A few recent Palms leave out the serial port, but fear not. Larry Garfield looks at the Palm Wireless Keyboard, which lets even serial-free users type on the road.
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In an effort to reduce costs and bring the Palm OS to even cheaper markets, Palm has recently begun selling low-end and "entry" handhelds without a serial port. While that does allow for such devices as the impulse-buy-range Zire 21 and the big-bang-for-the-buck Tungsten E, it does preclude many types of accessories, most notably keyboards. Enter Palm's latest accessory, the Palm Wireless Keyboard, to fill that space.
The Palm Wireless Keyboard operates over the infrared port present on even budget Palm OS devices since 1998. Although intended primarily for use on the Zire, Zire 21, Tungsten E, and Tungsten T3, it should work with any OS 4 or OS 5 device that fits under the infrared arm.
The keyboard folds in half for portability, with a stand that folds down on top with a clip. Closed, it is 14 x 9.5 x 1.5 cm, roughly the same volume as the original Palm Portable Keyboard. When opened, the top cover folds up to hold the handheld and the closing clip becomes a stand for it, a rather efficient design. A small hinged arm inside the top cover holds the IR port, which the user can rotate into position for any handheld. A small spring bar keeps the handheld from slipping.
 | | Ill: Palm |
Because of the rotating IR arm, the keyboard also supports using the Tungsten T3 in landscape-expanded mode, a very nice feature. Ironically, however, that is true only if the T3 is in Left-Hand rotated mode with the top of the device to the left. In Right-Hand mode, the IR port is on the wrong side. As a leftie this reviewer can't personally complain but we suspect many right-handed users will be annoyed.
The keyboard layout itself is the same four-row design as the Palm Ultra-Thin Keyboard, complete with two Fn keys easy to use full-sized keys. Unfortunately, however, the keyboard does not lock open the way the UT Keyboard does, making it not lap-compatible. The handheld is also held somewhat off-center. Whether or not that is a problem is a matter of personal preference.
The new driver for the keyboard, which supports all previous Palm-branded keyboards as well, lets the user set an auto-timeout on the IR port to disable it after a period of inactivity to conserve battery life. The keyboard itself draws very little power, and Palm claims it will last for several weeks on the two included AAA batteries.
Availability
The Palm Wireless Keyboard is available now for $69.95 USD. It is compatible with any Palm OS 4 or later handheld with a top-mounted IR port that fits below the infrared arm, including the Zire line, Tungsten line, the i705, m500-line, and m125.
Conclusion
The Palm Wireless Keyboard offers good support for users who don't want to or can't make use of a serial connector. The basic design is borrowed from the excellent Palm Ultra-Thin Keyboard, making for very easy typing. We were disappointed at the lack of a lock on the keyboard, and while we are happy to see support for landscape mode on the Tungsten T3 the lefty-only limitation is a bit odd. Despite those shortcomings, however, the keyboard offer full touch typing to any Palm OS 5 handheld, serial port or not; and for less than the Palm UT Keyboard.
What’s positive: Wide-compatibility, ease of use, full-sized keys
What’s negative: Doesn't lock open, off-centered handheld
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Price and availability
The will start selling for TBA () in November 1999.
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