PDAs are productivity tools; you can organize contacts and appointments, work on Word and Excel documents, and fire off e-mail from the road. However, typing on a handheld can be a time-consuming affair, especially when you're using the virtual keyboard to peck o-n-e letter at a time, and the handwriting recognition software can be even more frustrating. It doesn't help that there are only a handful of devices out there with built-in keyboards, such as the HP iPaq H4350, and they usually cost a pretty penny. That said, if you're a mobile professional constantly working on the go or a messaging fanatic, it may be time to invest in a PDA keyboard. With the right keyboard, you can increase your productivity without adding too much bulk to your current traveling setup. Here, we take a look at six keyboards that can keep your fingers happily tapping away.
As with handhelds, portability and design are major factors when choosing a keyboard. Thanks to wireless technology such as infrared and Bluetooth, you don't have to wrangle with any extra cables--just sync up and type. Belkin, PalmOne, and Targus each take advantage of infrared technology, a feature present in most PDAs today, while Think Outside, HP, and VKB use Bluetooth to connect to handhelds. The VKB Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard also carries the distinction of being the only virtual keyboard in the group, projecting the keys through a series of lasers--sure to garner a lot of oohs and ahhs from onlookers. All of the keyboards in this roundup sport travel-friendly packages with nice shortcuts to handheld applications, but some do it better than others. Read on to see which one is right for you.
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