Batteries Included: 0
Binding: Electronics
Brand: Palm
EAN: 0805931017987
Is Autographed: 0
Is Fragile: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Height: 1968 hundredths-inches
Length: 1968 hundredths-inches
Weight: 200 hundredths-pounds
Width: 1968 hundredths-inches
Keyboard Description: QWERTY
Label: Palm
Manufacturer: Palm
Model: 3245WW
Packaged Height: 134 hundredths-inches
Packaged Length: 890 hundredths-inches
Packaged Weight: 110 hundredths-pounds
Packaged Width: 701 hundredths-inches
Publisher: Palm
Studio: Palm
Feature:
- Word where you need to with your Palm Treo or Centro and this Bluetooth wireless keyboard
- Full QWERTY keyboard with five rows of full-size keys
- Encrypted link connects your keyboard and smartphone for secure Bluetooth connection
- Powered by 2 AAA batteries (included)
- Compatible with the following models: Treo 650, Treo 755p, Centro, Treo 680, Treo 700p, Treo 700w, Treo 700wx, Treo 750, Tungsten E2, TX
Product Description:
When you're on the move, sometimes you need a faster way to compose longer messages, reports, and even spreadsheets. This compact yet full-size wireless keyboard folds up for portability, while giving you the benefits of true touch-typing. Plus, the freedom of Bluetooth Wireless Technology allows you to work with or without your Treo smartphone docked on the pullout easel.
Customer Reviews:
 Nice idea but with shortcomings, 2008-11-16
I have been using the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard (infrared) for a while with my Palm Tungsten T5 and I had grown to like it. Then I purchased a Palm Centro and tried to make the keyboard work with it with some difficulty. I then decided to instead purchase the Palm Keyboard with Bluetooth which, as it says on the palm support page, is the compatible accessory for the centro. Comparing the two types of keyboards here's what I like and disliked about both.
Infrared Keyboard:
Pros:
- Full size keyboard: my hands rested comfortably on it and typing is a joy, compared with the on-screen keyboard. I could instantly see my productivity increasing merely because I can type so much faster with this.
- Easy to get started: The IR port always ready to go.
- Auto-caps: Whenever I type a period "." followed by a space " ", the IR driver senses that I am starting a new sentence, so it turns on caps only for the first letter I type afterwards. That way I don't have to press shift to capitalize the first letter of every sentence, it automatically does that for me.
Cons:
- Flimsy design: you should use it on a hard flat surface.
- Temperamental: With the moving/sliding parts, the interconnections within the device are not always reliable. For starters I never move the wand at all, and just re-orient my T5 in landscape mode to use it with the device always on its side rather than upright. I have grown to like using it this way. The other finicky point in the unit is where you have to slide the cradle to the right to turn the keyboard on. I continue struggling with this still and try to start the keyboard working and slide it to the left or right a bit for the terminals to come in contact (trial and error method) but after a couple of attempts it always seems to cooperate. I had returned the first one of this keyboard that I had bought because of that very reason, and got a replacement. Ever since then I have not disturbed the wand and only did the sliding adjustment whenever I needed to use it and it has worked fine for me ever since.
Bluetooth Keyboard:
Pros:
- Full Size Keyboard: Same as for the IR model.
- When folded up, it is compact enough to fit in my pocket without causing my pocket to bulge out noticeably.
- Bluetooth is the method of communication so I don't have to rest the device in the cradle and line it up with the IR port. It will work with the device as long as both are within bluetooth range. I normally put the centro on a more convenient place so I can view it better while using the keyboard with it, instead of keeping it inside the cradle.
Cons:
- Just as flimsy as the IR keyboard, and a hard flat surface is needed to operate the keyboard.
- Because it is based on bluetooth, you have to pair it with your palm device every time you need to use it. And in order to conserve battery, I normally keep my bluetooth off on the centro unless I need it. So first I start the bluetooth, then I pair both devices together, and then I can start using it. I miss the days when I used to put the T5 in the cradle, no initial setup needed, just adjust the position of the slider on the IR keyboard and I'm good to go.
- During my typing if I pause for a bit to think about something, and in the meanwhile the device goes to sleep after the 10 or 15 seconds as it is configured to do so, then I have to go through a whole set of choreography to pair the two devices all over again. So even when I am not typing anything I still have to keep moving the cursor and register some type of activity to keep the centro from going to sleep.
- Auto-caps: The keyboard driver is different and has less functionality. I had grown used to the IR keyboard driver automatically capitalizing the first letter of each sentence. This helped me type faster. I had grown used to this nice feature. In the Bluetooth driver, it doesn't turn on the caps so I have to remember to press shift now at the start of each sentence. And since I'm used to not doing that in the past, I generally keep typing and then notice that I forgot to press shift and so I have to backtrack over again to the beginning of the sentence and erase the first letter and replace it with a caps. It's a nice-to-have feature. I don't have this feature on a normal PC's keyboard so technically I shouldn't be complaining, but I spend more time backtracking to the start of the sentence and fixing the mistake now, which defeats the purpose of it since it's supposed to help me type faster and be more productive.
I had opened a call with Palm support on this very question. They didn't seem to know the functionality of the driver and that it was that way by design. So they started putting me through the painful troubleshooting exercise of doing a hard reset on the centro and losing all my data and put it back to factory configuration. Naturally that didn't help. After trying the routine resets, they gave up and escalated to second level support. There I was fortunate enough to talk to a person who actually uses one of these keyboards, and he instantly pointed out to me that this is the new way its supposed to work and there's no fix available for it. At that point I just decided I better stop complaining and get used to the way it is now.
Summary:
Overall I was happier with the IR keyboard (even with its mechanical flaws) because it got me started on my work quicker. The bluetooth keyboard doesn't score very high marks in my book comparatively. It seems more high-maintenance and has more baggage attached with getting the bluetooth connection started and its an obstacle for me. Plus the time lost with the auto-caps makes for a less pleasant experience.
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