That Mobile Office: Mobile Keyboards
I have found that since owning a PDA, that I have really had the issue of what it is that I would use to get information into the device. There are multiple aspects of handwriting recognition (written recently about at Brighthand) and then there are keyboards. When I got a Palm T5 last year, one of the purchases that I got with it was an external keyboard; I wanted to do the mobile office thing because I was out of the house a lot more than in it, and the large screen gave me an opportunity to try mobile computing on a different level.
I then went to using a Treo and found that I liked the thumboard, but there were times when I needed to write a bit more and I had not gotten used to typing as fast as I think with my thumbs only. Therefore the external keyboard came back out and I found a new level of computing (anywhere access to email and Internet, plus I could type fast) and it made those more immediate communications a bit better, and then I was also able to find quiet places outside of a room and electrical outlet, gathering me towards people (or even a quiet place) but still able to get my thoughts down in the fashion that I wanted.
It was in this that I realized the value of having an external keyboard. While it is that they are not the best choice for everyone, external keyboards can prove to be very porfitable in both business and ministry. In business, one can use the keyboard/PDA combo to type notes for a team meeting and then send them to the team for review. Also, using a program such as DragonEdit, one can even edit a webpage without having to log into their computer (VPN or Terminal Services). In ministry, the reach of using a keyboard can be as simple as putting together a sermon or presentation, or as expansive as emailing various ministries around the world about what you are doing or for support requests.
Because of the compact size of many of these external keyboards, one can get away with carrying them and maybe a set of batteries and that is really it. Many PDAs are good enough to go a day or two with heavy use, and so that would only leave one charger to carry, and then an extra set of batteries which can give you about 2-3 weeks of hard usage (meaning more than 4hrs a day) or 2-3 months (light usage, 15min a week).
You have various ways to connect a keyboard to your PDA. Older keyboard models connect via a hardware connector, slightly newer ones connect using infrared (IR) and the latest ones use Bluetooth (BT) to connect to the PDA. Of the three, Bluetooth is probably the most battery intensive, yet not so much that you would need to worry about whether your PDA would last the day if you used your PDA and keyboard in (for example) a classroom setting.
Getting the information into your PDA is something to consider. And if you are anything like me and looking for warmer days and reasons to be outside, a PDA and keyboard can be a really convicing factor (there are other factors that IT people like to bring up, but we can let them chat and just ask them for the fun stuff :-) ).
Here are some models that work well with most newer and older PDAs (reference the websites for pricing information for your region):
- Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard
- ThinkOutside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard
- Palm Portable Keyboard for Treo 600
- Brando Mini-Bluetooth keyboard
A PDA and keyboard may not be the best solution for all uses, but for those cases when you need to get down and write an article or just keep correspondance a bit longer than what a text message can do, an external keyboard could be an answer to a mobile solution.
I then went to using a Treo and found that I liked the thumboard, but there were times when I needed to write a bit more and I had not gotten used to typing as fast as I think with my thumbs only. Therefore the external keyboard came back out and I found a new level of computing (anywhere access to email and Internet, plus I could type fast) and it made those more immediate communications a bit better, and then I was also able to find quiet places outside of a room and electrical outlet, gathering me towards people (or even a quiet place) but still able to get my thoughts down in the fashion that I wanted.
It was in this that I realized the value of having an external keyboard. While it is that they are not the best choice for everyone, external keyboards can prove to be very porfitable in both business and ministry. In business, one can use the keyboard/PDA combo to type notes for a team meeting and then send them to the team for review. Also, using a program such as DragonEdit, one can even edit a webpage without having to log into their computer (VPN or Terminal Services). In ministry, the reach of using a keyboard can be as simple as putting together a sermon or presentation, or as expansive as emailing various ministries around the world about what you are doing or for support requests.
Because of the compact size of many of these external keyboards, one can get away with carrying them and maybe a set of batteries and that is really it. Many PDAs are good enough to go a day or two with heavy use, and so that would only leave one charger to carry, and then an extra set of batteries which can give you about 2-3 weeks of hard usage (meaning more than 4hrs a day) or 2-3 months (light usage, 15min a week).
You have various ways to connect a keyboard to your PDA. Older keyboard models connect via a hardware connector, slightly newer ones connect using infrared (IR) and the latest ones use Bluetooth (BT) to connect to the PDA. Of the three, Bluetooth is probably the most battery intensive, yet not so much that you would need to worry about whether your PDA would last the day if you used your PDA and keyboard in (for example) a classroom setting.
Getting the information into your PDA is something to consider. And if you are anything like me and looking for warmer days and reasons to be outside, a PDA and keyboard can be a really convicing factor (there are other factors that IT people like to bring up, but we can let them chat and just ask them for the fun stuff :-) ).
Here are some models that work well with most newer and older PDAs (reference the websites for pricing information for your region):
- Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard
- ThinkOutside Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard
- Palm Portable Keyboard for Treo 600
- Brando Mini-Bluetooth keyboard
A PDA and keyboard may not be the best solution for all uses, but for those cases when you need to get down and write an article or just keep correspondance a bit longer than what a text message can do, an external keyboard could be an answer to a mobile solution.
posted by Antoine @ 10/05/2006 11:48:00 PM
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