Entered CNET Catalog: 09/22/2004
SKU: 101876
Manufacturer: Think Outside, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard is the perfect productivity companion to your smart phone, PDA, Tablet, Media Center PC or notebook - almost any device that has Bluetooth supports this hot new product! With its genuine full-size keyboard with18 mm spacing, the Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard allows you to quickly type email, memos, or surf the web in optimum comfort. The sleek, award winning, patented folding design is featured in the Design Collection at Museum of Modern Art in New York. Its unique design allows it to easily fit in a pocket or purse, so you can take it everywhere, yet opens to a full size keyboard when you need it. A lap-lock is included that allows the keyboard to be used on a lap - perfect for airports and other tight spaces! Symbols, and international characters are also supported making this the perfect on-the-go keyboard!Product summary
The good: Compact and sleek design; comfortable keyboard layout; included carrying case and batteries.
The bad: Pricey compared to other keyboards; no support for Palm devices until December 2004.
The bottom line: Fashionable and functional, the Stowaway keyboard is the perfect accessory for those who want to do more with their PDA.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/05/2004
Encased in an attractive silver and charcoal-gray package, the biggest advantage of the Stowaway is its thinness, unlike the Targus and Belkin keyboards, which are bulky and thick. At 5.5 by 3.9 by 0.5 inches when closed and weighing 5.6 ounces, the svelte Stowaway glides right into your bag for easy storage; better yet, you can use the included carrying case. To open the keyboard, you lift the PDA stand, which acts like a clasp, then press a release button on the left side. Voilà! Unlike other accordion-style keyboards that fold out, the Stowaway utilizes a sliding mechanism--a smooth and innovative touch--and it locks into place so that you can even work with it on your lap. The detachable PDA stand lets you position your PDA in Portrait or Landscape mode, but it doesn't provide the most secure support. This is no matter, though, as you probably won't be moving the whole setup while in use. The bottom of the device has two rubber grips that prevent the keyboard from moving around when on a flat surface, and a release lever is located at the top right for when you're ready to pack up.
We paired the Stowaway with the high-end Dell Axim X30, and getting started was a breeze. Just insert the installation CD, and a wizard walks you through the setup process. After a hotsync operation, you'll find a Stowaway Keyboard utility that helps you connect the two devices; configure settings, such as key-repeat rate and caps-lock notification; and program up to 10 hot-hey functions. You'll also find the Stowaway listed under your input options, along with the standard Block Recognizer, Transcriber, Keyboard, and Letter Recognizer. To turn on the Stowaway, you have to simultaneously press the Ctrl, blue Fn, and green Fn buttons; a small green LED will blink to indicate activation.
The Stowaway's 18mm spacing made for a comfortable typing experience, as the buttons were well positioned and tactile. In fact, the keyboard was almost comparable to those found on most notebooks, but the company had to make some compromises to achieve that goal. There are no dedicated numeral or symbol keys; instead, they share space with the top row of letters. You can access them via the blue and green Fn keys. We appreciated the fact that you could open applications, such as Contacts, Word, Excel, and Tasks, and documents with the keyboard and not have to touch the PDA. As for battery life, the Stowaway operates on two included AAA batteries, and Think Outside says with intermittent operation, it can last four to six months; with heavy usage, expect three months. We've had the keyboard for the past three weeks, and it's still going strong.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21out of 21 user reviews
great for iphone 4
Pros: small, portable, has a stand
Cons: poor number keys, loses bluetooth connectivity
the only drawbacks are that the number keys need to pressed with a FN key. yuck. they should have added another row of keys. i would have not minded the extra size and weight. the other is that it doesn't remember that i've paired with with the iphone many a times. so i have to go into the iphone, forget device, and reconnect device. a little bit of a pain.
but it makes up for it by making my iphone much more of a serious emailing device. if you can find it, get it!
out of 21 user reviews
Fantastic device for new iPad owners!
Pros: Small, fold-able, compact, light. The construction is rock solid, and the outer casing is made of aluminum!
Cons: No separate number keys (have to use Fn, and regular keys), but that is one way to keep the keyboard so small with relatively normal sized keys!
out of 21 user reviews
Had mine for years, love it
Pros: easy to use, but just got a new blackberry curve; my Q was synced, but it's now asking me for keyboard code?? Anyone know if that's just a standard four or five digit code?
Cons: Nothing, except pairing again to my new PDA
out of 21 user reviews
what pin to use when pairing with the keyboard
Pros: It make it easy for me to work on documents, send emails wherever i am
Cons: The product seems to be fragile especially while opening it up
out of 21 user reviews
WM6 driver solution found
Pros: Great keyboard
Cons: No easy instructions to get it to work on WM6 PPCs
out of 21 user reviews
... And what about WM6???
Pros: This keyboard rocks for touchtyping!
Cons: This keyboard does not work with WM6!
out of 21 user reviews
Great design, bad software
Pros: Slim Profile, well put together keyboard device
Cons: Palm keyboard driver causes my Treo 650 to infinitly reboot
http://www.thinkoutside.com/forums/toast.asp?sub=show&action=posts&fid=5&tid=1465
http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=PalmSupportKB,ts=Palm_External2001,Case=obj(26419)
out of 21 user reviews
Great product, great support
Pros: very durable, portable, great battery life
Cons: PDA stand broke
My only con is actually a pro. My pda stand broke but I called customer service and they sent me two in the mail for free. Didn't even charge for shipping. Im sure if anything else was to go wrong with my keyboard they would be just as helpful.
Product is a 10 and the customer support is a 10+! I highly recommend.
out of 21 user reviews
fantastic keyboard - a must-have for serious PDA users
Pros: great tactile feedback, so tiny once folded
Cons: no (dedicated) number keys
out of 21 user reviews
Not For Serious PDA Keyboard Users
Pros: Relatively Small; Wireless; Standard Batteries
Cons: Poorly Integrated Numeric Keys; PDA Stand; Only Wireless
out of 21 user reviews
It's awesome on the go!
Pros: Small, portable, nice typing feel, longer range than other wireless keyboard due to bluetooth
Cons: battery comes out sometimes.
It's extremely small, and it's space saving, because you fold it back in and the keys get smushed together. And when you open it, the keys unfold. It fits in my purse, which is a great thing for a student.
It has a nice typing feel to it. The other wireless keyboards use IR, which is why they have a shorter range. Since it is small, though, the keys are put together, for instance, the number keys can only be accessed by pressing the blue function key as well as the top row of letters.
The only complaint I have about it is that when I leave it out in my purse without its case, the battery comes out. The cover is not all that secure, but I pop it right back in.
I suggest you buy this if you are looking for a bluetooth keyboard for your gadgets, it's the best one out there in my opinion.
Also, when you do use it, if you don't obstruct anything from its way, it has a longer range. I have my laptop across the room, and it still types, if it's obstructed and connects again, tho, it'll type whatever it is you left off.
Overall, a good buy. Very cool looking too, people ask me about it all the time.
out of 21 user reviews
Excellent design and feel -- for the size -- as a power Treo 650 user it is a blessing
Pros: slim design, great feel for such a compact keyboard
Cons: Documentation is incomplete and inaccurate. It took a while to get it in a "useable" state. There are bugs in the driver.
The only down side is the documentation as it relates to the Treo 650. If half the effort that when into the mechanical design went into documentation, this would be an outstanding product. Although I have the unit functioning, it is not 100% and I eagerly await an updated driver that takes care of all the bugs in the system and I can actually use all the function keys on the keyboard. The price, given the driver probelm, is a bit pricey; nevertheless, I expect the software problems will be solved in time and that the keyboard will eventually be the best on the market for the Treo.
out of 21 user reviews
Good bye laptop
Pros: Compact, Sturdy, Great key layout, Battery life, Ease of connection
Cons: The blue and green function keys are hard to see, there is a very slight delay when speed typing, Price
out of 21 user reviews
A great tool for tedious tasks...
Pros: Thin, light, small footprint, great key feel, good pitch, actually useable!, good case included
Cons: A little on the flimsy side, uneven bottom (rocks), no rubber grip on PDA platform - may slip off, setup could be easier but good enough...
out of 21 user reviews
Great key board
Pros: Dell relabel. Excellent functionality, light and reliable. Easy to use
Cons: A little flimsy and delicate but to be expected for light weight keyboard. Price $124 Still a great product.
out of 21 user reviews
fragility and lack of response
Pros: very small and compact, takes advantage of bluetooth for those of us that bought a palm and rarely use it.
Cons: very fragile, this sliding mechanism can be a bit catchy at times and the keys don't always respond, so u end up typing a sentence that would look like this... "montay policy is best usd in demanpullinflation..." and that's really a line from my economics
out of 21 user reviews
Very high quality and compact.
Pros: Clever, compact design.
Cons: Was difficult to change the stand from "Portrait" to "Landscape" position.
out of 21 user reviews
Multi-talented portable keyboard
Pros: Compact, easy to use, large keys, compatible with tablet PCs as well as PDAs, not necessary to have the device mounted right on the keyboard
Cons: Needs support on sides to keep from tipping over; sometimes hard to turn on (a simple on-off switch would've been better)
out of 21 user reviews
Excellant keyboard
Pros: Compact, portable, and extremely easy to set up and use. I use this keyboard with an iPaq 2215. I have typed lengthy Word documents with it and have found it to be comfortable and durable. It also has program and function specific keys (e.g., Word, Con
Cons: It's pricy.
out of 21 user reviews
still prefer the IR version but...
Pros: You don't have to balance your PPC on the keyboard& works wonderfully.Looks so sleek and pretty.
Cons: Sucks the battery out of my HP 4350. Still prefer the IR keyboard but don't regret buying this. Cost twice the price of the IR keyboard $150 vs. $70
out of 21 user reviews
Great keyboard
Pros: Dell rebrands this keyboard and sells it for $114.00. Works great with the dell axim keyboard is one of the best.
Cons: None
