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The use of PDAs can be enhanced by the addition of portable keyboards should users need to enter a considerable amount of text or prefer to avoid the use of the onscreen options. Text input can be improved in terms of speed, accuracy and comfort over time by use of the various types of keyboard. But it is important to assess the environment in which it will be used as well as issues around actual keyboard entry. This is because many of the options are flimsy, fold in odd areas, require firm surfaces and have connection problems.
Links follow each keyboard for the manufacture/supplier site and an independent review below.
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Keyboards which collapse up / fold away providing a portable access in terms of a 'near' full size keyboard.
The Stowaway keyboard which is available for most PDAs, has an opened size of 352mm x 130mm x 11mm, and a closed size of 93mm x 130mm x 20mm with a weight of 224 grams. The keyboard folds up in a 'W' shaped concertina with two sliding key panels. The stand pulls out from the back and supports the PDA in position.
The Logitech TypeAway keyboard which is available for most Palm models, has an opened size of 280mm x 86mm x 6.2mm and weight's 150 grams. The keyboard folds in two down the middle with a smaller key height than the Stowaway keyboard.
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The Stowaway keyboard
A review of the Stowaway keyboard by The Gadgeteer .com
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The GoType has a single piece design and has a size of 10" x 4" x 1", and weigh's 12 ounces.
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The Landware GoType keyboard
A review of the Gotype keyboard by The gadgeteer .com
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Thumb keyboards are very small keyboards that usually attach to the base of the PDA. The user is expected to type by holding the PDA in both hands by the base and keyboard then typing with both thumbs.
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The most ergonomic design is Snap-N-Type, which has the largest keys and well spaced keys.
The Type-en-Go keyboard
A review of the Type-en-go keyboard by the Gadgeteer .com
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These are keyboards that are made out of flexible material that allow most of the keyboard to be rolled up.
The Flexis FX100 keyboard is made of a rubberised material that has modelled buttons. Each button had a clear shape and has a rubbery click action with some tactile feedback. The keyboard can easily be rolled up into cylinder and requires no batteries. It is splash proof and easily cleaned. Size: 4mm (H) x 85mm (D) x 250mm (L).
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The Man-Machine Flexis keyboard
A review of the Flexis keyboard by the Palm info center
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Although the Half Keyboard is still a standard QWERTY style board. It is only the left side of the QWERTY keyboard. In order to access the right hand keys, you must hold down the space bar. When the space bar is held down, the Half Keyboard re-maps to the layout of the right side of a regular keyboard. So for example, if you wanted to type the word fantastic, you would need to hold down the space bar to get the letters N and I. The keyboard connects via a 10-inch cable to the universal connector port at the base of a Palm.
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The Halftype keyboard (no longer available)
A review of the HalfType keyboard by The Gadgeteer .com
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Chord keyboards are keyboards that have few keys (usually less than ten); these are pressed simultaneously in different key combinations (chords) to produce different letters.
The Cykey is a chord keyboard that uses chords based on the Microwriting chords developed for the Microwriter Agenda personal organiser whose key chords are based on a set of mnemonics. The Cykey has 9 keys of which five are predominately used by one hand. The manufacturers say that most people can learn to touch type in an hour or less though this will take a lot of constant practice if you are unfamiliar with the concept of chords. The keyboard has size of 125mm x 80mm x 6.5mm.
The keyboard uses IR to connect to the PDA. Most PDAs have the IR ports located at the top of the device, resulting in either the PDA or keyboard being used upside-down.
This problem can be overcome in one of two ways:
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
The CyKey chord keyboard
A review of the Cykey keyboard
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The Cirque Pocket keyboard is a very small keyboard (L) 3.850 in (W) 2.685 in. (D) 0.400 in. that uses a touch sensitive flat surface with printed keys as the keyboard. The keys are quite small and are separated by a raised grid, which keeps you from touching two keys at once. Since the keys are touch sensitive (capacitive touch) they have no tactile feedback as you do not even need to touch the surface of the keyboard to 'press' a key. The keys can be pressed by using thumbs either side of keyboard, or with a finger (or capacitive material but not the stylus) when used on a desk. The keyboard can be attached to the PDA and used in the hand or with the integrated stand.
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
Cons
A review of the cirque keyboard by The Gadgeteer .com
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August Dvorak invented the Simplified Keyboard as a result of time and motion studies. Research on the use of the Dvorak Keyboard (or Simplified Keyboard as it is now known) has shown that the different key arrangement can help those with Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI). The Dvorak Layout is said to reduce finger and wrist movement by approximately 10 times.
The keys of the standard Palm (Stowaway) keyboard can be re-mapped to the DVORAK layout using a software program called "Keyboard Localizer" which allows re-mapping of any of the keys but includes a pre-configured DVORAK database file. The program can also be used to change the keyboard layout to a variety of international formats (Swedish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Canadian, Brazilian etc.)
The accessibility & usability issues are:
Pros
The keyboard layout can increase speeds once learnt.
It is designed to reduce strain and prevent excessive movement across the keyboard
There are numerous layouts available for those studying or using foreign languages.
Cons
The keyboard layout is not that usually available on computer keyboards and therefore may not be suitable for those who are depending on key layout to aid spelling.
The Keyboard localizer download site
Information on the DVORAK keyboard layout
|
Keyboard |
JISC TechDis Accessibility Rating (0-5) |
|
Fold Out keyboards |
4 |
|
Portable Keyboards |
5 |
|
Thumb keyboards |
2 |
|
Flexible keyboards |
3 |
|
Half keyboards |
3 |
|
Chord keyboards |
3 |
|
Small keyboards |
1 |
|
Key Re-mapping |
3 |
 |
 |
|
