Have you bought a keyboard (IR or BT), how often do you use it?

[koppee1]

I'm just curious how many people have actually bought a foldable keyboard for their ppc and how often they use it :)

I'm thinking of getting one hehe.

[Menneisyys]

I've bought the TO SA BT keyboard for my iPAQ 2210/ Pocket Loox 720. It's just great. I use it sometimes 2-3 hours a day; my wife at home too to chat with her friends.

It's just great on boring meetings - just sitting in one of them and trying to kill time by posting on some PPC boards :)

You'll love it. A bit of warning though: it doesn't work with MS BT stack devices.

[koppee1]

what's an MS BT Stack device?

[dh]

I bought a Pocketop IR keyboard when I still used my PPC. The keyboard had to be buggered about with everytime to get the beam to line up, but once that was done worked OK.

For most jobs I could write what I needed to in Caligrapher in the time it took to get the keyboard set up.

Of course a clamshell PDA with a decent keyboard is the best way to go. :lol:

[koppee1]

I figure if i bought one, I'll be voting a I seldom use it or I shoudl have not bought it in the first place...hmmm...my main reason for wanting to buy one is 'in case' i need to use it hmmm.

[Menneisyys]

what's an MS BT Stack device?

Microsoft BT stack. E.g., I-Mate devices, the Mitac PPC series, older Fujitsu-Siemens machines (the Pocket Loox 720 is working great tho), the Jam etc. The Toshiba e800/e830 are not compatible either.

[Menneisyys]

I figure if i bought one, I'll be voting a I seldom use it or I shoudl have not bought it in the first place...hmmm...my main reason for wanting to buy one is 'in case' i need to use it hmmm.

Exactly the case of me buying my Pretec CF GPS receiver 2 years ago - I've spent a real fortune on it (some 500 euros), and didn't really use (the Finnish GPS maps are laughably bad - no real maps for the northern region at all)... Then, some months ago, I've sold it for some 100 euros.

I think a BT keyboard can be much more widely used, mainly if you have to attend a lot of meetings and stuff and/or aren't a professional driver.

[Sven Johannsen]

Not a lot of votes here, but even so, probably the percentages I expected. Most not using it much. That was my vote. I think that getting out the keyboard is dependent on expecting to be somewhere for a significant amount of time, where it is appropriate to get some real work done. For me, when I am at such a location, I generally have a PC available.

Regardless of what the brochures say, setting the PPC in the cup holder at the movie theatre and having the keyboard in my lap just isn't that comfortable or convenient. I need a flat surface. That sort of means I'm at a resturant or coffee shop most likely, and I just don't spend that much time in those places, not actively eating or having a conversation with who I am with.

So the keyboard is more of a novelty, in case I need it thing. Just as the mouse is. The mouse though does make the keyboard a heck of a lot nicer to use, as it keeps you from havng to grab that stick all the time. It's very natural too, having used a keyboard and mouse combo for sooo long. (Had an Apple before MS supported a mouse)

I would like to see someone create a good PPC/PDA stand that could securely hold the device at an adjustable angle, for use with a BT keyboard. Think airline tray use, where there is some jostling going to occur. I'm not even that concerned about super compactness, though folding up is essential. If I am carrying a PPC a keyboard a mouse, an airline charger...a stand unit, even the size of the PPC when folded, wouldn't be a big burden, and the whole shebang would still be smaller and lighter than most any laptop, and it's power thing.

P.S. Yes, I'm talking airline and BT, and you can't do that yet, but I figure that will change at some point. I wouldn't guess this year though. Stand would still be nice.

[koppee1]

thanks for all the input guys. You probably made my wife happy :p (save money by not buying hehe)...but just out of curiousity, i have an o2 xdaii which is the i-mate...does that mean BT or IR keyboards aren't compatible with my machine?

[DeepThoughtPockets]

If it has an IR port, you can probably make it work with a generic IR keyboard such as the Belkin

I voted that I use mine seldom (this thread reminded me to get mine out of my bag and make sure it still works) :D , but I'd hate to be without one. Every once in a while I do get stuck in the position of having to reply to an e-mail while on the road, and when it happens it's a lifesaver.

[HobbesIsReal]

I have a PPC-660x with the Thinkoutside BT Keyboard AND the BT Travel mouse....and I use them both quite often.

The keyboard is perfect on a plane, in a meeting, or even in the car (as a passenger) with the phone in a vent holder.

The mouse has proved to be a very valuable asset. I use it all the time when using the keyboard and when it is in the cradle. Between the Keyboard and mouse you never even have to touch the phone to do everything you want.