Header banner
Revain logoHome Page
Drew Gengler photo
1 Level
1313 Review
51 Karma

Review on PalmOne Infrared Wireless Keyboard Palm by Drew Gengler

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Wireless is great, numbers are awkward for touch input

The keyboard is a little thinner than my Stowaway keyboard but larger in two ways. Unlike the Stowaway's sophisticated folding design, it simply folds in half. Press the latch (which also serves as a rest for your palm) and open the right half of the keyboard. In fact, it is very similar to the ThinkOutside wireless keyboard. Welcome to the three-row keyboard layout (with a split spacebar and other function keys on the fourth row). The blue Fn key gives you access to PDA-related numbers and functions, while the green Fn key gives you access to icons. I like the wireless part. The keyboard's IR port rotates and positions itself over my T3. There is no connector to snap into, which is good. I've already worn out a keyboard on my Visor because I kept pushing the keyboard back and forth. I suspect that someone typing over 20 wpm probably won't be too thrilled with this keyboard. The hinge only sits where I normally place my thumb to press the spacebar, preventing me from hitting the spacebar properly. I have to put my thumb in an awkward position to hit the spacebar. Maybe I just need to train myself to push my thumb a little further to release the loop. Compressing numbers and symbols into the top row of letters is also inconvenient when you're typing a lot of numbers and text. . Really slows down typing when you have to reach for those extra modifier keys. It also means that all the correct number keys are in the wrong position (compare with a full-size keyboard to see how misaligned they are). If you're just typing plain text, this is much less of a problem. Key spacing is fine, slightly narrower than the original Stowaway keyboard design. 19mm vs 18mm might not sound like a lot, but it certainly feels big. I think whoever came up with the design of the three-row keyboard was never a big fan of touch typing who typed a lot of numbers. I think I'll get used to this over time, but my goodness, it really slows down typing. but that certainly seems like a lot. I think whoever came up with the three-row keyboard design was never a big fan of touch typing who typed a lot of numbers. I think I'll get used to this over time, but my goodness, it really slows down typing. but that certainly seems like a lot. I think whoever came up with the design of the three-row keyboard was never a big fan of touch typing who typed a lot of numbers. I think I'll get used to this over time, but my goodness, it really slows down typing. but that certainly seems like a lot. I think whoever came up with the design of the three-row keyboard was never a big fan of touch typing who typed a lot of numbers. I think I'll get used to this over time, but my goodness, it really slows down typing. but that certainly seems like a lot. I think whoever came up with the design of the three-row keyboard was never a big fan of touch typing who typed a lot of numbers. I think I'll get used to this over time, but my goodness, it really slows down typing.

Pros
  • Compatible with the following Palm PDAs -
Cons
  • No performance