Logitech Keyboards for Palms

These two portable keyboards from Logitech, TypeAway and KeyCase, can make the life of a Palm handheld owner much easier. They feel like a traditional keyboard and yet fit into your pocket. Both keyboards come with drivers for Palm M series and i705 Handhelds. The TypeAway even supports the Tungsten W and Tungsten T models. These two keyboards connect to the Palm using the Universal Connector. Its driver CD also has a full-featured word processor called WordSmith, that works in conjunction with MS Word. You can easily transfer your Word files from the PDA to your system and vice versa using WordSmith. It has a utility called FineTypeConverter, which lets you install new fonts on your PDA, to be used by

WordSmith.

The TypeAway is a spring-loaded QWERTY compatible keyboard. To use it one has to unfold it and attach the PDA to it.

When folded it’s only 0.5x5.3x3.4” in size, and can easily fit in your shirt pocket. The keyboard has key combinations to directly activate some PDA functions like Address book, calculator and Notepad. The keyboard is a little heavy compared to the KeyCase. The KeyCase is built of fabric, which means you can fold it up like a piece of cloth. When not typing, you can wrap your PDA with this keyboard to carry it. So it can work either as a keyboard or a PDA cover. When I wrapped my Palm 515 in it, the whole thing was only 1.0x5.5x3.5 in size. This size may be a little bulky for your shirt pocket. While the keyboard looks very cool, it’s not as easy to use. This is mainly because unlike a conventional keyboard, its keys are not solid and gives the feeling that you’ve punched a piece of cloth. One consolation is that the Palm can emit a sound every time a key stroke is successful. Another problem we found was that you can’t use two keys at a time. So to type a capital letter, you must first hit Shift and then the letter.

S N A P S H O T Logitech TypeAway Prices : Rs 7950 (one-year warranty) Key specs : Compact size, easy typing Logitech KeyCase Prices : Rs 8950 (one-year warranty) Key specs : Good looks and easy to fold, typing is a little difficult compared to TypeAway Contact : Rashi Peripherals, Mumbai. Tel : 28260256—0259. E-mail : navinderc@reprechindia.com

The Bottom Line Both keyboards are stylish and can make data entry much faster and easier compared to Graffiti. The only setback is of course the price, considering that an entry level Palm costs less.

Anindya Roy