PPC Input Device Question... Advice needed..!

[Michael G.]

Hi guys,

I've been using handhelds pretty much since the day they came out... (Jornadas, Ipaqs, even the Pilot 1000 back in the day..)

Now that I am using my IPAQ 2210 for reading and responding to E-mail on the road, I've come to realization that the Letter Recognizer sucks.

I mean, it's good for entering appointments and to look up contacts, but in the time I just composed this small post on my desktop, I'd probably only be on the first line on my PPC.

I know there is one HP that has a built-in keyboard, and of course, some snap-on ones, too.

Would anyone like to share their experiences with me in terms of using such an input devide? I don't mean those big fold out keyboards.. rather the ones right on the device.

How are they? Can you zip through coposing E-mails? Do you find them no quicker than the Ltter Recognizer? Swear that you'll never go back? Or is it just a useless hardware add-on that increases weight and size?

I just need a solution that will enable me to fire off E-mails from the car. Any opinions will be helpful..

Thanks!

Mike

[mattp]

I'm insistent that everything for my machine be "on board" the ppc so that I only have to carry it and maybe a set of small headphones when I'm walking around, flying, etc.

I've been using SPB's soft keyboard for some time and really like it -- I use my thumbs for entry and sometimes lay the ppc flat and do okay with single finger "touch typing." I've never tried a thumbboard, and i expect the soft keyboard isn't as fast (it's touch screen entry, so there are some mistakes and no tactile feedback). However, once I practiced with the soft keyboard for a while, I found it to be much faster than the OS-provided options for text-intensive data entry. Plus, there's nothing to carry other than the ppc, which is the big benefit in my opinion.

I offer this as a consideration only. I'm sure you want to hear from thumbboard users, so I defer to them. Just thought I'd offer my experience. SPB offers a free trial, so you might just want to try it.

Oh, btw, you can find the software here:

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/fsk/?en