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Think outside bluetooth keyboard received |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
I just received yesterday my Bluetooth keyboard (from expansys http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=113674 ) for my P900,
http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/stowaway-bt.html , and weighted them with
battteries and memory cards:
Psion 5mx: 370g
P900+keyboard: 350g
Granted, it is not integrated, but the separate keyboard solution
has advantages over my previous Psion 5mx:
* it is easier to carry 150g in a pocket and 200g in another
than 370g in one
* the keyboard is MUCH better than the psion (which was MUCH better
than any integrated PDA :-), it is a full laptop keyboard, with lots
of programmable PDA-useful keys, and it is usable on your knees or
even standing up as it locks open.
PS: I bought a P900 in february only when this keyboard was announced. For me
a keyboard was also a mandatory item for any PDA/smartphone.
Touch and feel is the same as a good laptop. (I also found the 5mx keys to
hard on edge so I missed quite a number of presses while touch
typing). Bluetooth works quite well, no hassle once you have done the initial
"pairing". It has also a nice set of redefinable shortcuts for various apps
and functions, making it quite useful. There is no number row, you have to
press a "Fn" key for it, but it doesnt seem too bad.
What is great is that arrow and page up/down keys work perfectly, something
lacking with the pen-based entry modes.
The only lacking feature would be some trackpoint devices, as you have
sometime the need to touch the p900 screen to activate some menus or icons. I
guess some "macro" app p900-side activated via key shortcuts could do the
trick. Also I didnt find yet a way to quickly activate BT on the phone without
using some menus.
I think I will not buy a P910 now. The virtual keyboard (with ezitab
predictive input, and the graffiti-like system are quite usable on the go),
and I like to use my P900 without the flip for slimness and protection (I
replaced it with a strong 1.5mm polycarbonate transparent lid covering the
whole screen held in place with scotch tape). If I was using the P900 with the
flip on, I would probably upgrade to a P910, though.
Note that you cannot use a palm-based device (such as the treos) a their
OS is not powerful enough to handle a bluetooth keyboard.
In summary, a killer device if you take notes in meetings.
[ This Message was edited by: colas on 2004-10-01 21:36 ] |
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janptr
Joined: Dec 18, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Sweden
PM |
I am very interested in it too and guess the bluetooth is what I want more then the cheaper IR. Too bad it does´nt support Swedish language.
Rgds
J-P |
BigFeat
Joined: Mar 14, 2003
Posts: > 500
PM, WWW
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Does the phone have to be docked in that cradle? I couldn't understand whether the cradle was meant to be used as a stand for the phone or whether it required a physical connection.. If the later is the case it wouldn't make sense because it's supposed to be a BT keyboard. Morever, if the cradle is just a stand for the phone can it be detached from the keyboard?
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colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
on swedish: you can enter most LATIN-1 chars via alt-key combinations
on cradle: it is just a plastic stand. the phone can be anywhere, even in your pocket :-), and it can be easily detached
[ This Message was edited by: colas on 2004-09-30 17:02 ] |
janptr
Joined: Dec 18, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Sweden
PM |
Good! How much did you pay for it? Have´nt so far seen it in Sweden. Think it´s quite necessary to have the phone in front instead of pocket so you know if the typing is working:-)
Rgds
J-P |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
I bought it on expansys
http://www.expansys.se/
you also have a list of resellers at:
http://www.thinkoutside.com/company/resellers.asp |
KSE
Joined: Nov 18, 2003
Posts: 369
PM |
Surely battery wise the Series 5MX be the winner though... mine lasts for ages on 2 AA rechargeables...?
If the P900 requires BT on, then the battery should be eaten rather quickly, when typing intensively... I suppose the IR version would probably be better battery-wise too following that...
Also, since there is no way of rotating the screen typing area, the Series 5 should be superior surely...
Then again, I suppose we are all different users... I kinda like the P900 and Series 5 combo...
There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise.
- Gore Vidal (Although I didn't write it, from my perspective, I couldn't agree with it more!) |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
On batteries, you must known that the psion has 2 problems:
[1] it drains current even when turned "off", this current not being monitored by the "battery info" menu.
[2] you must change rechargeable AA immediately else it drains the backup battery, and then you loose data. so you must be sure to replace rechargeable NiMH before they risk going down (alcalines go down slower, giving you advance warnings)
The external keyboard uses absolutely no current when off or not typing after a timeout, and there is not damage in letting batteries drain.
So the psion solution is not a definite winner for batteries. I would claim the opposite: I do not have to nurse carefully my psion batteries health anymore!
On screen... this has nothing to do with the keyboard? you could use an external BT keyboard with a 640x480 color pocket PC PDA/phone if you want.
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VinnyP!
Joined: Aug 22, 2004
Posts: 119
From: UK
PM |
I too have moved from Psion 5 MX and IR phone combination (T610) to P910 & Bluetooth keyboard. I have had a wish list for some time as well; ie a Symbian OS smartphone with touchscreen, stereo sound and support for 1GB memory cards. So far it is a good solution but the PDA software on and for the Psion is so much better, especially when you consider how old it is and how little memory it uses. I am astonished how many features are missing from the latest Symbian software.
The instant on and useable keyboard of the 5MX are still a great solution, my SO says she pays for hers every day, with work she can do for one client whilst waiting around for another. I don't need the keyboard so much now, and find the browser and e-mail client on the P910 more useful. There is no contest on battery life, the 5MX is so much beter, but remember but not with the backlight on. However the p910 even on really really heavy use has always lasted me a day, That included watching 2 hrs of master and commander on a plane and listening to 3 hours of MP3s at the airport. But to be on the safe side I did get a spare battery.
The  keyboard is great but I think the cursor keys could have been better implemnted and yes a pointing device would have been great, maybe like the nipple on this thinkpad I am using now?
[ This Message was edited by: VinnyP! on 2004-10-01 09:56 ] |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
the PDA software on and for the Psion is so much better
So true. Ironically, I think part of it is that UIQ has been designed for pen-only input, and thus do not make use of keyboard shortcuts that were so useful on the psion. I hope the advent of a keyboard on the P910, alas lacking some control or alt keys (maybe some keyboard driver could simulate it: e.g, press "internet" side button + A to get Ctrl-A ?) will push UIQ developers to include keyboard shortcuts...
A side note: my post is here for people wanting to go to a PDA instead of their psion, but fearing the move because of the keyboard. I am not saying that every psion users should go the PDA+keyboard route. If the psion satisfies your needs, do not move. (and I would pay to get the psion "word", "data" apps - and others on the P900: QuickOffice and Handy databank are jokes in comparison).
[ This Message was edited by: colas on 2004-10-01 11:27 ] |
janptr
Joined: Dec 18, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Sweden
PM |
Another thing I am missing from Psion is the possibility to have more then one agenda file. Colas, how long does the battery last in BT keyboard?
Rgds
J-P |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
I do not know yet. The manufacturer says about 2 to 3 months. |
KSE
Joined: Nov 18, 2003
Posts: 369
PM |
The battery point of the Series 5 is taken on board of course, but then I believe that to be typical of many a PDA - it is only in fairly recent years that specific memory has been included to retain the contents of the PDA after a battery runs flat... the XDA, I believe would ideally lose user files if the battery runs low, as would any PPC, if it is not stored on such memory... The solution lies in the use of a CF card, which has proven indispensible...
I have gotten into the practice of frequent battery checks - which follows on to my P900 an' all! - and my high capacity rechargeables do a sterling job of lasting...
Also, I was not so concerned about the abttery life of the keybaord, more of the P900 really - though perhaps this is my paranoia due to the dicky battery that my year old P900 now has !
Well all have different needs, fulfilled by different, things, but the Series 5 to me seemed to beso ahead of it's time that it is still useful today - it may not have huge memory or speedy processors, yet it can still out do many an offering from today on usability and productivity... Indeed, years on from it's inception, rembrandts of the series 5 software still remain - that p900 connectivty suite just looked so familiar, reproducing all the same issues that i had with the Series 5 selectively connecting and still being basically a serial connection! |
colas
Joined: Jan 25, 2004
Posts: 16
From: France
PM |
<q>I was not so concerned about the battery life of the keyboard, more of the P900 really </q>
Right, this may be the main drawback. Note that there, we are helped by using a mainstream device: There exists plenty of solutions to recharge a mobile phone. I have seen emergency chargers hand-powered, solar-powered, chimically-powered. I even bought a cute small cheap one for charging your phone with ... AAA batteries! (so you can use the same spare pack of NiMH high-powered batteries as in the BT keyboard).
On losing data when batteries went flat, my wife has one of the first ipaq ever available in France (4 years ago), and it does not loose data when the battery goes flat.
As for psion, I used them a lot for 10 years (bought one of the first Series 3), but this was before the advent of ADSL, notebooks, and more generally internet everywhere. Most of what I used to store on the psion I now put on web apps on my home machine knowing I can access from anywhere. So my need for a PDA have evolved to less power but more connectivity... but I still needed a good keyboard :-) |
t3h
Joined: Aug 20, 2009
Posts: 1
PM, WWW
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sry for bringing this old topic up but I really need help considering using the iGo Stowaway keyboard with SE P1i phone. the keyboard works like charm for typing English language but I can't figure out how to use accent characters like ÖÄÜÕ. I havent find good user guide for using this keyboard in UIQ and the key combinations for these characters that are working in WinMo does not work in UIQ. can anyone help me with this?
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Posted: 2004-09-30 14:12
