Which external USB or Bluetooth keyboard will you use?
- Thread starter Charbax
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Drack
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- Sep 29, 2008
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- 210
Ever try touch-typing or coding on a 4-inch keyboard?sukhiextreme said:
I'm going to be developing on the Pandora, and that requires a keyboard where I can easily type a lot of characters like " ; { } ( ) < > [ ] . - / * and tab. The proposed keyboard schemes would require a lot of function-keys for those, as well as just being too small altogether for my hands.
Don't get me wrong, the built-in keyboard is fine for chat and looks much faster than text-messaging on a phone, for example, but for serious coding or touch typing documents, etc. an external keyboard would help tremendously. As I (and most coders, probably) would rather game than code in situations where portability is critical, the size of the keyboard when folded approaching the size of the Pandora itself really isn't a concern. That's plenty small to fit in a bag along with my other gadgets.
Origin said:
I think Think Outside actually designed the iGo keyboard, they also designed the Fellowes Stowaway foldable keyboard, both the USB and Bluetooth types.
Think Outside got taken over by iGo, and it seems iGo has stopped making keyboards.
Targus has hopefully taken over iGo's keyboard business, thus hopefully, Targus is still manufacturing both the big Fellowes Stowaway USB and Bluetooth and the smaller more compact but still nearly full sized iGo foldable one.
I'm looking for the small iGo foldable one as a USB keyboard. This way, it could become smaller, no need for batteries, requiring just a USB cable.
Kyosys
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how big is that?Charbax said:
xopher
Member
I also have an iGo stowaway. Use it with another UMPC, it's slim and extremely portable and works great. Long as the keys are more tactile than the Sony UX (I got used to them) I'll use the one on board. It's too bad they no longer manufacture the iGo.
javaJake
Jacob Godserv
Kyosys said:
Tor
Active Member
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I will pretty much ignore the built-in hw keyboard, it doesn't have enough buttons to cover the charset I will need and besides I'm a touch typist and from experience I know I'm totally unable to use thumb keyboards.
For simple input (user names, passwords, the occasional URL) I will use an on-screen keyboard.
For extended input I will use an iGo/Thinkoutside stowaway Sierra, which is a full-size HID-compatible Bluetooth 5-row keyboard that folds in 3, the folded size is approximately what I believe the Pandora itself to be. It's the one that was pictured by Drack in an earlier post.
Unfortunately iGo has stopped making them now. They are great keyboards. Fortunately I had bought one already.
For simple input (user names, passwords, the occasional URL) I will use an on-screen keyboard.
For extended input I will use an iGo/Thinkoutside stowaway Sierra, which is a full-size HID-compatible Bluetooth 5-row keyboard that folds in 3, the folded size is approximately what I believe the Pandora itself to be. It's the one that was pictured by Drack in an earlier post.
Unfortunately iGo has stopped making them now. They are great keyboards. Fortunately I had bought one already.
punkrockserfer
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Hey I've been watching this post for a while and I wanted to post this info when I saw it, but it took literally a week for my confirmation email to come through after registering. So, here goes. I wanted to mention that I have the iGo stowaway keyboard (the one that is pictured earlier) and I noticed someone mentioned that they wished it was made without the extra stand thing that sticks out. Anyway, I was put-off by that initially as well but the stand is actually an attachment that can be removed by snapping it out. It is meant to snap in and out, so you won't break it, and the result is a small, wonderfully manageable keyboard that works GREAT! I use it for my Asus PPC while I ride the Metrolink train and I have had no problems with it.
Anyway, sorry if this info. is too late, or if it has already been posted. I wanted to post earlier, as I mentioned, but was unable. CAN'T WAIT FOR PANDORA!!!!
Anyway, sorry if this info. is too late, or if it has already been posted. I wanted to post earlier, as I mentioned, but was unable. CAN'T WAIT FOR PANDORA!!!!
OK, interesting punkrockserfer, so you can fold the keyboard in and not need that stand at all? So the keyboard holds in place folded without needing that stand thing to "lock it in" or something?
Also, though, I think that a USB version of the iGo would have been a nice option, perhaps even nicer, since the USB version would not need to run on batteries, would not need that little bump to host those batteries and bluetooth electronics, thus a USB version of it would I guess be slightly more compact.
Also, though, I think that a USB version of the iGo would have been a nice option, perhaps even nicer, since the USB version would not need to run on batteries, would not need that little bump to host those batteries and bluetooth electronics, thus a USB version of it would I guess be slightly more compact.
punkrockserfer
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Yeah the keyboard folds into place and locks with a separate locking mechanism on the side of it. The stand is just an added feature I guess. It has no problems locking and staying locked without the stand. ^_^ A USB version would be cooler though, because (although my batteries have not worn out yet) I do find myself worrying about them dying.
God Ginrai
Godmaster
I was looking at this one: http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/03/bran ... ia-flavor/
What do you guys think?
-God Ginrai
What do you guys think?
-God Ginrai
Sphinxter
Says What?
I felt bad because my keyboard was so small and then I met a man who had no thumbs.
PoisonedV
Yeah, I'm a GIRL gamer, what of it?
i once had a substitute with just a thumb and an index finger on one hand.Kyosys said:
think im going for this one http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146942
mali
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God Ginrai said:
[offtopic]
Hmm.. I would like to replace one of the analog joysticks with such a trackball, that would be a really good quake controller
