Pros: Keyboard nearly on par with industry leader: IBM Thinkpads
Cons: Why didn't they eliminate the fold in the middle when in use?
The Bottom Line: This is the must-have accessory for anyone who touch types and owns a PDA. Quality construction, awesome tactile feel, you can't go wrong buying one.
Coffee_Kid's Full Review: TARGUS UNIVERSAL PDA/KEYBOARD CASE - BLACK
Five years ago, when I went into meetings with clients, I had a pen and paper. Not bad, but I'm a terrible note taker when it came to writing.
Three years ago, I went into meetings with my 7lb Acer notebook computer. A big improvement, but still I had to lug that thing around (in the bag with accessories, I was toting about 15 lbs). And I was hidden half the time by the screen.
A year ago, I went into those meetings with a 4lb sub-notebook, an IBM 570E. Awesome notebook, huge screen for an ultralight, but still, The notebook got in the way.
Today, I go into these meetings armed with... nothing. Or so it appears. In actual fact, I have a Compaq iPaq in one pocket, and a Targus Stowaway keyboard in another. If the time comes for taking notes, within 30 seconds, I have it set up and ready to go. It makes a serious impression (as in, this guy is cutting edge, important impression for someone in my biz), it sets up super quick, and after the buzz about it dies down, it almost disappears as I type away taking notes. This is the killer "app" for any PDA.
Let's talk about aesthetics a moment here. The keyboard is about the size of a PDA from 2 or 3 years ago... PDAs today are slimmer and smaller, but that's not a big deal. What is a big deal is the quality of construction. For the most part, it is awesome. The outer shell is all metal, a nice dark gunmetal cover (for the Palm Pilots) or a black brushed color for my iPaq version. Screams quality. The locking mechanism when closed is very secure, and the unit feels very solid when closed. Little niceties and details like built in rubber lines at the 4 outside corners (front and back of the closed unit) are well constructed and let the unit sit without sliding on most flat surfaces.
When opened, you slide the left and right side of the keyboard towards the middle to "lock and load" it into place, ready to type. There is one bad thing about the unit when opened, and I'll get it out of the way right now - the keyboard consists of 4 panels; when you lock and load it, the outer panels lock flat into the middle two panels, (ie, it doesn't bend). But the device still does bend right in the middle (between the interior two panels). Why the designer didn't include a locking mechanism for ALL the panels when you slide the keyboard in place, I really don't know. This prevents you from using the device away from a flat surface, like your knees... at least not easily. I can sort of see why - because the connection between the PDA and the keyboard is not super rock solid, there is a danger that on an uneven surface, the PDA could come loose and fall. But still, a locking middle would be desired.
With that out of the way, there's lots of positives for this product when opened. First, there's the keyboard itself. In the portable world, one keyboard stands above all others - the IBM Thinkpad keyboards. They are the best designed, best tactile-feel keyboards ever made, bar none... until this Stowaway keyboard came along. Now I'm not saying that the Stowaway is AS good as the IBM Thinkpad keyboards, but it's closer than anything else I've tried. That says a lot. The tactile feel is awesome, the keyboard key layout and key sizing is exactly as big as the keyboard I'm typing on right now (a Logitech Internet keyboard), and if I was rating this product on the feel of the keys alone, I'd give it a 10 out of 5, it's that good.
Key layout for standard keys is identical to your desktop keyboard. Missing are the F keys, and the outer keys (like tab, backspace, etc) are minimized, like on a portable computer. Included are function keys (like a notebook) and 5 special keys off to the right side for quick launching apps on your PDA (in the case of the iPaq version, the buttons launch Inbox, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, and with the help of the function key, launch Notes, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Money). Further, you can custom map all the number keys (1 through 0) in combo with the Function key to quick launch any application installed on your PDA. Sweet.
The connector on some keyboards is better than on others. I owned the Palm Vx keyboard version, and the connection was rock solid. With my iPaq version, it's not nearly as so, and it is often hard to line up the iPaq's connector with the keyboard. Further, there is no way to sync your device while using the keyboard - it uses the same slot as does your sync gear.
One little extra in the iPaq keyboard box showed me that the manufacturer cares about their product and pays attention to details - they included a little extender cable for the power supply, with a 90 degree bend. This is because of the design of the iPaq - the power connection on the iPaq is right next to the connector the keyboard plugs into - thus preventing use of Compaq's standard power plug. You can use the keyboard-supplied extender and keep juice flowing to your iPaq should your power be low.
A short note on the keyboard's noise level. There isn't any other than hush hush sounds from the keys being depressed. It's quieter than my desktop keyboard, and like I said above, this device almost becomes invisible in meetings - and the keyboard noise aids this.
In terms of use, I haven't notice a significant difference in battery drain using the keyboard with the iPaq (as compared to no keyboard). Of course, the iPaq is no champ in the battery longevity department, but you should be able to bang out 8 to 10 (constant use) between charges while using this keyboard and with no backlight on the iPaq (about 4 or 5 hours with the backlight at "low". Who wants to type longer than that anyway? :-)
A last note on the driver. I had read earlier that the iPaq driver was a bit flakey, but I noticed absolutely no indications of this. It works solid. It is also "tunable"... in addition to remapping the function-number keys, you can also change the key repeat rate and the key repeat delay. Nice touches.
Overall, I'm a huge fan of these devices. For someone like me who has been typing almost everything he "puts down on paper" for about 15 years now (I'm a terrible hand writer, remember?), being able to put my 80-85wpm speed on the iPaq via a keyboard is awesome. If you are a touch typist, and you own a PDA, this is a must have accessory.
Keeps Your Stowaway & PDA Safe and Sound Easy Access Front Compartment, with Loop Closure, Holds Your PDA and Business Cards Zippered Secondary Compar...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.