Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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178 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great keyboard from the makers of stow-a-way, May 9, 2005
This is my third keyboard that I've purchased for my PDA (Axim X50v) and I'm thrilled with the quality and performance of this keyboard. I highly recommend this product to anyone considering a keyboard.
I first bought a Belkin IR keyboard from Office Dept and it sucked. It felt cheap. The keys were poorly spaced and I couldn't get it to work with my Axim X50v. But in reality the biggest problem was the cheapness of the keyboard. I paid $60 for the keyboard and felt that I should have paid $20. Piece of crap. Decided to return it within 5 minutes of opening the box.
The second keyboard I bought was the "Dell Axim X50V Portable / Foldable / Full Size Bluetooth Keyboard" from Suntekstore / Amazon. This keyboard sucked for several reasons. First off, while it may have number keys (unlike this keyboard) the keys are all undersized so I couldn't type with them. Not a good start. Second problem is that the keyboard was made for cell phones, NOT PDA's! I couldn't put my Axim on the stand without it falling over or leaning at an unacceptable level toward the ceiling. Total crap. And the third problem was that I couldn't get it to connect to my PDA. I'm sure i could've figured out the third problem but the keyboard sucked so bad I made the decision to return it after an hour of opening the box.
Then I ordered the Think Outside keyboard...
This keyboard is head over heals better than the other keyboards that I just mentioned. The keys feel nice and they are well spaced. Opening the unit was a little stiff at first, but now slides open and closed easily with a satisfying "click" at either end of the process. The Axim fits PERFECTLY into the cradle that is built into the unit (I use the Axim in landscape position). I was also able to get this keyboard to work in about 30 minutes. Not plug and play, but reasonable. The keyboard sacrificed the number keys to make room for the larger key spacing, but I haven't found that it's a problem to type numbers by holding down the function keys. The best thing about this keyboard however is the quality. I paid $90 for it and I'd do it again in a second.
BTW, for those of you who are trying to figure out if the extra money for bluetooth is worth it, it is! I keep my PDA in its cradle by my computer charging when I'm at my desk. At any time I can flip open my keyboard and start typing notes without ever removing the PDA from its cradle. It's very convenient!
I've owned the keyboard for about a week and I'm very thrilled with the quality and performance it. It's a joy to use and easily doubles the usefulnexx of my PDA
don
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86 of 88 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Put to the TREO 650 challenge, July 28, 2005
I purchased this keyboard so that I could start doing some serious word processing on my Treo 650, and I've been absolutely pleased!
First off, the keyboard does not come with the Treo 650 driver --- you must DOWNLOAD THIS DRIVER OFF OF THINK OUTSIDE'S website
However, downloading the driver is easy, and from there, you can sync it to your Treo, or email it, in an attachment, to it
Once the drive is installed, the keyboard is flawless!
My biggest complaint about BlueTooth keyboards is that they lag, as you type ---- but this is not the case with the Stowaway --- every key I pressed showed up INSTANTLY upon my Treo 650
So far, it has worked terrificly with my address book, calendar, and email (VersaMail)
In addition, the keyboard folds together well and is EXTREMELY thin and portable ---- I don't know if you could carry it in a pocket - but a backpack, briefcase, etc will not feel any extra weight with this product
lastly - these keyboards are small --- I wish the delete key was bigger (as I often make typos) but nonetheless, I'm very happy, and certainly, typing on this quicker than the phone's keyboard
highly recommended!
HAPPY TYPING! HAPPY BUYING!
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52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Only Choice For Mobile Professionals, August 13, 2005
ThinkOutside Stowaway Keyboard
Pro -
* Near full-size key spacing. Easy to for a touch typist to use accurately with no loss of speed or learning a new keyboard feel
* Unfolds and Folds easily
* Unfolds and locks securely - can be used in a lap without risk of board assuming the characteristic "V" shape of bent HP iPaq and Freedom keyboards.
* Folds to small size
* Removable cradle
* Folds to small lightweight size
* Easy to use software
* Simple power management: powers down upon closing; powers up when opened.
* Protective case included.
Con -
* No number/symbol row. Need to use awkward alt-key combinations. Not appropriate for extended numeric data entry or spreadsheets.
* Cradle difficult to remove
* Protective case cheap vinyl
* Does not sit totally flat on a flat surface.
In so many fundamental areas where other mobile Bluetooth keyboards fail, Think Outside got it right.
They are the *only* contender who remembered that a mobile keyboard will be used in mobile situations - read: "on a lap" - and designed the board to sit sturdy without risk of bending when the board's center is hovering in the air between one's legs.
They also remembered that one advantage to using a wireless connection is it gives the user an option to place the handheld to any convenient location within range. The cradle however requires a distressing effort of bending and twisting to remove, which makes the user fear breaking the cradle.
Additionally, this board is designed for use by experienced touch typists, and does not require users to re-calibrate the fingers to type on significantly smaller keys as does the Freedom Keyboard.
Finally, despite its slightly Rube Goldberg appearance, this keyboard is solid, with a refreshing amount of metal in it's construction. It will take some reasonable punishment - the HP iPaq and Freedom keyboards are cheap plastic children's toys by comparison.
Were I able, I would dock the Stowaway ½ star on two points: The lack of a number/symbol row of keys and it's instability on a flat desk.
The absence of a number/symbol row reduces the width of the folded board by only ¾". Given that I could replace my laptop with a handheld and folding keyboard if I had reliable means to enter numbers onto a spreadsheet, I would gladly accept a Stowaway model which is 4.25" wide when folded, instead of the current 3.5".
In all other ways, Think Outside built this board for professional use. They forgot however, those of us who crunch numbers on Excel, requiring use of cumbersome alt-key combinations (which cannot be locked) for numeric entry.
Although very stable when sitting on a desk, the unfolded board sits on a thin base 5.75" long, with two cantilevered "wings" extending 2.25" in the air past the sides of the base.
Thus, if both hands are not simultaneously on the keyboard to balance it, a keypress on either the extreme left or right side will make the board imitate a catapult. A hunt-and-peck, one or two fingered typist will find this frustrating, though a touch typist accustomed to both hands on the home keys will have little, if any, problem.
Compared to the HP iPaq Folding Bluetooth Keyboard or the Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard -- arguably the only other choices for mobile Bluetooth keyboards -- this Stowaway is the only one worth the money you spend for it. Remarkably, it has the lowest retail price of the three on Amazon.
At the time of this writing, the Think Outside Stowaway Keyboard is the clear winner in design, construction, and functionality over all other mobile Bluetooth keyboards. There are simply no other choices for the mobile professional.
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