The Bottom Line: I rate the Gotype a buy - solid construction , no complicated "opening up" sequence ala the Palm Portable Keyboard. The price is right, too!
morituri's Full Review: LandWare GoType! Pro (2600) Keyboard
Note : This review was written on a Gotype Pro keyboard for Palm V/Vx.
Back story: I have wanted a Gotype for quite a while. However I was quite sceptical about the effectiveness of the keyboard. My Palm V's greatest feature is that it is small enough for me to bring everywhere. It's great for jotting down short notes during conversations or while in a meeting. It falls short on writing longer reports. I occasionally need to write a paragraph or two of ideas and concepts at the spur of the moment.
Previously, I relied on a laptop to do this. By the time I booted up the computer, wait of Windows to start up, and wait for the application to launch , I'd have lost track of the inspiration in the first place. I'm hoping that with the Gotype I can just open the keyboard, plug in my Palm and start typing.
The Gotype is quite small and has an extremely compact design. The hard cover protects keys when not in use.
When you open the cover, the cradle for the Palm device opens up.
There's a slide-out foot at the back of the keyboard which adds stability - this means the keyboard won't topple over when you type.
The Gotype has a built-in serial port, located on the left side - there's a switch that toggles between Hotsync and keyboard modes. This means we still cannot use the palm for serious online chats.
There's a built in recharger (have to use the Palm V charger) - the switch mentioned earlier lights up while recharging.
With the serial port and recharger, the Gotype can act as a Hotsync cradle replacement. It's certainly lighter and more portable!
Nice touches - two small stylus holders are placed at either end of the keyboard. This allows easy access since navigation is still primarily stylus based.
There are six customizable function buttons - twelve functions when combined with "alt" and "command" keys.
Being used to desktop and laptop keyboard, the Gotype feels cramped with heavy use. The placement of arrow keys also makes navigation a bit confusing at times - e.g.
"Del" key is actually backspace.
There is a "Shortcut" key which allows you to activate shortcuts - this is especially convenient for date stamps, etc.
The Gotype now comes with a word processor (TakeNote) and thesaurus (WordSleuth) bundle, which means it's even better value now.
Obviously the Gotype doesn't have a "wow factor" of the type that you get when people see the Palm Portable Keyboard. But it does what it's supposed to, and that's what counts.
USB port and cable for computer connection No cable hookup or batteries required Includes 6 user-defined function keys Lightweight design includes pro...More at Amazon Marketplace
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