Product Requirements:
Device:
Palm III series (except IIIc), Palm V/Vx, Handspring Visor Series (except Edge and Prism)
15 K PRC

The Type 'N Go from Fellowes is a keyboard for your Palm V/Vx, Palm III or Handspring Visor series (Excluding the Edge and Prism) PDAs. You might think that with the Stowaway, Cirque, GoType and others, that there really is no need for yet another PDA keyboard. But hold on, before you click that BACK button on your browser...   There's something that sets this input device apart from its competitors. The Type 'N Go is not only a keyboard, it is also a case for your PDA. So instead of carrying two separate items, you need only carry one.

Specifications:

Size: 6.25 x 3.88 x 1.5in
Weight: 12.7oz. (360g)
Number of keys: 86

This input device when closed looks like a really thick HPC or other clamshell handheld. Close to the size of a thick paperback book, it's not svelte by any means.

The Type 'N Go is made entirely of plastic. The outside is styled in silver and black. The black parts of the shell have a rubber coating that allows you to keep a nice grip on the device when you are carrying it.

It does not require batteries of its own, but relies on power from the PDA. According to the user manual, the Type 'N Go has minimal current drain. While using the device, I did not notice much if any difference in my battery consumption.

The case is held closed with a press latch. It clicks closed and feels quite secure. I don't think the case would ever come open on its own.

When opened, the Type 'N Go lays flat like a book. The PDA is docked in the left side of the case while the keyboard is located on the right side.

I was sent the Palm V/Vx version of the Type 'N Go. The Palm is held into the left side of the case with a slide in / slide out docking mechanism. To dock the PDA, you slide the small locking switch to the right, slide down the dock, place the PDA in the cavity, slide the dock back up and then move the locking switch to the locked position. It is an easy and quick operation. When the PDA is docked, it is held firmly in place and does not wiggle or rattle.

 

When the PDA is in the case, you will not be able to access the stylus silo. For this very reason, a totally separate stylus is built into the back of the case. It is your typical plastic stylus though..   I also noticed that you can't dock a Palm V with a PDA Panache stylus in the slot. The cap of the stylus sticks up a little higher than the stock stylus and keys the dock from sliding all the way into place.

One other thing to point out is that unless you sync via IR (there is a pass thru IR window built into the case), you'll be required to remove your PDA when you want to sync with a cable or cradle. I also wanted to mention that you supposedly can turn off the keyboard driver by holding down the MEMO PAD button for 2 sec. on the Palm. You do this when you want to beam with the PDA. When you press the button, a message is supposed to flash on the screen telling you that the driver is either enabled or disabled. I could never get this to work for me. 

The keyboard portion of the Type 'N Go has 86 small soft rubber keys. They all have a slight amount of tactile feedback when you press them. The actual letter keys are arranged in the familiar QWERTY layout and are quite close together. So if you have large fingers, you may find yourself accidentally pressing more than one key at a time.

There are dedicated keys for almost every function available on the PDA so that you won't need to use your stylus. You can even turn the backlight off and on. As you can see in the picture below, there are also buttons for Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, etc. The only buttons that I found that were missing was some type of ESC button. I found that I would somehow get the menu pull downs activated and had to resort to using the stylus to get out of them. The other button that I found that was missing was a CLEAR button for the number pad for use in the Calculator application. Other than those two buttons, this keyboard has a bigger variety of keys than most of the other ones I have reviewed so far.

This keyboard also allows you to input international characters easily which other keyboards do not. These characters are accessed by pressing the INT'L button and then pressing one of the letter keys with the corresponding blue silk-screened character above it.

The Menu button on the upper left corner of the keyboard actually pulls up an application launcher program on the PDA. It consists of a list of all the programs on the PDA that you can scroll thru using the scroll buttons on the keyboard.

I want to say right now, that you're NOT going to touch type on this keyboard. You're not even going to be able to dual thumb type like you can with the RIM Blackberry or SnapNType. You can however hold the PDA side of the case in the palm of your left hand and use the thumb on your right hand to press keys. If you use the unit on a flat surface such as a desk, then it is strictly a hunt and peck type board.

The Type 'N Go is an interesting input device. It is solidly made and I like that it allows you to carry and protect your PDA with it, in one convenient package. What I don't like is that it is large and bulky and that I can't touch type with it. I am a fast touch typist, so using a one finger typing device like this, makes me feel like I am going in slow motion. I'm sticking with my Stowaway for the time being. That said, for those of you that are not touch typists, this might be just the item you've been looking for. Especially if you need to input lots of international characters in your memos or emails.

The Type 'N Go is available from Stylus Central and other fine retailers.

Price: $95.99

Pros:
Keyboard and case all in one package
Easy access to international characters

Cons:
No C or CE button for the calculator section of the keyboard
Bulky
Can't touch type with this device