Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

Pocketop Folding Keyboard Review

As mentioned in another thread, I purchased a �Pocketop� http://www.pocketop.net/ folding keyboard to use with my new Sony NR-70. A couple of people asked for my impressions of the keyboard, so this is a quick review. I actually purchased the �Micro Innovations pocket infrared keyboard,� http://www.mic-innovations.com/ but according to Pocketop�s website it�s the exact same product. I have had a chance to play with it a bit, using my brand-new Sony NR-70V and Wordsmith. I give it the keyboard a 7 out of a possible 10.

As most of you know, the keyboard comes in two parts - the keyboard itself, which folds in half, and a stand. The stand has a reflector on the top for use in redirecting the IR signal from to a receiver on the leading edge of the keyboard. With the Sony (which is pretty tall), I had to place the keyboard about 4 inches away from the bottom of the stand. This made for a total footprint of about 12 inches (measured from the back edge of the keyboard to the back of the stand). That may be a problem if you are trying to type on an airplane meal tray.

The feel of the keyboard is pretty decent, not as good as a Stowaway (I have a Stowaway for my venerable Visor Prism), but better than I would have expected from something this small - and better of course than a thumboard. It's also better than the Psion Revo/Diamond Mako keyboard. Key placement is odd and takes some getting used to. To save space, a lot of the keys serve two or even three functions - for example, there are no dedicated number keys. That said, it strikes me that this is inevitable in something this small.

Folded up, the unit is very compact and light - smaller and lighter than a Stowaway.

On the negative side, the keyboard is a little too light - it is easy to nudge it out of shape while typing. Since the connection depends on the reflected IR, bumping it out of place may result in you losing the connection until it is readjusted. Also, the stand is pretty flimsy - the PDA is really just propped up on it. I can see bumping it and having your handheld fly across the room.

Two other "cons" are worth mentioning. First, the driver is a little buggy. It often enables itself for no apparent reason while I am fiddling around. I haven't figured out if there is a common element in these occurrences. It's a minor annoyance. Second, and more seriously, it has crashed and locked-up my NR-70 on a couple of occasions while typing (including while typing this review), resulting in some lost work. That may be a problem unique to the Sony - in both instances I had collapsed the soft graffiti area. The Wordsmith release for the NR70 that supports the soft graffiti area is still a little buggy, according to most posts I've read.

Bottom line - it's a nice gadget, and I don't regret buying it. It's serviceable, and very portable. However, I will also buy a Stowaway when Think Outside comes out with one for the Sony. While the IR Keyboard is more than sufficient to type something like this review, the Stowaway is better for really heavy-duty data entry.

All of the above is IMHO. If you buy one and hate it, don't call me and complain.

I took some pictures of the setup, but unfortunately they saved as too big to upload as an attachment, and I'm too pressed for time to figure out how to resize them. I'll try and post the pictures later.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 501

Thank you!

Appreciate you taking the time to write this up.

I've been getting very impatient (as have others, I know) with a Stowaway Keyboard release for the Sony NR70 and T-Series connectors, and the Pockettop looked somewhat tempting.

Your review has given me the information I was looking for: mainly, I think I'll wait until Think Outside comes out with a Stowaway keyboard for my T615C.

Thanks greatly!

__________________
Jeff Meyer

"And he died like he lived: with his mouth wide open."

Registered: May 2002
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 3

key board

Does anyone know of a keyboard that will work with the treo

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 34

?$

If you don't mind me asking, how much was this device? I can't seem to find it on either of the linked websites above.

And I'm also curious as to whether or not it'll work for the Treo.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 34

?$

If you don't mind me asking, how much was this device? I can't seem to find it on either of the linked websites above.

And I'm also curious as to whether or not it'll work for the Treo.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

I can't recall exactly - I got it at CompUSA. It was less than $100, plus there was a rebate.

I'm not sure it would work with a Treo - is the IR port on the top? If so, I'd be concerned that the ear piece would get in the way when opened.

Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 42

quote:

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Originally posted by VTL
I can't recall exactly - I got it at CompUSA. It was less than $100, plus there was a rebate.

I'm not sure it would work with a Treo - is the IR port on the top? If so, I'd be concerned that the ear piece would get in the way when opened.

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Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 604

I don't have a treo either, but I suspect (from looking at them in the store) that it would get tiresome to read a lot of text through the window on the cover. It's great for a quick look for caller ID, alarms, and that sort of thing, but actually reading a document as you type it seems problematic.