Targus PA870U Universal Wireless Keyboard
by Targus
List Price:
Our Price: $72.17
You Save: $7.82 (10%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $17.95 (click here)
Category: CE
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: TargusAudio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional
Model: PA876J
Product features:
- Ideal for Travel: Rugged, Compact Folding Wireless Ir (Infrared) Keyboard
- Comfortable: Full-Size Keys Feel Like a Standard Notebook Keyboard
- Convenient: Easily Enter Data Wirelessly Into Your PDA
- Lock button keeps keyboard flat
- Compatible with many popular PDAs and PDA/cellular phones
- Targus DMC111 Digital Memory Card Case - Black (Koskin)
- Targus CH055 Slim Leather Palm V Case - Black (Soft Glove-Leather)
Digital camera reviews of Targus PA870U Universal Wireless Keyboard
Digital camera Review: A step backward
Summary: 2 Stars
I investigated one of these as an alternative to the Sony KB100 and the now-discontinued KB11. Where the KB100 folds in half and the KB11 folds in a now-familar "W" shape, the Wireless Universal (WU from here on in) has three components -- a keyboard that folds in half and a third component (housing the PDA support and infrared arm) that flops down over the folded keyboard. The result is a box that's significantly thicker, wider and longer than either of the other keyboards.
It's also more complicated. Either of the other two require that you unfold them, pull out the PDA support and then dock the PDA. This one requires you to Unfold the support component, then unfold the keyboard, then tilt up the support, then open and position three wire loop PDA "locators" then unfold and position the IR sensor arm. Complicated, time consuming, and more stuff to break.
Unlike the KB100, there's no way to recharge your PDA while you work -- no port for the AC adapter -- and this keyboard seems to consume PDA battery faster than the other two keyboards mentioned.
In operation, you need to be very careful that you start the keyboard software after you get the PDA in the cradle, and you should avoid moving the PDA out of the keyboard with the keyboard software still running -- some PDAs have experienced lockups that required a hard reset to fix. If you're sitting in a Starbucks where anyone else is using IR with a laptop, cell phone or another PDA, you can get spurious characters appearing on your system. The keyboard touch isn't bad, and the travel is adequate, but the right shift key is small, and in a place where it's very easy to hit another key if you're not used to the placement.
All in all, this is a clunky replacement for the very good Targus Stowaway series; Targus has evidently declined to purchase the version of the Stowaway from ThinkOutside that supports the newer Clie models and seems to believe this will save them from having to support a different keyboard for the widening variety of PDAs. Unfortunately, the've moved *away* from portability into an unnecessarily larger size and into complexity with this item, and mine went back after the second day. It's now between the ThinkOutside Stowaway XT and the Sony KB100, with the ThinkOutside Stowaway for Clie a possible third.
Summary of Targus PA870U Universal Wireless Keyboard
Targus PA870U Universal Wireless KeyboardKeyboards & Styluses
Cameras and Photo
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