The first Palm I purchased was an m105 last summer. I immediately purchased a Palm folding keyboard for m100 series PDAs. Now, a bit less than a year later, I've purchased an m130 and Palm m130-compatible keyboard. I have quite a bit to say about the folding keyboards Palm sells.
1. Price: The keyboard can be pricey (current retail price is three-quarters of the current retail price of an m105), but, if you're a student or find yourself in situations requiring you to take extensive notes, it's more than worth shelling out the cash. Amazon sells for a great price, so buy from here as opposed to retail stores.
2. Durability: I am a sophomore in college, and I use my Palm and its keyboard to take notes every single day. My keyboard has never been damaged, although I must note that it could break if you're not careful. Since it is a folding model and not one solid piece of machinery, the keyboard could snap if bent the wrong way. You also need to use this keyboard on a flat surface, as other reviewers have noted. If you don't have a desk nearby, though, just prop the keyboard up on a clipboard, notebook, textbook, etc. It's not that big of a hassle.
3. Ease of use: The biggest complaint about PDAs is the pain of using Graffiti to enter data into your device. Graffiti is indeed tiresome; I don't know how many times my Palm has incorrectly identified letters, requiring me to delete and re-enter. Very time-consuming, especially if you're taking notes during a lecture! Obviously, this keyboard eliminates the problem. I don't know about the average joe, but I type a heck of a lot faster than I can write with Graffiti, or even write with a traditional pen and paper. Taking notes in class is a breeze with the keyboard-no hand cramps, no crossing out errors, no scribbling in the margins because your teacher forgot to mention something earlier... It's great.
4. Quick copies: As others have mentioned, after you take notes using the keyboard, simply HotSync your data with your PC and print. Eaaaaaasy and fast. When friends at school are sick and miss class, they don't have to copy notes from others by hand-I just print them off a copy of mine.
5. Portability: This keyboard is very, very portable and surprisingly compact. The keyboard is broken into four parts, loosely connected. Just slide the clasp to pop open the keyboard, unfold, slide the outside two pieces along the connecting tracks until they lock with the inside two, and stick your PDA in the cradle. Ok, maybe it sounds complicated without the keyboard in front of you, but it's incredibly easy. When the keyboard is folded and closed, it's just a bit bigger than the PDA itself. Truly awesome.
6. Coolness: Finally, I have to mention the "cool" factor. I must say I enjoy the stares I get from classmates the first time I whip out this gizmo. It's a great way to break the ice with new people, and it makes you seem cutting-edge when everyone else takes out a pen and paper for lectures.
I give this product 4 stars out of 5 because of its price and the potential for breaking. I do point out once more, however, that Amazon has a great price for this keyboard. Also, I do acknowledge that there might not be an affordable way to make a sturdier folding keyboard. I would suggest to Palm that they include some sort of small, sliding plastic pieces on the underside of the folding pieces to perhaps provide some sort of braces so the keyboard couldn't bend the wrong way. Other than these minor flaws, this is a solid investment. Parents, get your kids this great tool.
The Palm Keyboard is a great device for enhancing one's productivity. Here are five ways I use it all of the time:
1) Data Input -Here's the obvious. The Palm keyboard is usable for inputting data into all of the major Palm applications; calendar, address book, memo, to-do list and e-mail. Typing is always faster -and more accurate. (No surprises here.)
2) Word Processing and Printing -This one isn't so obvious. If you add Docs to Go (from Dataviz) on to your Palm, this will enable you to modify and compose new MS Word documents directly on your PDA. If you also add either BtPrint or IRPrint (from ISComplete.com), you can then print these documents to any number of Bluetooth or infrared capable printers (such as HP's 995 for Bluetooth, or HP's 350, 990, 995, or 1315 printers for IR). Syncing with your PC becomes less necessary. And why lug around a heavy laptop to word process when the Palm and Palm keyboard are as easy to carry as two small paperback novels?
3) Address Book -Here's a fun one. Open the address book and type in the first 3-5 letters of the name you're seeking and hit "enter." And, voila! You're there! I use the Palm keyboard when I have a lengthy list of people to call. (Scrolling with the stylus is, by comparison, very slow -and for the birds!)
4) E-mails and Voice Mails -Here's another less obvious one (but a biggie!). I use my Palm keyboard to write down information -and action steps -while reading or listening to e-mails and voice-mails, respectively. Then I delete them (or never look at them again). Why print out, file, shuffle and re-read or re-listen to e-mails and voice mails? This is so time consuming. With the Palm keyboard, I can record more info than on a note pad, and I can put my next steps directly into my to-do list so I won't forget. (To make this even easier, I always listen to voice mail using a speakerphone -my company's at work, and my Siemens 4200 2.4 ghz at home. All of the Siemens 4200 series phones have a speakerphone built into both the base and remote units. Very handy.)
5) Taking Notes in Meetings -This is another biggie! Why use paper and pen -when typing into one's Palm is so much faster? The data also becomes much more usable. After the meeting, I can print out a hard copy if I'd like to file the notes or distribute them phsycially. I can also upload them to my PC (normally as a MS Word document) if I want to file or disseminate them electronically. If you're worried about the "geek factor" of taking the keyboard to meetings -there isn't one! The Palm keyboard is an engineering marvel. I get only "oohs" and "aahs" when I unfurl it. (Taking a laptop to a meeting -now, that's geeky!) Other's are even more impressed when I arrive -without any paper!
In terms of computer power, the Palm is really a mini-PC -but hardly anyone uses it as such! The slow speed of data input (with a stylus), I believe, is a major factor. With this remarkably compact keyboard, the Palm can become a major productivity-enhancing tool. See how much faster you can go! I highly recommend it!
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Ok, i lvoe this thing. I can type 80 wps and can tke notes maybe around 40 wps with a pen or pencil. I always hate sitting at a lecture and missing stuff cause I can't write it down fast enough. This thing solves my problem. I type the stuff, and cna READ IT! When I write notes really fast they are illegiable, this thing solves all of my problems!
It is light, small, and very efficiant. You'll love it.
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I was considering buying a laptop, but hated the weight and the thought of protecting it from theft. I take this to meetings/seminars/mountains and write there. The batteries last a long long time on the Palm. If you take notes even moderately often, you'll thank yourself. I wish I'd had this in grad school. You can sync to your computer and it goes into outlook, then save to whatever file you want, and voila, computer word processed document.
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I waited for several months before I finally purchased this keyboard. First, I tried to save money with the attachable thumb keypad for the i705. This turned out to be quite a waste of money compared to the benefits of the full-size Portable Keyboard. I used to slowly enter one letter at a time with the stylus, then with the thumb keypad. Now, I am surprised at how fast I am typing with the Palm Keyboard. Not only is it fast and easy to set up, but it is also VERY high quality. I actually like it as much or better than my home computer keyboard.
If you regularly type large amounts of text into your Palm, then you should definitely save yourself a headache and buy this keyboard. Don't be surprised if you are able to type at the same speed as you would on a regular computer keyboard. The only complaint that I have is that it does not lock open. For instance, if you want to use it on your lap, you would need to find a book or something flat to put it on.
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This card has been rocking out my newest games on the highest settings. It runs very quiet as the fan is often at 29 RPM.
