Microsoft Keyboard Drivers: Seiko Thumboard Keyboard for Palm m500 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is perfect for people on the go.
I tried the Palm Portable Keyboard (The folding one), but it requires a hard flat surface, something hard to find on a crowded WMATA Bus or subway car. The Thumboard is not as fast as the Palm Portable Keyboard at a desk, but the Keyboard cannot be used in a car, bus, or subway without carrying a lap desk with you. Even at a desk, since my Palm V is not a laptop computer, I had a hard time reading the small display when using the Palm Portable Keyboard. Since the Thumboard does not require a hard surface, I can hold my PDA close to better read what I am typing.
My Graffiti writing is currently faster than the Thumboard, but I have trouble with Graffiti recognizing my handwriting on a bouncy bus or the stuttering stops of a subway car. I can enter data much faster on a bus or subway just because of the reduction of errors.
The Thumboard is better than the built-in screen keyboard since it includes very useful characters such as the shortcut character (a cursive lower case L). Since it clicks to the bottom of your PDA, you can also use two thumbs to type.
I have friends who claim to have worn out their PDA's Graffiti writing area, but I have never had a problem. For the inexpensive price of this Thumboard, you don't have to worry about wearing out the writing area on your expensive PDA.
The reason I gave this product a 4 instead of a 5 is the Palm OS. Currently Palm OS does not support external keyboards, so this great product requires a Hack (change to the Palm OS itself), there are several shareware programs on my Palm m500 that I cannot live without (DateBk4-an improved calendar, PocketQuicken- a finance program, HanDbase- a database, and TakeNote!- a text/word processor). At least one of these programs conflicts with the Thumboard Hack. If Palm includes keyboard expansion in future versions of its OS, I will be very happy. Currently I have ordered a Thumboard for my back up PDA- a Palm V- that I use for grocery shopping.
A last note, both of my PDAs have molded hard cases. I have to remove them to use the Thumboard (but I had to remove them to use the Palm Portable Keyboard). When I purchased the Thumboard Seiko offered a free carrying case that held the PDA with the Thumboard still attached. If this is an issue for you, check that the Thumboard can click onto your PDA while still in its carrying case and/or the PDA with the Thumboard attached still fits inside your carrying case.
-Bj
CJ's Husband

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Seiko-Austin's Thumboard keyboard provides the ideal PDA input alternative to the often awkward stylus pen. The QWERTY key layout makes it instantly recognizable and easy to use, perfect for those on the go. The keyboard connects directly to the handheld, and there's no need for a stand or flat surface to use it. An extended character set, menu commands, and software button shortcuts make your typing faster and more accurate. You can also turn on and access primary applications through the thumboard. The keyboard is compatible with the Palm m500 handheld.