Which is the better keyboard? (rx3115)

[LordVagabond]

Okay... I'm in a tossup here...

I'm getting my rx3115 next week (tuesday, to be specific), and I want an IR keyboard to go with it.

After much research, it has been narrowed down to two choices, the Belkin IR keyboard or the ThinkOutside IR keyboard.

What has me worried is twofold:

a) that the Belkin keyboard apparently does NOT like WinMob2003SE

b) that teh ThinkOutside keyboard is not readily available in the Canadian market.

Any thoughts/suggestions/comments on these two keyboards? I can direct order the TO keyboard, or buy the Belkin here in Calgary.

ALso, if anyone knows where to get the ThinkOutside keyboard in Calgary, please do tell

[Don Tolson]

For my 2 cents, I'd go with a Bluetooth keyboard, rather than IR -- too much having to fiddle with positioning to line up the IR ports or mirrors in the latter case.

[yankeejeep]

Although it's more expensive, I would also recommend BT over IR if that is an option for you, definitely due to positioning issues. With my Toshiba e805 and its IR port positioned low on one side, I actually had to give it a boost up in the bracket to get the Targus keyboard arm to align. At least the TO version has a wide enough swing to make that maneuver unnecessary. However, a BT board makes position of device to keyboard pretty freestyle. If you're out of BT range, you're not going to be able to see the device's screen anyway and I don't care how good your eyes are.

If you are staying with IR, I like the TO keyboard with one caveat: there is no number row. Numbers are accessed with Function+letter combinations or by hitting NumLock, at which point the top row of letters is converted to a number row. I haven't found this as clumsy as it sounds, though I would definitely prefer a layout similar to the embedded keypad found on most notebook keyboards.

I like the quality of TO products and they also have a better tendency than most to get their drivers updated for new OS releases. And as we all learn somewhere along the way, input devices usually need new drivers to communicate with a new OS.

[LordVagabond]

Well, IR is right now at the very top end of my range for affordability :cry: University is a bloodsucking institution, financially :P

I actually prefer the TO, from what I've read, for a few reasons:

a) the keys are standard 1.6 cm keys versus the 1.1 cm keys favored by most "compact" keyboards. My fngertips are kinda chubbed out so the regular sized keys should make typing easier

b) the swingarm vs the IR mirror. With the swingarm, I can lay my 3115 in landscape mode and do note-taking that way, or portrait mode if I need to, and the TO can do that very nicely

c) the TO is on sale right now... $50 US with free ground shipping direct from TO :D

[LordVagabond]

Well, I ordered the ThinkOutside IR Keyboard 8O

I'll post a review of it when I get it and my iPaq here on these forums :D

[lorettaboy]

I have the palmone universal ir keyboard, and it works great.

[LordVagabond]

Well, the keyboard will be here Tuesday (hopefully when I get my iPAQ, otherwise I get it wednesday)

[Menneisyys]

I have the palmone universal ir keyboard, and it works great.

yeah, it's the same as the ThinkOutside one.