Reviews
Freedom
Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard
Universal wireless keyboard makes data entry a snap
Text
entry into a Palm÷whether you use Graffiti, onscreen keyboards,
or have one of the devices with a tiny thumb keyboard like the
Treo 650÷is a real pain. Tapping or thumbing in short memos emails
and contacts becomes easier the more you do it, but it's never
pleasant. None of these methods is truly adequate for fast, accurate
text entry. There's nothing like a real keyboard to get the job
done, but hauling around a full-sized keyboard, even if you could
find one that would connect to a Palm, would be masochistic. What
I wouldn't give for voice recognition text entry, but that's a
rant for another time.
A
PDA is just a tiny computer and with that come compromises, but
you still want to get real work done on it. With the Freedom Keyboard,
I could actually do this writing on one of my Bluetooth-enabled
Palms. That's a giant leap forward.
The
last thing I want to do is drag around, or lose, more cables and
AC wall warts. But now that many Palms have Bluetooth radio tech
built-in, here's a cool little keyboard that takes advantage of
this cutting edge, battery-powered wireless technology, and lets
you get text into your Palm fast, with real keys, when you have
serious work to do.
The
Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard comes out of its package as a silver
and black folded clamshell, measuring about 6" x 3.75" x 1" and
weighing only 7 ounces. Opened to use, it's about 12" x 4" x 1/2".
The two AAA batteries it needs are included, and install under
an easy access sliding panel. The manufacturer claims the batteries
are good for 90 hours of continuous use or 160 hours on standby,
aided by an auto-sleep mode.
It's
a stylish little piece, and, hallelujah, they toss in a nice zippered
vinyl case to protect and tote it, although the case has no pockets
inside for other stuff.
A
sliding catch releases the keyboard. Unfold it, lay it flat, and
push one small black slider to merge the two halves of the keyboard
closer together and another slider up top to lock it flat. Around
the back of the right side is a hidden slide-out, spring-loaded
metal prop-up stand for your PDA. Pull it out, swing it around,
and it locks between the two merged halves of the unit, giving
the keyboard additional rigidity.
There's
just one control, a power switch, which is pretty small and has
a flashing LED above. it. Push it on, and the LED flashes orange,
and then switches to green, flashing every other second, waiting
for a Bluetooth connection to your PDA. When the connection kicks
in, you'll hear a beep and the LED flash changes pace, so you
know everything is working.
To
put the keyboard away, swing out the prop-up and push it back
home again, move the two slide switches back, then fold the keyboard
into a clamshell, and zip it into its case. Maybe a few more steps
than needed, but otherwise neat, sweet and petite. The keyboard
isn't the most solid feeling piece of gear I've ever handled,
but it seems sturdy enough. Nothing feels like it's going to break
off in your hands if you stare at it too hard. Build quality is
decent.
On
the Palm side, you install a driver app or the keyboard will do
nothing, even if your Palm's Bluetooth sees it. The driver's in
the box on a CD along with a .pdf and paper manual with the same
information. The manual covers multiple PDA platforms and operating
systems, since this keyboard works with Palms, PocketPCs, and
Symbians. You don't even have to load the CD and HotSync the driver
onto your Palm if it's net-connected. Just go to http://www.frekey.com
and you can download the driver directly as a 40K self-installing
.prc file. Slick!
The
driver has an icon and launches as an application with controls
to activate the keyboard, set typing repeat rate and delay speed
with a pair of sliders, and assign its ten function keys to any
apps on your Palm. A blue labeled ãFNä key in combo with any of
the ten F-keys will launch that app you've assigned to it, turning
the keyboard into a Palm's remote control. There are some other
colored glyphs on the black keys. They don't seem to do anything
with a Palm Device, so I assume they are probably there to work
with other PDA operating systems.
This
is not a full-sized keyboard. The 65 keys are a tad small, so
how much you like it will depend on your fingers. But the whole
point is this is a real keyboard, and÷look Ma÷no wires. If you
hardcore road warriors want to type a book (or a sales report)
directly into your Palm, this is a helluva lot easier way to do
it than any other tapping or scrawling method I can think of.
How many real keyboards can you fold up and put in your pocket?
On
my Tapwave Zodiac 2, the Freedom Keyboard and its driver worked
flawlessly. I shouted with joy the first time I fired it up and
turned on its driver. No problems of any kind. The prop-up stand
held the Zod nicely and should do the same with any device.
But
the Treo 650 had a couple problems. While the keyboard and the
Treo saw each other, and I could use it to type into the phone,
when I turned its Bluetooth off (to save power) and later turned
it back on again, the two refused to connect. After much experimentation
and hair pulling, I found I had to delete the Treo's Bluetooth
device cache, do a soft reset, and then I could use the keyboard
again. This glitch was 100% repeatable and so I had a long talk
with the keyboard's mfacturer. Based on my bug report they're
already working on a revised driver for the Treo 650, which should
be out by the time you read this. The keyboard will work just
fine with the Treo 650 unless you turn Bluetooth off, so a driver
fix is needed. Zodiac owners, if you've been yearning for a Bluetooth
keyboard, go for it. I can't vouch for any other Bluetooth-enabled
Palms since these are the only two I had for testing.
The
Freedom Bluetooth Keyboard is a valuable accessory if you need
to do a lot of real text entry on your Palm and are sick of tapping,
scrawling, or thumbing your fingers off.
öHarv Laser
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