• Innovative design weighs just 8 ounces and folds up to save space; no batteries required
• Full-size keys for true touch-typing
• Take notes, write e-mail, create spreadsheets, and more
• Compatible with Palm m125, m130, i705, and m500 series handhelds

It's always a wonderful feeling when gadgets work seamlessly and live up to their plug-and-play promise. The Palm portable keyboard is such a gadget. It's possibly the best hardware add-on for Palm devices currently on the market: it installs easily and helps you increase your Palm productivity.

Installation of the Keyboard application onto the Palm handheld is easily accomplished during a typical HotSync. (To prepare the app for HotSync, simply add it to the Install Tool on Windows, or the Install Handheld Files in the Mac HotSync Manager.)

Once the app was installed we were ready for testing at a meeting. We sauntered in and unfolded the keyboard in a flourish--clicking it open from its folded position, laying it flat, sliding the keyboard parts together (it's broken into thirds for folding), and attaching our m500 in a matter of seconds. The attendees at the meeting were suitably wide-eyed and impressed with our James Bondian device. (This model of the Palm portable keyboard also accommodates Palm m125, m130, i705, and other m500 series handhelds.)

But the Palm portable keyboard is more than a flashy toy--it's a productivity juggernaut that has some of the best keyboard action we've ever experienced. The keys are not soft and mushy like other keyboards we've tested for handhelds. Instead, they're a bit on the tight side but with a lot of give. Also, the more we used the keyboard, the more we found ourselves shying away from tapping the screen to navigate or to perform actions such as switching applications or opening up the details section of a Memo or Address Book contact. With the Palm keyboard, you can do virtually all your work without taking your fingers off the keyboard.

The keyboard includes custom buttons for the built-in Palm applications (Date Book, Address, To Do List, and Memo Pad). Several keys have added functions, such as the ability to open up the Apps screen, scroll through a screen, or turn on the backlight. You can also customize your own shortcuts list of applications loaded onto your Palm handheld. This is done using the Keyboard app, and you can assign the number keys 1 through 9 (but not 0). After making our designations, pressing Cmd+1 immediately took us to our favorite diversion--YahtC--during a lull in our meeting.

All told, we have nothing but praise for the Palm portable keyboard, not just for the ease of inputting text but also for changing the way we use our Palm handheld. Since we started using the keyboard, we now often travel without any laptop, confident that any degree of writing or note taking during meetings can be handled by our Palm alone. (It should also be noted that we typed this review on our m500 while sitting comfortably at our local coffee shop.) If you are a heavy Palm user, the Palm portable keyboard is an essential and very cool tool. --Agen G.N. Schmitz

Pros:

• Highly portable
• Customizable
• Keys have a very comfortable feel

• Will need to work on flat surface

Next time you're heading out on the road, leave the laptop in the office. The Palm portable keyboard connects quickly to your Palm m500 or m505 handheld and will enable you to take notes, edit documents, or send and respond to e-mail while on the go. It has a full-sized, QWERTY keyboard that folds down to fit in your pocket or purse and weighs just over 8 ounces. It requires no batteries and uses minimal power from your Palm handheld.

Get a full-size keyboard in a pocket-size package. Carry the Palm Portable Keyboard to take notes at your next meeting or write reports on an airplane. Leave your laptop behind. This small, lightweight, portable keyboard is perfect for sending and responding to e-mail, composing memos or taking notes when you're away from your desk. Travel light. Weighing in at just 8 ounces, this compact keyboard folds into its own case that's just slightly bigger than your handheld. Take a shortcut. Up to nine user-programmable keys let you instantly access the applications and programs you use most. Start right away. Just install the Palm Portable Keyboard software, set your Palm handheld in the custom docking cradle, and start typing. Forget about batteries. The keyboard uses minimal power from your Palm handheld - no additional batteries required.

The product(PalmOne Portable Keyboard)is what I was looking for. The ordering process wes grate,
and it was delivered in a timely fashion.

It solves the problem of the slow process of inputing data using the stylus in a nice small and portable package.
I have tried the compact keyboards that attach to the bottom, and they just dont compare. A full size keyboard is the way to go.
The only problem is its fragility, but if you have a palm you already know about its fragility and how to care for it.

I hate this keyboard. Sure it works fine, but I can't hotsync my Tungsten C to the computer when the keyboard software is installed. If I uninstall the software, the hotsync works fine, but as soon as the keyboard software gets put back on, no more hotsync. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose? Clearly it is not compatable will all of the Tungsten models even though Palm says it is. And of course customer service is a pain, and it's too late to get the cash that we forked out back. If you have a Tungsten C, don't waste your money or your time.

If you need to type notes during a meeting, or if you are a student that needs to takes notes all the time, buy this product. The keyboard is a snap to set up, simply install the drivers, and you're ready. The keyboard doesn't seem to drain too much power. During class I'm able to type notes with this keyboard as if I were using a laptop. The keyboard is full size, so it is really comfortable. I recommend getting this product if you need to take notes. The product fits in your pocket as well...

This is the first review I have ever written on a product. I am writing it because, I am frustrated. I am apparently missing something or this keyboard is unusable. Sure you can type text fine. However, what keyboards are also useful for is navigation. In other words, the Palm Stylus is to a mouse as what I expected this keyboard to be to a computer keyboard. In short, this keyboard provides no method to any of the following without the stylus, as an example.

CAN'T DO:

Select an appointment in the datebook to edit it.
Select a memo in the Memo List to edit it.
Select any record in any 3rd party applications to edit it.
Scroll the date view
Tab to controls (e.g., buttons, dropdowns)
So on ...

The Cancel or Done key combination rarely works, even for the default applications.

In short, you can't use the keyboard independently of the stylus the way you can use a computer keyboard independently of a mouse -- which was a BIG disappointment.