Think Outside Stowaway IR Wireless Keyboard for Pocket PC and Palm OS

Rating:
Summary: the best keyboard for all seasons
Review: I've got a Treo 600, SE 900 and several iPAQs. I have a drawer full of older PDAs and keyboards as well. The thing i love about this keyboard is that it works with everything! I can use it with any of my phones or PDAs and it works like a champ.

The thing is also very durable - I've dropped it, stepped on it and had my kids play with it and it just keeps working. Battery life is great too, still have the original batteries in it after 6 months.

On the downside, you have to get used to using the FN key to enter numbers but after a week or so i was just as fast as using a keyboard with dedicated number keys.

I bought this after doing a lot of research about Think Outside and IR keyboards. Turns out Think Outside makes keyboards for the biggies like Palm, Dell and others.

I highly recommend it!




Rating:
Summary: Very well designed, only 2 complaints
Review: My system details: Sony Clié TJ37 with PalmOS 5.2, used constantly at Dartmouth College for all my note-taking, MP3 player, camera, and out-of-dorm internet needs; Debian Linux OS desktop computer used for HotSyncing;

Positives:
-I have to say that the keyboard portion itself is excellent. I am normally a desktop user, and switching to using this keyboard took absolutely no effort. The only keys that are in unusual places are the delete, slash, and backslash keys. Reviews for other IR keyboards had said the spacebars were weird - on this, the keyboard is split down the center, and is natural whether you normally hit it with your right or left thumb (I use both).
-The keyboard is also designed so that you should never have to use the stylus while it is connected. It takes a little getting used to be, but there are 'Fn+[whatever]' key combinations for almost every operation (from replicating the standard hard keys, to selecting text, to 'Done' and 'New' buttons).
-The connection to the PDA itself is excellent. I was able to move the infrared transmitter all over the place, and the PDA was still able to receive a very reliable signal. The transmitter itself is on a piece of plastic that rotates (no sliding, but you can just slide the PDA itself on the stand). None of those dumb mirrors to deal with.
-The software driver that you painlessly install also ads an application called 'Keyboard'. In it, you can tune absolutely everything - from how long the PDA should search for the keyboard when it first turns on, to how the repeat rate for if you hold down a key, to 10 customizable 'Cmd+[number]' keys. Also, those of you internationals will be pleased that you can also choose different keyboard layouts. US English, French, and German come installed by default, and it has the capability to have new layouts installed (I didn't investigate where you can get them or how many are available, though).
-The keys respond very quickly (you could certainly type at least 80 words per minute speed on it). The repeat speed (if you hold down a button) is somewhat slow but not much to complain about, in my opinion though.
-The stand to hold the PDA is very sturdy and holds the PDA well and securely. It does have a negative with the metal bar though (see below).
-There is a Windows .exe installer that should auto-run and be no hassle if you use Windoze. I, however, use Linux. I was very impressed, as I am with any company that does this, that the CD actually had documentation for installing the driver under a Linux system. The installation is simple for Linux (or Mac OS for that matter) users. Just install one little Keyboard.prc file.

Negatives:
-This keyboard does not have a lock to hold it flat, thereby making it somewhat difficult to type with the keyboard on your lap (the thing folds if you put much weight on it). You have to play a little balancing act to use it on any uneven surface. It is designed to be used on a flat surface.
-I like how this has a metal bar to hold the PDA on the built-in stand (more secure in my opinion than rubber strips, etc). However, the bar is situated somewhat too close (at least for my TJ37). It just fits in without any case or anything on it. The TJ37 is about 1.3 cm or 0.55 inches deep, so you can gauge you PDA accordingly. Being just a metal bar, you can just bend it out with some pliers, though. Not a particularly neat solution, but it works.

Notes:
-The installation instructions for Mac/Linux say to download the driver from their website. I have no idea why they say that as the most recent version of the .prc file is right there on the CD.

Rating:
Summary: Great Buy
Review: This keyboard works wonderfully with my Tungsten T3. They key recognition is excellent and the design is sturdy; it's a full-sized keyboard too. The quality of this keyboard is almost perfect. There is only one draw back. If you like to use your T3 with a sideview, your display will be upside down because it will have to sit on it's left side instead of it's right. Key recognition will still be perfect though :). You will require a flat surface because the keyboard does not lock into place. Other than that, this keyboard couldn't satisfy me more. In the end, it's not a matter of quality and ease of use, but a matter of preference (lay it on it's side or upright...hmmm..). If you have read the many warnings from other users not to buy the Palm branded stowaway to avoid the black screen of death, this is a great answer because it operates perfectly with the Palm Tungsten T3