PalmOne Portable Keyboard for Palm III and VII

by Palm

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004RC2G
• Item model number: 3C10317U
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,933 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Tired of using the stylus for tedious "typing" and handwriting on your Palm III series or Palm VII organizer? The Palm portable keyboard not only gives you a full-size QWERTY keyboard for touch-typing on your Palm organizer, but also folds up for portable convenience.

The keyboard folds into a 3.5-by-5-inch case that is only slightly larger than the Palm organizer itself. At 0.875 inches thick, the portable keyboard is a little too large to fit into most shirt pockets, but it will fit into a jacket pocket and takes up very little room in a briefcase or purse. This model of the portable keyboard works with the Palm III series (including Palm III, IIIx, IIIe, and IIIxe) and Palm VII connected organizers.

To set up the keyboard driver, we did not need to consult the instruction manual. We inserted the accompanying software disk into our PC and double-clicked the PRC icon on our desktop. We inserted the Palm organizer into its HotSync cradle and pressed the HotSync button. To open the portable keyboard, we slid its side-mounted thumb-switch down, unfolded its panels, and slid the left and right sides of the keyboard together until they locked into place. With only a little experimentation, we found a sliding support behind the portable keyboard's dock connector, into which we slid our Palm organizer. Then, we started the Memo application on the Palm and began typing. In fact, we wrote a portion of this review using the Memo application while typing on the portable keyboard.

Typing on the portable keyboard is much like typing on a notebook PC. The response of the keys is quite comfortable, and the tactile feedback is satisfying. The keys are also positioned well for fast touch-typing. Note that you can only use the portable keyboard on a firm flat surface; you cannot use it on your lap because the keyboard's center hinge does not lock. We also recommend that you handle the portable keyboard gently, as it is made from thin and lightweight materials.

For people who need to use their Palm for memos, e-mail, writing reports, or any activity that requires entering more than just a few words, the Palm portable keyboard offers a tremendous convenience, especially given its small size and portability.

Pros:

• True touch-typing for your Palm organizer
• Ultracompact folding design for portability
• Doesn't require batteries or an external power source
• Atractive styling

Cons:

• Cannot rest keyboard on your lap
• Lightweight construction

Amazon.com Product Description

This lightweight keyboard for Palm III and VII handhelds is an ideal accessory for users who get frustrated by hunt-and-peck stylus typing and handwriting recognition software. Its small form factor and foldability keep it portable, while its true touch-typing and full-size keys assure comfort. The Palm handheld portable keyboard also features an integrated docking station and requires no additional batteries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real keyboard that's really portable, March 30, 2000

By 

A.S. Miller (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PalmOne Portable Keyboard for Palm III and VII (Office Product)

I have been using a production prototype of this keyboard for almost a month and a half, now, and I find it valuable for a few tasks for which Grafiti (although, I use JOT) hanwriting recognition is not suitable: email, extensive note taking, and other large volumes of text input, and (interestingly) spreadsheet creation.

The new Palm Portable Keyboard is a FULL SIZE keyboard that folds so small and compact that it drops easily into a jacket pocket, a purse, or a briefcase. It has a FULL SIZE look and feel, with a full 3 mm travel.

When I go to a meeting, I can unobtrusively take notes by dropping my Palm III into the docking connector on the Palm Portable Keyboard. When I get back home (or to the office) and synchronize (HotSynch) my Palm with Microsoft Outlook on my PC, all my notes are just a point and click away from my word processor.

Now, if Think Outside (the designers and manufacturers of the Portable Keyboard) can get enough software companies to work with them to include tighter integration to the fantastic potential that Palm computing offers when linked with the additional power and flexibility that the Palm Portable Keyboard adds ...

One more item that i would like to see Think Outside add to their wish list: please put a serial connection on the keyboard so that we can:

1) Connect to a modem while doing email using the keyboard; 2) HotSynch from the keyboard docking connector - a nice capability so you can travel with the keyboard and leave the standard docking station at home.

Maybe this serial connector can be implemented as a choice of connectors that plug into the keyboard (to the right of the docking connector) and provide a selection, including: RS-232 DTE or DCE/ 9 pin or 25 pin; USB; 10-BaseT; etc.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its cool. Its useful. Its almost (but not quite) perfect., August 20, 2000

By 

Stephen M. Bainbridge "www.professorbainbridg... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PalmOne Portable Keyboard for Palm III and VII (Office Product)

I love my old Palm III. It is reliable, it syncs well with Outlook 2000 now that I've picked up PocketMirror, and the amoritized cost is now down to pennies a day. But after years of use, I still hate that stupid little stylus. My "graffiti" technique never got better than about 90% accuracy, I can never remember how to punctuate, and don't get me started on the little touchpad keyboards. So the Palm III keyboard is a godsend. First off, its very cool. The key action is very good--soft and accurate. I'm still fiddling with the delay settings, as the delay is a bit too slow for my tastes. They keys are also a little too noisy for use in a meeting. On the plus side, typing notes into the Palm is now a breeze. Better still: the keyboard is collapsible, so its folds into a small rectangle not much bigger than a Palm, but is very nearly full sized when unfolded. When unfolded and locked, it is pretty stable (although I agree with those who say you can't really use it on your lap). It looks great. What more can you ask?

I recently took my Palm III and keyboard to a conference. Everybody else was lugging around laptops. I just unfolded my keyboard, snapped on my Palm and rocked. All my Dilbertesque buddies were very jealous. (Palm probably owes me hundreds in finders fees.) The only problem: Carrying my Palm, the keyboard, and my cell phone is a lot of juggling. I need a small case that carries all three. Anybody know one?

61 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This long awaited keyboard was a disappointment, May 23, 2000

By 

J. Horowitz "uclafalcon" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PalmOne Portable Keyboard for Palm III and VII (Office Product)

I waited over four months to get this hot, back-ordered item, excited about the reviews it received and looking forward to taking notes on my Palm III. During the wait, my boss let me borrow his LandWare GoType keyboard, and I began to get used to its small size and usefulness.

Finally, my Palm Portable Keyboard arrived in the mail and I opened it, marvelling at its sleek design and extreme portability. I installed the driver, unfolded the keyboard and started typing.

The first thing I immediately noticed was that, once unfolded, you can't put this keyboard on your lap; it's just not rigid enough. A bit of an inconvenience (the GoType is sturdy enough to do this), but I figured I'd just use a hard surface when I need to type.

The next thing I noticed was that after installing the keyboard driver, suddenly my entire Palm OS had slowed down to a crawl. I visited Palm's website and sure enough, they said this was a problem with the driver. They had a beta driver that I installed to fix the problem.

But then the biggest problem was obvious: The Palm Portable Keyboard can't catch up with your typing. I type pretty fast (40-60 WPM) and it was painful to watch the Palm lagging a few seconds behind me after I finished a line of text. In comparison, the LandWare GoType enters text instantaneously. As a technical writer, I can't afford to have people slow down during meetings while my keyboard catches up.

I called Palm support on this and they said they were aware of the problem, and would likely release a driver to fix the slowdowns eventually. I've waited long enough, Palm Inc. I'm going out and buying a GoType instead.

To Sum up: If you like nifty technology, need extreme portability, and don't type very fast, the Palm Portable Keyboard is worth getting. If you need a reliable product that is sturdy and useful, get the LandWare GoType instead.