TenGO Hardware Keyboard Released for Audiovox PPC4100

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tengo.net/4100/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.tengo.net/4100/index.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A QWERTY keyboard is now available for the Audiovox PPC4100. This keyboard accessory comes packed with features including an additional special typing mode incorporating TenGO technology. As a conventional keyboard, the 4100 TenGO keyboard has specially designed ergonomically buttons for comfortable typing and also provides the much awaited Pocket PC HotKey buttons for the PPC4100. For additional comfort and versatility, the keyboard is slide-able, allowing the user a choice to input text either in the slide up or slide down mode. Unlike most other accessories, the keyboard truly integrates with the 4100 as a whole unit even allowing the 4100 to be docked with the keyboard attached."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20041024-TenGo.gif" /><br /><br />Pretty neat! If you're an Audiovox 4100 owner, you'll want to check this out... too bad it's not available for other devices. Essentially, the keyboard has multiple modes -- you can use it like a regular thumbboard, or you can use the TenGO predictive system to reduce the number of keys you have to hit to the 10 middle double-sized ones.

[whydidnt]

This sounds pretty cool, maybe we'll some more of these for other PPC's in the future. It's good to see a hardware device that "thinks outside the box" and includes useful software that makes the hardware more useful when used. I'd love to see more examples of this kind of thinking.

I wonder if they have a way in software to do the same sort of thing with other add on keyboards, you'd think it would be possible, though the middle keys wouldn't be highlighted like here.

For those of us with big, uncoordinated thumbs, the bigger keys in the middle will probably be a blessing. I've been fighting with the thumboard for the 6315 for a couple of weeks now and still can't keep from either hitting two buttons or hitting the phone button and calling up the phone app whenever I'm typing.

[dorelse]

I would have probably kept my PPC4100 if this had been available a few months back...it was really the missing piece for my needs, in an otherwise decent product.

[brianchris]

I would have probably kept my PPC4100 if this had been available a few months back...it was really the missing piece for my needs, in an otherwise decent product.

I couldn't agree more. Me, I never owned the PPC4100 but that was becuase such a keyboard didn't exist. I, for one, would have been happy had the OEM flip pannel with number keybad was availible, and certainly would be happy with this.

The only thing still missing is Bluetooth (and that's a biggie). Hey, perhaps a version of this keyboard could come out which has integrated Bluetooth? :lol:

Nice effort!