Wanting to buy a Toshiba 805e Keyboard Question

[JanellHolter]

:lol: I am currently in college to get my BA in accounting and right now I have a Dell Axim X5 and was thinking about either purchasing an HP 4150 or the new Toshiba. I have to say that I am starting to lean towards the Toshiba because of the screen. But one of my main things that I use my pda for the most is typing notes from my accounting classes. Does the new Toshiba have the ability to use a regular keyboard, I thought that I saw something somewhere about it being able to use USB stuff. If anybody can give me any information on either of the two pda's I would appreciate it. :wink:

[Falstaff]

If you want to take notes in your classes, I don't know why you'd want to lug around a full sized keyboard instead of a PDA keyboard. Is there some special reason for that? I would just reccomend the IR keyboard or their should be one compatible with teh 805 on Toshiba's website.

[yvilla]

But yes, it does have USB host capability, and can thus be used with a regular keyboard, with either a USB host cable, or the more expensive expansion pack, which also includes a video out port.

[suemccartin]

I've seen some fancy membrane keyboards that roll up pretty small and use a usb plug. Maybe something like that would be good as I've not seen a thumb keyboard either.

[JohnnyFlash]

Janell, yes, I use a very small "mini" usb keyboard with my 805 that I got at fry's. I use it with the host cable as opposed to the expansion pack (less to carry around). It only cost $15 US.

But, my wife uses one of the roll up "membrane" keyboards, and just swears by it.

The reason I would reccomend going with one of these two solutions as opposed to the typical IR pda keyboard is simple...power. With either the usb host cable or the expansion pack, you can have your PDA plugged in while you are typing. With the generic IR keyboards, you cannot. I cherish my battery life, so I use the cable option.

By the way, the "mini" keyboard I use in only about 8" wide, and about 5" tall. It easily fits into my bag. Hope this helps you decide! :D

[sheureka]

I just bought a USB Stowaway from Computer Geeks for $19. It works great with my E740 (with the USB dongle) and the keyboard if full sized when open and almost exactly the size of the PDA when closed. Here's a link to the manufacturer ($99) - http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/stowawayusb-oview.html - and here's the link to Computer Geeks ($18.95) - http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=90190 - sheureka

[Falstaff]

The reason I would reccomend going with one of these two solutions as opposed to the typical IR pda keyboard is simple...power. With either the usb host cable or the expansion pack, you can have your PDA plugged in while you are typing. With the generic IR keyboards, you cannot. I cherish my battery life, so I use the cable option.

With the standard Belkin Keyboard you can plug the charging cable right into it. The connection for the 805 is the same as the 755, right?

[JohnnyFlash]

With the standard Belkin Keyboard you can plug the charging cable right into it. The connection for the 805 is the same as the 755, right?

That's what I thought when I upgraded from my E-755. I thought I would be able to use all of my accessories with the new unit. But, alas, it was not to be.

The connector slot on my E-805 is slightly more narrow than the one on the 740/755.

So, it seems I'm stuck buying new peripherals. Or, I can just continue using everything as USB...at least THAT'S standard. :roll: