Windows Phone Thoughts: Stowaway XT Keyboard Review

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Monday, December 15, 2003

Stowaway XT Keyboard Review

Posted by Don Tolson in "HARDWARE" @ 12:00 PM


Using the Keyboard
I've been using the keyboard for about a month now, in a variety of applications -- from the Pocket Office suite (Outlook, Word and Excel) to Textmaker, Convention Star, Pocket Day, BOnTime, etc. All seemed to accept input from the keyboard with no difficulties. Generally, my typing speed is somewhere between 50 and 80 wpm and the Think Outside software was able to keep up with this when I was writing in Textmaker. There was no noticeable delay between my typing and characters appearing the application, and no occurrences of things getting stuck with characters not showing up when typed, then streaming out later. There is a very slight difference in physical size between the original Stowaway keyboard and the XT due to key squeezing from normal 19mm spacing to 18 mm. It's not huge, but definitely noticeable.


Figure 10: Stowaway original and XT keyboards together

Even by Think Outside's own published standards they are at the limit of comfort for inter-key spacing. Generally, it didn't slow me down at all. The vertical key travel feels the same as good keyboards on the better quality laptops. You can even turn on a 'click' sound for each keystroke, but I found this introduced delays in responsiveness which were unacceptable.

I've found I really miss having the fourth row for numbers. Not having it slowed me down quite a bit, since a lot of my work has numbers imbedded in the text, and I was trained to reach for that non-existent row of numbers. Instead, I have to stop, think about what I want to do and find the appropriate combination of Function Key (blue or green) and key to get what I want. I found that when using my fifth finger to hit the Shift Key, I would quite frequently tip the keyboard on its end (left or right), since there's a bit of a space between the keyboard and the desk surface at the ends.

I've used both the original Stowaway four-piece folding keyboard and the XT. The original was a bit more comfortable, (better spacing and a fourth row), but was definitely heavier and bulkier.


Figure 11: Stowaway XT and original keyboards folded

Think Outside claims you can use the XT on your knee, but doesn't recommend it. I'd have to agree, since I'd be worried about the iPAQ falling to the floor from that perch!

There's a power jack on the back of the keyboard which can be used to power/recharge your iPAQ while it's attached to the keyboard. The plug which came with the power pack on my iPAQ 2215 fits into the jack (yahoo!) but it's just a little too long to fit comfortably in the back. It'll work, but you have to snake the cable pretty tightly against the back fold-up support.

Gotchas
Some things to watch out for when using the Stowaway XT keyboard:
  • As far as I can see on the Think Outside Web site, only the HP iPAQ line is currently supported by the Stowaway XT.
  • Since the keyboard uses the serial connector, it's not possible to synchronize your Pocket PC while using the keyboard, unless, of course, you have a Bluetooth connection enabled! :)
  • The key spacing is slightly cramped for those of us trained on an IBM Selectric typewriter, but it is still quite comfortable.
  • The keyboard will tilt to either side if you're a heavy-fingered Shift-er, like me.
  • The space behind the keyboard to accommodate the power plug from the HP-supplied adapter for the iPAQ2200 series is a tight squeeze and will require you to snake the cord a bit to keep it above the support's rails.
  • It can take some time to get used to not having the fourth row of keys, especially for touch typists.
  • For Pocket PCs running Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003, you must download the drivers from the Think Outside Web site. The software provided by most resellers will not work.
Where to Buy
The Stowaway XT keyboard is available from a number of different suppliers, and the prices seem to vary. I got mine from eBay, but also I found it on the Think Outside Web site for $99.95US, on the Fellowes Web site for $109.99US, and a brief search of CNet.com brought back prices ranging from $78US to $93US.

Specifications
The Stowaway XT model I tested (90189) is compatible with the iPAQ 2200 (with slight hardware modification), 3700, 3800, 3900, 4100, 5100, 5400, and 5500 models. It weighs 160 gms (5.6 oz) and is 139mm x 99mm x 13mm (5.5 in x 3.9 in x 0.5 in) when closed and 251mm x 148mm x 13mm (9.9 in x 5.8 in x 0.5 in) when opened.

Key spacing is 18mm (horizontally and vertically) and key travel is 3mm. The keyboard is arranged in the standard English QWERTY layout. I'm not aware of any options to change this to alternative layouts (such as DVORAK), nor international keyboards for accentuated or diacritic characters. You can, however, create these characters using keystroke combinations described in the User Guide which comes with the keyboard.

Software Drivers for Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket Mobile 2003 are available from Think Outside's Web site. The drivers take approximately 244K of memory. It is highly recommended to store them in main memory, not on a CF or SD card.

Conclusions
While it's not quite as comfortable for typing as the original Stowaway Keyboard, the XT is by far and away much more pocketable and more convenient to use. It's lightweight, sturdy and quick to set up. It requires minimal desktop real estate, so I can use it comfortably on the plane, with no concern for reclining seatbacks. As a package with my iPAQ 2215, it's unbeatable for serious mobile composition - in fact, most of this article was written using the XT keyboard on my iPAQ 2215! As a bit of a gadget freak, I also really appreciate the 'oooh' factor of showing people how it unfolds, and then being able to create documents on the fly during meetings. I wouldn’t be without it!

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