Comments on: Stowaway Keyboard for m500/m505 Available

Think Outside Inc. today announced U.S. shipment of the latest version of its Stowaway Portable Keyboard for the m500 and m505. These use Palm's new Universal Connector, meaning they will work with all future Palm models that use this connector. U.S. versions of the m500/505-compatible keyboard, marketed under the name Palm Portable Keyboard (PPK), are available now from Palm Inc. for $100. German and Japanese versions of the keyboard will ship this summer.
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Accessories

PalmPowered @ 6/4/2001 11:48:06 AM #
I think it is great that the new keyboard are now available for the m500 series but does anyone know if or when Palm plans to market a hard case like the one for the old Vx? I would sure be interested in knowing if they are and if so, when. Also, has LandWare come out with a GoType keyboard for this series yet?

PalmPowered

Power Up!

RE: Accessories
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 2:08:17 PM #
Yeah, the Palm V hard case looked so nice on a Palm V. Made it look very sleek and classy.

Hopefully, Palm will introduce an m500 hard case...


RE: Accessories
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 3:51:54 PM #
A new M500 hard case will be available this summer. Have you called their number lately? They were actually taking orders for the case until they received news that it wouldn't be available until the end of the summer.

RE: Accessories
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 5:43:03 PM #
Actually they have a part # for it but they are not taking orders. Apparently there was a design flaw and we probalby won't see it until July or August??
Some 3rd parties are making cases for the Vx and I am sure you will see development for the m500 series. Palm is not taking orders for the case I will try to post the part number later. (part number for the hard case is p10815u) (it is still in development
) they will not take orders for it. Mine is still top of the stack. also the travel charger will not be out until July. Morningstar1844@hotmail.com

RE: Accessories
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 6:47:54 PM #
I sent an email to Landware concerning availability of their GoType keyboard in early May. There response was:

Landware does not an estimated time frame on the release of this keyboard.

Sorry,
Elena
Landware sales

RE: Accessories
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 8:37:19 AM #
Screw Palm branded hard cases. Have you seen the InnoGear ones? Those are true aluminum. Much better! Too bad it's only Palm V form factor!

RE: OT
Ed @ 6/5/2001 9:15:02 AM #
Guys, when you want to discuss something completely off topic from the article, please consider our Forums. They have much more formatting options, you can easily add links and photos, and are generally easier to use.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/forum/

But their man advantage is they don't have irritating messages from the moderator asking you to keep your posts on topic.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

Crazy Ideas

superbenk @ 6/4/2001 12:42:46 PM #
I got the crazyist idea ever (sarcasm). We're in the 21st century, right? We have computer circuitry so small you need an incredibly strong microscope to see it, right? We have been to the moon and are contemplating Mars now, right? Well, why the hell can't anybody come up with a itsy bitsy clip on adapter that will allow the m50x with it's stupid new-style port to work with the old III style accessories???? After all, it's just a souped up serial port isn't it? Re-route a couple wires and put it in a molded plastic case the size of a AAA battery and sell it for $30 and make the world a happier place for those of us who don't have money dripping out our asses to buy new stuff every couple months! It would cost about $1 each to produce the crazy clip-ons and you could make millions!

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut and marketed the idea, but I'm sure by the time I sold the first one the m50x connector would be history and I'd have to start all over. Palm promises 2 years minimum for the new connector? We'll see.

RE: Crazy Ideas
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 2:09:52 PM #
Have you thought about selling your accessories on ebay?

Other accessories?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 12:52:59 PM #
Any word on m500 series travel chargers or other accessories being available or available soon?

Thanks!

RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 6:51:34 PM #
July

RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 12:12:17 PM #
Not July, fall sometime, according to Palm.

RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 5:48:26 PM #
May be this Fall but as of yesterday, Office Depot already has their product sign up and space on their shelf for the M500 travel charger. They did not have a date for its arrival.

BTW the keyboards arrived yesterday at Office Depot, Dublin, CA. I now have one.



RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 6:00:13 PM #
Someone else said their OD also had the shelves set up... and that employee there said they were expecting them this week sometime. But maybe they don't know what they're talking about if Palm says the fall!

That sounds really late to me... how hard can it be to make a travel charger?


RE: Other accessories?
Ed @ 6/5/2001 6:18:28 PM #
I think people are getting their rumors confused. While it may be a while before the Palm hardcase is available, the last time I talked to anyone at Palm they said they expected the remaining m500 series peripherals to be in any day now.

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Palm Infocenter
RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 9:09:17 PM #
Thanks, Ed.
I just read at another forum that the other peripherals, like the charger, should be in any day now, too, according to multiple OD personnel.

Hopefully this is true, as I will be taking a long trip soon and don't want to lug around the cradle!


RE: Other accessories?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 9:32:51 PM #
Palm website says travel charger will be "in and shipping in July".

'Available' is a slippery term

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 12:59:31 PM #
As far as I can see, these keyboards are still showing up as 'backordered' on the Palm site. They're not available yet. This is just marketing hype. Yes I want one, but I'll still have to wait a while longer.

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 4:06:41 PM #
I bought one today at Office Depot in Vienna, Virginia (suburb of DC). Very similar to the old Vx version, but the base where the Palm rests slides out and flips up as opposed to the old version that slip out and then flipped down. The difference -- your palm won't fall if the base is extended over the edge of you table. That's a very nice change. The keys are slightly stiffer than the older version, but still as good as the very best laptop keyboard.

JBH

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 8:24:36 AM #
I grabbed mine from Office Depot in Minneapolis, E-commerce loses yet again!

Anyway the keyboard has a nice black finish to it, it feels a tad heavier mind you. Besides being a great item to have the only disapointment is that it didn't come with a cloth cover like my 5x keyboard did, seriously silly IMHO. If the case were never going to open by accident it wouldn't be a problem but how much would it have cost to add it. /Grumble/

Thanks Ed for the heads up on this!

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
Ed @ 6/5/2001 8:58:58 AM #
> the only disapointment is that it didn't come with a cloth cover
> like my 5x keyboard did

It didn't come with a cloth cover? The demo I got came with one and I was going to mention it in my review. Thanks for this comment or I would have confused and angered a lot of buyers.

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News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 9:58:43 AM #
Ed, the prior post is correct. The keyboard comes in the new Palm clear packaging (like the expansion cards), and there is no zipper cover like the old version.

JBH

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 11:01:17 AM #
The missing cloth cover was a real disapointment, question for you Ed, what kind of packaging did yours come in, the Keyboard came in that plastic packaging like the cards did, no box. The software installs without a hitch mind you and the keyboard itself has far less bounce than the previous one did with slightly stiffer keys.

Ed interested in letting go of your cloth keyboard holder? ;)

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
Ed @ 6/5/2001 1:25:25 PM #
Mine came in a FedEx box wrapped in some bubble-wrap; no other packaging at all. That's how a lot of pre-production products come.

Sorry, I'm hanging on to the zipper-case. It won't protect it from falls but is good for preventing scratches.

---
News Editor
Palm Infocenter

RE: 'Available' is a slippery term
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 1:51:18 PM #
I don't fault you! It also has the added advantage of preventing accidental openings when carried in a bag etc. Openings that can then damage the keyboard as it isn't built with bullet proof in mind. Which is one reason why they sell a Keyboard Ca$e. I am of course implying that more money can be made by selling a case than including it. I just think that its a real shame for an otherwise invaluable product, I wonder if Palm had more to do with the decision than Stowaway did. I suppose we won't ever know.

Love the site and my m505!

What up thinkoutside? Which came first, the Edge or the M??

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 2:22:51 PM #
ARG. Why isn't thinkoutside supporting the Edge yet? I know there's a bigger market for the m series, but the edge has a loyal base of power users who are waiting like ravenous dogs at thinkoutside's doorstep. I've heard August...

I mean, we get shipping delay after shipping delay on these things, and still they have accessories before HS does. Why don't people wake up and see who's really driving innovation on the PalmOS. It's HS and Sony and Handera, not Palm!!

RE: What up thinkoutside? Which came first, the Edge or the M??
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 6:53:12 PM #
but the market size is Palm

RE: What up thinkoutside? Which came first, the Edge or the M??
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 12:13:37 PM #
You call the Edge innovative? It's just ugly and kind of thin.

You buy the off brands, you have to deal with it when the accessories don't come.

Send key?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 2:47:05 PM #
How does the send key really work? You can't use your modem and keyboard at the same time so nothing is really going to get sent - at least until we have modems or communications devices that fit the SD slot...


RE: Send key?
Midknyte @ 6/5/2001 2:39:36 PM #
Er, Uh, M700...

RE: Send key?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 2:55:07 PM #
Oh yeah! The unanounced, unknown palm device! That's exactly who stowaway was thinking of. Idiot.

Clie...

Ant @ 6/4/2001 2:51:44 PM #
So, the M series comes out well after the Clie S300, and yet the keyboard arrives first. What a surprise. With the 710 out, let's hope our wait will be over. Ah well.

Ant

Ant
http://fly.to/clie/

RE: Send Key?

altema @ 6/4/2001 5:25:53 PM #
What the send key will do is drop the completed email in your outbox and let you get to the next message or task at hand without making you look for the stylus.

Why is there...

Dave @ 6/4/2001 5:33:52 PM #
A Send key? The only kind of modems (which aren't even available) are sled based and can't be used at the same time. SD Modem? Not this year. The fact that one of the main features suggests that this product is just a port of a Vx one, just to get the company lots of money.

Is a keyboard necessary?

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 6:41:47 PM #
Until I upgraded to the m505 recently, I was using a Vx. I received a Stowaway keyboard as a gift last year but it has been sitting there gathering dust. My main grouse with the keyboard is that it is so slow. It just can't keep up with my typing the way my notebook does. Furthermore, I find myself writing out my emails and notes faster using either Jot or Graffiti. Unless I can input data faster using one of these keyboards, they are just not worth the cost.

RE: Is a keyboard necessary?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/4/2001 6:55:01 PM #
Depends.. For populating databases with new data I found the keyboard helps and still allows portability. I was quickly wearing down the Graffiti area on my Palm V before I bought a keyboard.

RE: Is a keyboard necessary?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 1:26:57 AM #
hmmmn... I find the speed great, especially when typing in an app like Wordsmith... perhaps you need to download a newer keyboard driver or check out how you have the repeat rate set

RE: Is a keyboard necessary?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 5:25:55 AM #
I found that in 95 % of cases I'm better of writing email or text with a text enhancement like TextPlus.
www.smartcell.com

Its after getting used to it probably even faster to enter text than with a keyboard.

The core Zen of Palm is that you carry your data and your work in your shirtpocket - point.

Without any more maximum hastle than a infrared phone - and that is what mobile technic (!) is all about.

If one starts on the move with a keybord and more accesories - he ends up like the schlepptop users.

But for the rest of the ones who write "gone with the wind edition 99" a keyboard may be the right way to go.


Boris
www.palmtop.at


RE: Is a keyboard necessary?
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 10:03:10 AM #
I use my keyboard a lot. I often get stuck places, like at court waiting on a case to be called, and with the keyboard I can do a substantial amount of work. You would have to be on some serious crack to think of using Graffiti to write a long letter. So for me, the keyboard is an absolute necessity. The Palm loses 50% of its utility without it.

Regarding slow reaction times of the Palm when using the keyboard, try a different program, like WordSmith. I tried DocumentsToGo, and it was horribly slow. It may be better in the latest versions. I don't know, and I don't care. WordSmith is a simple and elegant program, so give it a try. You will find that the program keeps up with your typing. I type over 60 words per minute, and the Palm stays right with me.

JBH

keyboard + next gen wireless palm = yummy

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/5/2001 12:14:45 AM #
Since this keyboard is going to use the universal connection, the next wireless palm will be able to hook up to this, no problem.

Keyboard + wireless palm = kick ass email solution.

That is why there is a send key...
:-)

New m505 Keyboard

Soul Care @ 6/5/2001 2:55:27 AM #
I have just installed my new keyboard for the m505 and it works fine. The conneting is a bit stiffer compamed to the Vx. It also seem's a bit less polished/flimsey compared to the Vx
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