Think Outside's latest keyboard connects to handhelds and mobile phones via Bluetooth for maximum portability. And it should be out within the month.
Building on its previous successes with folding keyboards for mobile devices, Think Outside is gearing up for production on the new Stowaway Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard, slated for availability in mid- to late-June.
The new keyboard is modeled after Think Outside's Stowaway XT keyboard (also rebranded as the Palm Ultra-Thin Keyboard), with a single fold point, the ability to lock open, and a four-row QWERTY design, meaning that numbers share a key with the top row of letters. Like its predecessors, the Bluetooth keyboard has a key pitch of 18 mm, the distance from the center of one key to the next. That qualifies it as a full-sized keyboard, according to the ISO standard which specifies an 18-20 mm key pitch. Most desktops keyboards use a 19 mm key pitch, while most laptops use an 18 mm or sometimes even smaller key pitch.
 | | Ill: Think Outside Stowaway Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard |
Since it does not use a serial connector to attach to the handheld, the keyboard includes a detachable stand instead. The overall device weighs 170 grams.
Currently slated for a late-June launch, the Bluetooth keyboard will initially support most Bluetooth-capable models of Windows Mobile handhelds as well as many Bluetooth-sporting smartphones. A driver for Palm OS handhelds is still in development, and a Think Outside representative estimated a July availability. The keyboard will sell for $150 USD.
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