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PDA keyboards break barriers


MAY 02, 2002
Doug Bedell

Keyboards fold out, operate wirelessly and even use lasers for letters.

Kenny Balzer doesn't own a laptop computer.

"Dude, I'm not getting a Dell - can't afford one," says the 22-year-old Web designer attending the recent SXSW Interactive Festival in Austin.

Instead, Mr. Balzer decided all his mobile needs could be met with a lower-cost Palm VII personal digital assistant. "Just one problem," he says as he assembles his tiny workstation on an Austin Convention Center conference table. "I couldn't master that Graffiti thing."

Indeed, Graffiti requires PDA users to scribble certain letters in a specialized shorthand - a "t" looks like the number seven, for instance.

And judging from sales of PDA keyboards - plastic, foldable, full-size, dockable QWERTY-based units - Mr. Balzer's sympathizers are legion. Until the arrival of the Stowaway from Think Outside two years ago, analysts say, it was too hard for people to take notes or write e-mail using a stylus and Graffiti.

"My Stowaway," says Mr. Balzer, "opened up a whole new world."

As the Stowaway's market-leading sales swelled to more than 1 million in its first year, other companies rushed to develop alternatives. This year, PDA keyboard models are being introduced in all sorts of forms.

Some are made of cloth and wrap around the PDA like a case. Others use a PDA's infrared capabilities to connect keyboards wirelessly. And, in the most exotic incarnation, an Israeli company is preparing to release a "virtual PDA keyboard" that projects a red laser keyboard onto any surface.

With their increased power and wireless connectivity, PDAs are filling niches beyond their traditional function as portable day planners, analysts say. In fact, Gartner Inc. recently predicted that PDA sales will expand 26 percent by 2003 over sales of 19.5 million units last year.

"All of a sudden, PDAs have become a real threat to the laptop," says David Ferguson, vice president of sales and marketing for Pocketop Computer Corp., developers of the Wireless Link Keyboard due in stores next month. "When you add a keyboard, they start to become a real substitute for a certain segment of user."

Until later this year, the most prominent full-size keyboards for most PDA models will continue to be the $99 Stowaway (www.think outside.com) and the GoType, a bulkier $40 version from LandWare (www.landware.com.) Weighing less than a half-pound, the Stowaway folds out in accordion fashion from a durable aluminum jacket. When placed on a flat surface, key action is similar to that of a normal computer keyboard, although its keys push down only about 3 millimeters.

GoType is a bit smaller than a standard laptop keyboard and comes in a clamshell case that doesn't fold. Those with large hands may find it hard to achieve high speeds without mistakes.

By the end of 2002, the PDA keyboard landscape will look quite different. First, Logitech will enter the market with its first two PDA accessories - the ultra-slim, full-size TypeAway model ($79.95) and a smaller, foldable, cloth-based version that doubles as a case, the KeyCase ($99.95).

The pocket-size, aluminum-clad TypeAway is built with the same key action used in most notebook computers but will work with only recent versions of the Palm (the m125, Palm m500, Palm m505 and handhelds with the Palm Universal Connector).

Logitech (www.logi tech.com) brings much experience to this new product line, and it showed nicely in a demo unit. The key action is more precise than that of many commercial workstations, and it accommodates large hands. Typing on the KeyCase feels different. The KeyCase uses pressure-sensitive electronics inside fabric from ElekSen. Denim-backed, waterproof and flexible, the keyboard material wraps around the PDA as a protective case when not in use.

The small keys have no spring, thus taking time to master. The KeyCase also requires calibration on a flat surface to adjust to an individual's key-striking habits.

But for convenience and stylish portability, this model shows promise. Initial versions are being rolled out for the recent Palm m series, but Logitech says it plans to expand options soon. Look for the cloth backing to appear in designer fabrics during the next wave of KeyCase models.

Both Logitech models are expected to hit U.S. electronics stores in the next month, as is a wireless PDA keyboard from Pocketop.

Marketed as the Wireless Link Keyboard, the $99 Pocketop unit hooks up to Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds without the clumsy, fold-out docking stations needed by other models. Instead, the keyboard communicates with the PDA via infrared transmissions.

In a design using intriguing technology, workers at VKB Inc.(www.vkb.co.il) recently showed off a PDA option that will be sold in Europe by year-end.

The battery-powered, wireless VKB module projects a full-size keyboard onto any surface in bright red laser light, making it big enough for even the largest fingers. Optical infrared sensors detect finger movements and translate them into letters for the PDA.

The company says it is working on expanded functions for the technology, including built-in keyboard projection units for computer monitors and cellphones.



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