STW
02-03-2004, 09:41 PM
Been using the Pocketop IR keyboard for a few days now and I'm pretty satisfied (I have no connection with Pocketop). I recently bought the iPAQ 1945 for its size, and because of innopocket's great case, to replace my iPAQ 3650 and palm 515. (To me, the 19xx iPAQs are the first PDAs that are as usable as the old Palm Vx & hard case--I need a PDA and case to be slim and little enough that I never have a reason to leave it behind.) I assumed when I bought it that there would be a keyboard for it, and was dissappointed that the "backward" USB in the tail of the 1945 makes it incompatible with the HP keyboard, which I thought was pretty good and pretty small, and usable on the lap unlike the classic Stowaway/Targus versions. (In fact I found myself seldom using my four-fold Stoway with the iPAQ 3650 because it needed too much space on the table, was too big unfolded to use on a book on my lap, and was so fiddly to set up. On the other hand, it required no typing adjustment at all, but I just never used it.)
So I went looking for a keyboard for the 1945 and found that IR keyboards were my only option, and Pocketop was referred to on this forum I think--Thanks. It's impressively small, much more pocketable than any of the stowaway versions or anything I've used before--and that makes it so that I never hesitate to carry it, even if I'm not aware of a keyboard entry need coming up (folded keyboard is about the size of a PalmVx). Price was very reasonable (for this type of thing) at $79. Uses one AAA battery to beam its IR.
Keyboard unfolds flat with only one hinge, about 8" wide opened (automatically turns itself on and off by folding/unfloding). PDA lays on the table in front of the keyboard. select keyboard from the text entry choices in your app and type away. ("Pocketop keyboard" shows up next to "on-screen keyboard" in your input select menu after you install the driver.)
I was impressed with how good the key travel and feel is--much like a quality laptop, and nothing like the stiff feel of the old GoType I have from 1999 for the Palm V series. Feel is easily as good as any of the Stowaway products I've tried.
To get that small size, they have doubled-up the number keys with the top row of qwerty keys, and you use a "num" and "punct" shift key to get numbers and punctuation. I'm getting used to that and I feel that, eventually, it won't slow me down--it does slow me a little at this point. The space bar is a weird shape, as you'll see if you check it out online, but it presents no problem for me as I tend to use my right thumb for the space bar anyway, and just lay my right thumb on the left half of the split space bar on the Pocketop. I still find myself missing the "N" key which seems like a longer reach down and back with my right index finger than I'd like, and the keys are a little downsized anyway. I also sometimes miss the small enter and backspace keys. Since your hands are a little closer together on a slightly downsized keyboard, I find I have to be careful how I arrange the keyboard in front of me so that my right wrist is not uncomfortably angled.
Despite all that (probably sounds like more of a problem than it is for me, but I wanted to list what I was still having trouble with), I think pretty soon I'll be typing as fast as I could on my old iPAQ stowaway--after some adjustment I did type at full speed on my old GoType and the Pocketop is much easier to use than the GoType. (My top speed is c. 30wpm, not fast, and people who can and need to type a lot faster may find the layout more of a problem, or less of a problem if being a faster typist means you're more forgiving [?]). For me comfortable, thoughtless typing is an absolute necessity for a keyboard to be useful. I use this for taking notes in meetings where I can't spare any attention for keyboard idiosyncracies, so I'm expecting that as I get used to it, the Pocketop won't require any looking down.
A pleasant surpise was the fact that by tilting the iPAQ to the left about 20 degrees--about the same angle I always tilt a paper pad too) the IR port on the 1945 works fine with the IR port on the left side of the keyboard. The IR works without removing the Innopocket metal case. So I just lay the 1945, a little tilted, on the table in front of the keyboard and type away. Flat on the the table, the 1945 screen gets that yellowy tint that hasn't ever bothered me, but I have also propped the 1945 on an eraser for a little better view. This setup is the fastest, least fiddly setup I've tried for any PDA/keyboard combination. Pocketop includes a stand that works for any PDA and is designed to hold the PDA upright for viewing and reflect the IR beam to IR ports located on the top of PDAs--not useful for the 1945's left side IR port, and something else to carry and fiddle with. Pocketop also includes screen flipping software in the driver selectable from the input line with any app, BUT it doesn't work with mobile 2003 yet. I tried the Nyditot but wasn't willing to deal with a soft reset to get back and forth between regular and landscape views (and found that most apps weren't very usable in Landscape so I couldn't leave it there--there may be something I'm missing about the Nyiditot Virtual Screen.) I read here this morning that there is a Mobile 2003 update on the way that includes a landscape toggle.
Given that I need a keyboard, and that my 1945 limits me to IR choices (or BT keyboards when they come out), I'm happy to find the Pocketop, happy that it's small and light enough to be with me all the time, and happy that the key feel is so good for me. As I get used to a few accommodations to the smaller layout, I expect to be typing as fast as ever. Right now I'm at 80% because I have to look down to find the "num" and "punct" keys when I need them.
http://www.pocketop.net/
The site has photos, comparisons, and many reviews to refer to. They seem to be having trouble with their credit card servers (that's what they explained to me) and may only be able to provide PayPal orders at the moment.
(Seem to have posted this in the wrong forum--second time in as many days. Sorry.)
So I went looking for a keyboard for the 1945 and found that IR keyboards were my only option, and Pocketop was referred to on this forum I think--Thanks. It's impressively small, much more pocketable than any of the stowaway versions or anything I've used before--and that makes it so that I never hesitate to carry it, even if I'm not aware of a keyboard entry need coming up (folded keyboard is about the size of a PalmVx). Price was very reasonable (for this type of thing) at $79. Uses one AAA battery to beam its IR.
Keyboard unfolds flat with only one hinge, about 8" wide opened (automatically turns itself on and off by folding/unfloding). PDA lays on the table in front of the keyboard. select keyboard from the text entry choices in your app and type away. ("Pocketop keyboard" shows up next to "on-screen keyboard" in your input select menu after you install the driver.)
I was impressed with how good the key travel and feel is--much like a quality laptop, and nothing like the stiff feel of the old GoType I have from 1999 for the Palm V series. Feel is easily as good as any of the Stowaway products I've tried.
To get that small size, they have doubled-up the number keys with the top row of qwerty keys, and you use a "num" and "punct" shift key to get numbers and punctuation. I'm getting used to that and I feel that, eventually, it won't slow me down--it does slow me a little at this point. The space bar is a weird shape, as you'll see if you check it out online, but it presents no problem for me as I tend to use my right thumb for the space bar anyway, and just lay my right thumb on the left half of the split space bar on the Pocketop. I still find myself missing the "N" key which seems like a longer reach down and back with my right index finger than I'd like, and the keys are a little downsized anyway. I also sometimes miss the small enter and backspace keys. Since your hands are a little closer together on a slightly downsized keyboard, I find I have to be careful how I arrange the keyboard in front of me so that my right wrist is not uncomfortably angled.
Despite all that (probably sounds like more of a problem than it is for me, but I wanted to list what I was still having trouble with), I think pretty soon I'll be typing as fast as I could on my old iPAQ stowaway--after some adjustment I did type at full speed on my old GoType and the Pocketop is much easier to use than the GoType. (My top speed is c. 30wpm, not fast, and people who can and need to type a lot faster may find the layout more of a problem, or less of a problem if being a faster typist means you're more forgiving [?]). For me comfortable, thoughtless typing is an absolute necessity for a keyboard to be useful. I use this for taking notes in meetings where I can't spare any attention for keyboard idiosyncracies, so I'm expecting that as I get used to it, the Pocketop won't require any looking down.
A pleasant surpise was the fact that by tilting the iPAQ to the left about 20 degrees--about the same angle I always tilt a paper pad too) the IR port on the 1945 works fine with the IR port on the left side of the keyboard. The IR works without removing the Innopocket metal case. So I just lay the 1945, a little tilted, on the table in front of the keyboard and type away. Flat on the the table, the 1945 screen gets that yellowy tint that hasn't ever bothered me, but I have also propped the 1945 on an eraser for a little better view. This setup is the fastest, least fiddly setup I've tried for any PDA/keyboard combination. Pocketop includes a stand that works for any PDA and is designed to hold the PDA upright for viewing and reflect the IR beam to IR ports located on the top of PDAs--not useful for the 1945's left side IR port, and something else to carry and fiddle with. Pocketop also includes screen flipping software in the driver selectable from the input line with any app, BUT it doesn't work with mobile 2003 yet. I tried the Nyditot but wasn't willing to deal with a soft reset to get back and forth between regular and landscape views (and found that most apps weren't very usable in Landscape so I couldn't leave it there--there may be something I'm missing about the Nyiditot Virtual Screen.) I read here this morning that there is a Mobile 2003 update on the way that includes a landscape toggle.
Given that I need a keyboard, and that my 1945 limits me to IR choices (or BT keyboards when they come out), I'm happy to find the Pocketop, happy that it's small and light enough to be with me all the time, and happy that the key feel is so good for me. As I get used to a few accommodations to the smaller layout, I expect to be typing as fast as ever. Right now I'm at 80% because I have to look down to find the "num" and "punct" keys when I need them.
http://www.pocketop.net/
The site has photos, comparisons, and many reviews to refer to. They seem to be having trouble with their credit card servers (that's what they explained to me) and may only be able to provide PayPal orders at the moment.
(Seem to have posted this in the wrong forum--second time in as many days. Sorry.)