of weighing at least 5 pounds less (Visor included) than the Toshiba Satellite laptop I used to lug to campus. Other features I like are the foldback panel that allows you to keep your bulky Springboard modules plugged in (very handy when I want to use my Visorphone for wireless Internet access), and the USB Hotsync cable. Only one negative: As others have mentioned, the keyboard *IS* rather small, especially for men, and may take some getting used to. The problem is not so much with the width of the keyboard, which is only a bit more narrow than the average laptop, but with the height of each key, which honestly appears to be only 2/3 the measurement of a normal key, making it very easy to accidentally type "3" instead of "e" or something similar. (Regular keys=square; GoType keys=rectangle with 3/8" height) If you are concerned about this, I recommend heading to a Best Buy or CompUSA nearby and testing out the GoType for typing comfort before ordering.
Rating: Summary: Replaced my laptop at college Review: Like a lot of other new PDA owners, I found myself desperate for an alternative to Graffiti within two days of picking up the stylus of my Visor Neo for the first time. I didn't mind the (slow, aggravating, inaccurate) handwriting system for quick functions like jotting down assignments or contacts, but when it came to typing notes in class, I simply couldn't keep up. That's when I started looking at the GoType and Stowaway keyboards. I liked the small storage and large full foldout size of the Stowaway, but ultimately decided on the GoType because of its lower cost and sturdier design. Many of my classes are held in lecture halls with those tiny, barely-adequate fold-away writing desks, and I also find myself wanting to type up documents on my lap when I'm travelling or not at a desk. In these situations, the one-piece construction of the GoType excels over the Stowaway. What's the point of getting the compact Stowaway if you have to carry a 14" sheet of plywood around with you to stabilize it? I toss this keyboard without any additional protection into a backpack stuffed with books, keys, and art supplies several times a day without any concern for its safety, and haven't noticed any wear and tear on it since I bought it 4 months ago. Since buying the GoType, I've completely replaced my laptop with my Visor at school and on the road. Using either the bundled text software or Documents to Go, I've typed reams of notes, completed homework assignments, answered long emails, and written entire papers on my Visor, things that would have taken me an eternity to do with Graffiti. This keyboard has made it possible for me to go pretty much paperless at college, with the added benefit of weighing at least 5 pounds less (Visor included) than the Toshiba Satellite laptop I used to lug to campus. Other features I like are the foldback panel that allows you to keep your bulky Springboard modules plugged in (very handy when I want to use my Visorphone for wireless Internet access), and the USB Hotsync cable. Only one negative: As others have mentioned, the keyboard *IS* rather small, especially for men, and may take some getting used to. The problem is not so much with the width of the keyboard, which is only a bit more narrow than the average laptop, but with the height of each key, which honestly appears to be only 2/3 the measurement of a normal key, making it very easy to accidentally type "3" instead of "e" or something similar. (Regular keys=square; GoType keys=rectangle with 3/8" height) If you are concerned about this, I recommend heading to a Best Buy or CompUSA nearby and testing out the GoType for typing comfort before ordering.
Rating: Summary: Great with a modem Review: Overall, this keyboard is definately a good choice. If you are choosing between this and the Stowaway, It'd depend on how and where you plan to use the keyboard. I don't own a stowaway, but I've heard a lot about it. It seems that it is difficult use on your lap, whereas the Gotype is somewhat usable on your lap. I'd rather use it on a table, though. It comes with TakeNote! and WordSleuth. TakeNote is a word processor application. It makes it's own conduit, so you can transfer any .txt file to it, edit it on the palm, then return to the desktop. You can also create text files on the visor and use them on the desktop. Wordsleuth is a Thesarus that you can access alone or through Takenote. The Stowaway, I don't think, comes with any software except the driver. The Gotype, of course, doesn't fold down. It does fit in my pocket, but that's probably because we young-uns wear big baggy pants with huge pockets. It only protrudes about an inch out of my pockets, and I wouldn't really mind having to carry it in my pocket. It would probably be better in a backpack or maybe even a purse. I use this with my Handspring modem, and the extension leg on the Gotype keeps the keyboard from falling over under the modem's weight. The keyboard also has a plastic "flap" that can be swung down to make room for Handspring's modem. I use the modem and keyboard with AOL's palm software, so that I can read and respond to email and instant messages with the keyboard. If you are an AOL user, you can't access the web, but you can get Email and IMs. You can use most any other ISP to access the web. The keyboard has 6 buttons at the top, which can be configured to open any application, or to activate an onscreen "done" or "okay" or "cancel" button. Technically, you can actually make these 18 different applications by holding the shift or alt button and then pressing the button, but that gets to be a lot to remember. You can activate any onscreen button by pressing command and alt (I think), then the first letter unique to that button. If you want to select Done, hold Command, alt, and hit D. You can also scroll down a page (AvantGo or a document) by pressing Alt and the down button. Again, I think that Alt is the button, it may not be, but I know something like that does it. One more thing, if you've never been great at writing the shortcut letter, there is even a shortcut key!
Rating: Summary: This is a great Product Review: This product is amazing. I didn't know if the keys would be to small, but they are a perfect size. This prodcut is a lot more stable than the Targus Foldable Keyboard. It also has a USB cable inclueded if you are using Windows 98/Me for hotsync. It also has a protective cover to protect the keys. The Keyboard has a stablizer on the back so it doesn't flip over. Definitly buy this one. You can use it on your lap, or at school, work or on a plane(for travel).
Rating: Summary: Impressed my Friends Review: This thing is really great! I got my Visor Prism a good while ago, and since I'm finally back in school I started looking at keyboards. Of course you all know that the choices for a full size keyboard are the Gotype! and the stowaway. In almost any case I'm willing to sacrafice compactness for functionality. Which perfectly matches the scenario of the Gotype! vs. Stowaway. All my friends that have Visors(3) thought that the stowaway was the best by far just because it folds down to pocket size. But I was wishing on the Gotype! to be the best. It has shortcut keys programmable for up to 18 different functions. The keys aren't that small, they are actually better than keys on a full size keyboard. Although, I must admit, after using the Gotype! for a while, when I went back to a full size keyboard it seemed huge. The typing is so great I even typed up a whole paper on the palm os. With the portability compared to a normal keyboard, as I was typing my paper, I was able to take the keyboard all over the house with me. The absolute ONLY problem I had was when the keyboard wouldn't respond I had to do a soft reset, and this only happened twice. The first day I brought it to school my friends were amazed. All day they were begging me to try it. I even used it for an interview for our school paper. This makes any typing application perform ten times better. And this also works with AOL Mail for IMing and checking mail. My friends are insane for this keyboard, I will be using this for as long as I have my Visor Prism.
Rating: Summary: Welcome to Munchkinland Review: You want a keyboard. You're sick of entering everything with the stylus and I don't blame you. Now you have to decide between the Landware GoType Pro and the Targus fold-up model. I picked the GoType because it seemed sturdier, more durable, doubled as a HotSync cradle, and came with free software. It's also cheaper. When I opened the box I was shocked to see how small the GoType is -- it folds down into a very compact unit. I admit I was slightly worried about the small keys but I adjusted to them within an hour. The pull-out foot at the base of the keyboard makes it balance perfectly on my lap. The design is very functional -- MemoPad, DateBook, Address Book buttons right on the keyboard, the screen tilts at a nice angle, and there's a slot for your stylus. Now I lie on my bed and use my Visor and keyboard rather than sitting at my desk to use my PC. I didn't expect much of the free software, but I was pleasantly surprised. TakeNote is a full-featured word processing application! I'm now using it in place of Wordsmith. I unhesitatingly recommend this product. I only wish I'd ordered it sooner.
Rating: Summary: do yourself a favor & get the GoType Review: You want a keyboard. You're sick of entering everything with the stylus and I don't blame you. Now you have to decide between the Landware GoType Pro and the Targus fold-up model. I picked the GoType because it seemed sturdier, more durable, doubled as a HotSync cradle, and came with free software. It's also cheaper. When I opened the box I was shocked to see how small the GoType is -- it folds down into a very compact unit. I admit I was slightly worried about the small keys but I adjusted to them within an hour. The pull-out foot at the base of the keyboard makes it balance perfectly on my lap. The design is very functional -- MemoPad, DateBook, Address Book buttons right on the keyboard, the screen tilts at a nice angle, and there's a slot for your stylus. Now I lie on my bed and use my Visor and keyboard rather than sitting at my desk to use my PC. I didn't expect much of the free software, but I was pleasantly surprised. TakeNote is a full-featured word processing application! I'm now using it in place of Wordsmith. I unhesitatingly recommend this product. I only wish I'd ordered it sooner.
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