Compatible Keyboards for Dell Axim

[Hessakia]

What keyboards are compatible with the Dell Axim??? i dont want to spend $100 for the dell branded one???


are there any other brands that will work on the Axim?

Hess

[mscdex]

There is a snap-on keyboard for the Axim I believe. Also, not that it's as good as the wired keyboards, but, there is that one IR keyboard available.

[PetiteFlower]

The pocketop keyboard costs just as much as the dell branded one too. I think right now the Dell is the only decent choice. Folks have posted that it's worth the money though, cause it's a nice keyboard.

[mscdex]

The Dell keyboard looks too bulky to me. The only reason I haven't bought an Axim yet, is because I am waiting for Targus to make a Stowaway keyboard for it, whether it be the old style, or the new style, like the one that is now available for Palms.

[Pat Logsdon]

You might be waiting for awhile - I doubt it's going to be worth their time or money to make a keyboard for the Dell when Dell is selling their own keyboard at high volume.

Also, the Dell keyboard is actually smaller than the Targus, and in my opinion (I own a Stowaway for my e125), it's better made. Still very usable, but more compact. If you've seen photos, the "bulky" bit is probably the stand, which is also the cover for the whole thing while folded. That might give you an idea of how small it is.

So you might just want to bite the bullet and just get the Dell keyboard...if you don't like the Pocketop (too small for me), and you can't get a Stowaway, you're stuck with the Dell design - it's the same as the Belkin, Toshiba, Ipaq, etc. There just aren't any more keyboard makers out there... :)

[dbman]

The underlying problem with keyboards is the lack of standardization on the connector for PocketPCs. Microsoft really stumbled on this and it is the PPC's Achilles’ Heal. Imagine the possibilities if all PPCs had a standard connector for power and sync.

Perhaps, when Blue Tooth becomes ubiquitous, we will have our choice of keyboards, GPS units, bar-code scanners, etc. and not fear that these devices will be left behind when we upgrade our PDAs.

While I really like my Axim, one of the major criteria for its replacement will be built-in Blue Tooth. This is a no-brainer!

[Pat Logsdon]

Bluetooth keyboards for our PDAs might not be so far away:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4829

Of course, to use it you'd need to get a bluetooth card for the Axim, but hey, that's why we have two slots! :D

Personally, while I find this an interesting idea, I'd prefer to use something that folds rather than rolls. But then there's the stretching concept, too:

http://www.infosync.no/news/2002/n/2012.html

I'd buy that thing in about 2 seconds if it ever makes it to market.

[PetiteFlower]

You can get a bluetooth CF card for about $40 on Ebay right now.....much cheaper then a new PDA :) Actually even less then the price difference between the Axim and the models currently out there with built in bluetooth :)

[mscdex]

You might be waiting for awhile - I doubt it's going to be worth their time or money to make a keyboard for the Dell when Dell is selling their own keyboard at high volume.

Also, the Dell keyboard is actually smaller than the Targus, and in my opinion (I own a Stowaway for my e125), it's better made. Still very usable, but more compact. If you've seen photos, the "bulky" bit is probably the stand, which is also the cover for the whole thing while folded. That might give you an idea of how small it is.

So you might just want to bite the bullet and just get the Dell keyboard...if you don't like the Pocketop (too small for me), and you can't get a Stowaway, you're stuck with the Dell design - it's the same as the Belkin, Toshiba, Ipaq, etc. There just aren't any more keyboard makers out there... :)

The pictures on Dell's site, make the keyboard seem enormous, at least to me. I really don't like that huge stand, it reminds me of a yamaha keyboard stand or something, to put sheet music on :lol:. Personally, I like Targus' stand on the Stowaway, it's small, durable, and folds nicely. Also, the actual size of the Dell keyboard IS larger than the Stowaway, I recall seeing the exact measurements somewhere on the forums around here.

But I'm really hoping Targus will release a keyboard for the Axim, the new style Stowaway, which is already available for Palms. Palms.... Bah! :)

[Hessakia]

in on of the prior ULs posted, the keyboard has 802.11b support--are there any other keyboards out there that support this standard (i have a MA701 Netgear 802.11b card in my axim)

[Pat Logsdon]

Also, the actual size of the Dell keyboard IS larger than the Stowaway, I recall seeing the exact measurements somewhere on the forums around here.

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, :D but check out this link:

http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi?screen=feature_1

Scroll all the way down to the bottom, and you'll see comparison pictures of the Stowaway and the same type of keyboard as the Dell. The pictures are actually for a Clie Stowaway and Clie Belkin keyboard, but the dimensions of the Belkin keyboard are exactly the same as the Dell keyboard (same manufacturer: Darfon).

I agree with you that the picture on the Dell site doesn't do the keyboard justice - they should really do a side-by-side comparison like the above photos to show the real size difference - they'd probably get more sales from people who love the Stowaways.

That's it, I'm off my soapbox! :P

[Pat Logsdon]

in on of the prior ULs posted, the keyboard has 802.11b support--are there any other keyboards out there that support this standard (i have a MA701 Netgear 802.11b card in my axim)
Not that I know of, and the one in the link is still "vapor-ware".

While it's cool, I'm kinda thinking that it's overkill - you don't really need the power of WiFi to send keystrokes to your PDA - that's sort of like using a chainsaw to trim a toenail, in my opinion. Bluetooth would seem to be the most logical choice for this activity - less power, better battery life, etc.