Review: The Palm Keyboard

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Originally published on 21 March 2007.

Summary

The Folding Keyboard, by PalmOne, is an infra-red portable folding keyboard for use with PDAs.

Overview

Manufacturer: PalmOne

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good battery life
• Works well for long typing sessions
• Lightweight
• Portable

Cons

• The question mark is in a strange non-standard place.
• Has a tendency to disable itself at inopportune times

Why Did I Download/Buy This?

I was about to embark on National Novel Writing Month, and I knew that if I was going to produce 50,000 words in 30 days I would have to be writing whenever I could manage it. I looked for a keyboard device because my Zire 72 was acting a bit flaky (I’ve since replaced it), and I needed a reliable entry device to do the novel on during my lunch breaks. I was scared of getting something that attached to my PDA, due to a bad experience with another keyboard and a Handspring where attaching the keyboard fried the PDA, so the infrared was a great solution.

How Do I Use This?

When I am in a meeting and need to take lots of notes, I use the keyboard. That saves me from having to transcribe things later. The keyboard also allows me to do a lot of data entry items on my PDA and opens up places for me to work I otherwise wouldn’t be able to.