iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard for Blackberry and other PDA/ Handhelds by Think Outside
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Digital camera reviews of iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard for Blackberry and other PDA/ Handhelds
Digital camera Review: Good for Nokia N800
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, I'm pretty particular about my keyboards. I've been using IBM-101 keyboards for well over 10 years now and no other keyboards have made me happy. For portable keyboards, I only have experience with a Palm-Pro keyboard which I traveled to Japan with many, many years ago. It was ok, but not a replacement for my IBMs.
Ok, this iGo is portable. It is "mostly" full sized when opened. The keys feel soft and the lack of a number row drives me crazy. To enter numbers, you have to use a Fn key. Would another row really have mattered that much? Occasionally, keys get repeated on the N800 when only hit once. I'm guessing that is from the blue tooth connection, since the key feel isn't really that bad. Some of the keys aren't in the right places - at least not for my touch typing (\|[]). In the end, there really wasn't much choice for a keyboard for the N800. It was either this or the VERY EXPENSIVE competition. I guess this will have to do, since using the other input options are simply terrible for non-trivial typing.
Bluetooth pairing the iGo seems to cause problems for a number of folks here. I had trouble too - mainly due to the required use of the Fn key to enter numbers. Ok, imagine you've just gotten this keyboard and you are used to regular keyboards. Now, in order to pair the computer and keyboard, you MUST enter numbers and remember to press the Fn key for each number. I must be slow - it took me 10+ attempts to get it connected.
The lack of a power switch is maddening too. There's some magic time of non-use that automatically turns off the transmitter to save the AAA batteries. I've never changed them and it has been over 4 months of use. I'm not gaming here, just typing emails, etc.
The good news is that no drivers of any kind were needed to get it working with the Nokia N800 Portable Internet Tablet.
I've since traveled for over a month with this keyboard, blogging daily with it and using it to write email and even do a little lite shell scripting to push photos up to my server. I honestly couldn't imaging attempting any of that without an iGo.
My traveling buddy also has an iGo (we bought 2), but with some kind of Windows Mobile device. I can only say that I travel with this and my nokia N800 still (over 4 weeks international), but he brings a full laptop. Does that say something about the iGo or the computing device we each use?
If I lose it or break it, I'll buy another. That probably says enough.
Digital camera Review: Great addition for my Nokia N800
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this keyboard for my Nokia N800. It was my first time using a Bluetooth keyboard. Using the provided instructions in the manual, I was able to connect this keyboard to my Nokia N800 in no time. There were a few weird characters to come up while typing, but this was easily fixable by changing the keyboard layout to the standard 105 key keyboard. However, you have to do some tinkering to get all of the shortcuts intended for PDAs to correspond to functions on the N800.
The size is also great for mobility. The keyboard is about the same size as the N800 when folded. For this reason, I can easily keep the keyboard in my pocket along with my N800. Whenever I unfold the keyboard, it is already ready to type on my N800.
Typing itself is not as grand as I would hope. The number keys are non existant. You must hold down Fn when typing them. I need to type a lot of numbers on my N800, so this was a disapointment. Also, you have to hold the other Fn key to type what is typically shift+number key (e.g. !, @, and #). The space bar is also split into two. Nonethless, the keyboard is nice for quick typing thanks to mobility, but it is not good for serious typing.
This keyboard is good for the most part. I wish it had dedicated number keys, but otherwise it is great. I am typing this review from the N800 on the keyboard in fact.
Digital camera Review: iGo keyboard works as advertised
Summary: 4 Stars
I had trouble installing the software on a Sprint PDA phone with Windows Mobile 5.0 because the instructions were by no means clear.
Once installed, however, the keyboard worked nicely. The absence of the numbers row is a bit annoying, but a fair tradeoff for having an otherwise full-sized keyboard. The color coding on the keys is a great visual clue to putting in the numbers and characters other than the alphabet.
Bluetooth is a big improvement over the infrared keyboards because you don't have to worry about lining up the beam, and it is much easier to use the keyboard on your lap or any situation where you don't have a desk.
A good product so far. We'll see how it holds up. It seems a bit flimsy.
iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard for Blackberry and other PDA/ Handhelds
Digital camera Review: works with WM6
Summary: 4 Stars
I have Dell Axim x50v running WM6 with Japanese language recognition. It took me a while to work out that I needed to use the blue fn button to input numbers for pairing the keyboard to the PDA. This now works wonders with my PDA, once you get going it's very responsive. All the options run perfectly off the button combinations, and so far no driver issues at all. I love it!!Digital camera Review: discontinued product
Summary: 3 Stars
Good product, just not supported anymore (i.e.: no more driver developed, as far as I know no support prior pocket pc 2003 and after windows mobile 5). Be aware.