Tonewiz2k
Member
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Posts: 124 |
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I have not really sat down and used either of the other keyboards, the Stowaway or GoType. Once while I was in a Gateway Country store I found a display of Visor models and accessories. They had one of the fold up keyboards set up... I believe it was the Stowaway. The pieces that slide to lock it in the unfolded position had been mangled by someone trying to close it improperly. I typed on it a little... I found that the keys felt cheap for my tastes. This particular model had a lot of mechanics exposed, hinges and mechanisms and such. My boss has a Stowaway for her Jordana, and while I have not hooked it up to her unit I have unfolded it and typed on it for a little bit. I didn't like how even when it had all of the joint locks in place it was still sort of flimsy, not something I could set in my lap. These are just thoughts I have gathered from very limited use of the keyboard, so I am sure I am showing a lot of ignorance.
The thing I like about the Halfkeyboard is the fact that all you have to do is take it out of the leather case, plug the connector into the Visor's serial port, and make sure the drivers are turned on. The latter of the steps can prove to be a bit pragmatic at times. The Visor has only one serial port on the motherboard. This port shares duty between the cradle connector on the bottom of the unit and the IR port on the side (Or top for you Edge users). Whenever the Visor is hot synced the drivers for the Halfkeyboard are automatically disabled, in order to free up the serial port. If you want to use the Halfkeyboard after a sync, you must turn the drivers back on. All this consists of is launching the Halfkeyboard PRC files and pressing the ON button. This is not much of a problem because I usually sync once a night, and if I use my keyboard in the morning I am set to use it for the rest of the day. Sometimes, however, the drivers do not seem to be on even when I turn them on. I think I have figured out that if I connect the keyboard and then turn the drivers on it will not work. What I do now is go into the PRC, turn on the drivers, then turn the Visor off. Next I turn it back on and then plug the keyboard into the unit. That seems to work out alright, and it just took me a little trial and error to figure this out. Because I have not used a Stowaway or Gotype I do not know how the drivers for these work. I am assuming it is a very similar experience. I have only tried to beam while the drivers were on once, and it just told me that the serial port was in use by another program. I keep the IR port off most of the time anyways, so it has not been a hindrance to me. I use TimeonContrast to disable and enable my IR port, so I am considering assigning the Halfkeyboard PRC to a hard button or pen stroke to make it very easy to beam.
As far as the make of the keyboard itself, it is top notch. It is all one solid unit. My boss's stowaway had a metal case that made it heavy. The Halfkeyboard is lighter than my Visor, but still feels incredibly solid. The keys are actual laptop keys, and it uses the same little rubber plungers under the keys that my laptop has. They keystrokes feel very crisp and have great travel. I cannot remember the keys on the Stowaway well enough to compare. The Halfkeyboard is slightly wedge shaped. so that you have a good angle when it is set on a tabletop. There are rubber pads on the corners to keep it from sliding. It always feels very secure. The thing I like most about this keyboard is that the Visor is independent of the keyboard, and I can adjust the Visor's position if I am getting glare from the sun or bright lights. When I use the keyboard in my lap without a table top I just hold the visor in my hand. I have not been able to spend as much time typing on the keyboard as I would like, school and work have kept me a busy person, but every time I use it I improve my speed a great deal. I am faster than graffiti, and I find myself sort of aggravated if I have to write a long passage without the keyboard. It is a feeling similar to when you have to use an onscreen keyboard in a video game on the Playstation, you know where the letters are... you just can't get them as fast as you could with typing.
I like this keyboard. The learning curve can be a little steep, many characters such as ()'s and += require a double shift spacebar+key stroke, but for quick touch typists it will not be a problem. The Halfkeyboard continuously resides in the front pocket of my book bag, right next to my Visor. That is of course when I'm not using it. I am a high school student (a Junior in fact) and the main reason I have this keyboard is because the footprint is very small when compared to the Stowaway and Gotype. We have very limited desk space, and when I am taking notes or writing a paper into Word to Go I need to have my reference material out. With the Stowaway I feel like I would have to be reading my notes off of the floor in order to make room for the keyboard. And I have to admit, I enjoy the jaw dropping it induces when my classmates see me typing with one hand faster than they can type with two. I hope this was helpful.
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09-21-2000 10:10 PM
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