Friday, November 29, 2002
Targus Noteworthy Click 'n' Type keyboard for Toshiba e740 (and kin)
Posted by Jason Dunn in "HARDWARE" @ 10:30 AM
Jorj Bauer has found a very interesting accessory for his Toshiba Pocket PC - I didn't hear anything about this accessory until yesterday, and Jorj was ready with his review! If you own a Toshiba Pocket PC, this keyboard might be exactly what you've been waiting for.
While PDAs might be good for data retention, they're notoriously bad for data entry. Hence one of the most obvious hardware add-ons for PDAs: keyboards.
Within the hardware keyboard market, there seem to be three general categories: full-sized keyboards, foldable keyboards, and thumb keyboards. I own samples of each of these categories, and while they've all got their uses, I think that a good thumb keyboard covers more territory by itself than the other two categories.
I was convinced that the lack of a built-in serial port on the e740 was going to delay hardware keyboards for a long time. I'm glad to have been proven wrong!
Device Requirements
The Click 'n' Type keyboard (model NW780) is advertised to work with the330/e335 and the e740 (with or without the high capacity battery). A software driver is provided on CD-ROM.
Availability and Price
The Click 'n' Type keyboard is available from Toshiba for $44 US.
On with the review!
The Click 'n' Type comes with a user's manual and a CD-ROM. After unboxing the keyboard, tossing the user's manual aside, and throwing the CD-ROM into my laptop, I snapped the keyboard on to my e740.
Last year, when I received my Compaq thumb keyboard for my iPaq 3635, I did pretty much the same thing. Result: the keyboard would not seat on my iPaq. I finally wound up taking the keyboard apart to bend out the two metal tabs that kept the keyboard connected to the iPaq. After that, the keyboard was fine -- but how many people would take apart their brand-new keyboard when it doesn't work? This didn't bode well for the product.
I had no such problem with the Click 'n' Type. Pressing it lightly into place resulted in a quiet *snap*, and it was firmly connected. I was still waiting for my laptop to boot so that I could install the driver, but I started NotePad in anticipation of some typing in the next few minutes.
No sooner did I start NotePad when I realized that the keyboard was actually working! Without installing the driver from the CD, my Toshiba e740 was completely capable of using the keyboard.
My hunch is that the Click 'n' Type keyboard is a fully compliant USB keyboard. The e740 has a built-in keyboard driver for USB keyboards. If you have a USB host cable or the USB expansion pack, you can plug a keyboard right in to the e740 and, without installing a driver, start typing away. I bet, that if you created the right Frankenstein cable, you could use the Targus Noteworthy Click 'n' Type as a USB keyboard for your PC desktop.
So what is the driver CD for?
The answer lies in the 8-way pad at the bottom of the keyboard. Or in the user's guide, if you happen to read it. The "driver" that is installed is actually an application (appropriately named "ClickNType") that enables the USB mouse which is also built in. The 8-way pad controls the mouse position, and the "check" button next to it is the mouse button.
The "ClickNType" program lets you change the keyboard and mouse speed. If you stop moving the mouse for 2 seconds, the cursor disappears (so as not to obscure the screen). The keyboard speed is actually controlled via the "Buttons" control panel, so the program is really only necessary if you want to use the mouse features of the keyboard.
Other features
The Click 'n' Type keyboard has fairly large buttons for a thumb keyboard. They're rubber, fairly easy on the fingers, and have a definite "click" when pressed (they sound just like the Compaq thumb keyboard).
I am fairly impressed with the number of keys that Targus has managed to fit onto their keyboard layout. Most thumb keyboards have about a dozen symbols that you can type (after the normal A through Z and numbers). Targus goes so far that they have all of the symbols on a normal keyboard... with one notable exception.
Apparently, nobody at Targus sees the need for an Escape key. I do a lot of terminal emulation from my devices, so an escape key is pretty much a necessity. I can live without an "Alt" key (which is also missing), but I would have thought that an Escape key would have been on the list, especially since there are 20 keys that don't have "Function" mappings on them!
While we're talking about the drawbacks: I have only one other reservation about this keyboard. The placement of the Enter and Delete keys is awkward. On a normal keyboard, the Enter key would be on the same row as the 'L' key. Targus has made their keys fairly big and widely spaced so that they're easier to use, which means there's no room for the Enter key next to the L. Nor is there room for the Backspace key next to the 'P'. As you can see, the 'Enter' key is two rows below the L, and the Delete key (the key with the left arrow on it) is one row below the L. I keep pressing Delete when I mean to press Enter. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually.
By and large, Targus got more things right than they got wrong. The slots in the upper-right corner of the keyboard line up with the speaker, so that sound isn't muted when the keyboard is attached. The IR port (which is on the side of the e740) isn't blocked by the keyboard either. The back has a cutout for the extended battery. There’s a pass-through power connector on the bottom of the keyboard. All signs of good engineering.
Gotchas
• Delete and enter keys can be confusing
• No escape or alt keys
• Reset button is inaccessible
• Must use the D-pad instead of cursor keys
• Mouse pointer sometimes draws oddly
Conclusions
While there are some things I would have done differently, the Click 'n' Type keyboard is still a fantastic addition to my e740 arsenal.
If you're interested in another viewpoint on this keyboard, check out this PDAJunkie review.
While PDAs might be good for data retention, they're notoriously bad for data entry. Hence one of the most obvious hardware add-ons for PDAs: keyboards.
Within the hardware keyboard market, there seem to be three general categories: full-sized keyboards, foldable keyboards, and thumb keyboards. I own samples of each of these categories, and while they've all got their uses, I think that a good thumb keyboard covers more territory by itself than the other two categories.
I was convinced that the lack of a built-in serial port on the e740 was going to delay hardware keyboards for a long time. I'm glad to have been proven wrong!
Device Requirements
The Click 'n' Type keyboard (model NW780) is advertised to work with the330/e335 and the e740 (with or without the high capacity battery). A software driver is provided on CD-ROM.
Availability and Price
The Click 'n' Type keyboard is available from Toshiba for $44 US.
On with the review!
The Click 'n' Type comes with a user's manual and a CD-ROM. After unboxing the keyboard, tossing the user's manual aside, and throwing the CD-ROM into my laptop, I snapped the keyboard on to my e740.
Last year, when I received my Compaq thumb keyboard for my iPaq 3635, I did pretty much the same thing. Result: the keyboard would not seat on my iPaq. I finally wound up taking the keyboard apart to bend out the two metal tabs that kept the keyboard connected to the iPaq. After that, the keyboard was fine -- but how many people would take apart their brand-new keyboard when it doesn't work? This didn't bode well for the product.
I had no such problem with the Click 'n' Type. Pressing it lightly into place resulted in a quiet *snap*, and it was firmly connected. I was still waiting for my laptop to boot so that I could install the driver, but I started NotePad in anticipation of some typing in the next few minutes.
No sooner did I start NotePad when I realized that the keyboard was actually working! Without installing the driver from the CD, my Toshiba e740 was completely capable of using the keyboard.
My hunch is that the Click 'n' Type keyboard is a fully compliant USB keyboard. The e740 has a built-in keyboard driver for USB keyboards. If you have a USB host cable or the USB expansion pack, you can plug a keyboard right in to the e740 and, without installing a driver, start typing away. I bet, that if you created the right Frankenstein cable, you could use the Targus Noteworthy Click 'n' Type as a USB keyboard for your PC desktop.
So what is the driver CD for?
The answer lies in the 8-way pad at the bottom of the keyboard. Or in the user's guide, if you happen to read it. The "driver" that is installed is actually an application (appropriately named "ClickNType") that enables the USB mouse which is also built in. The 8-way pad controls the mouse position, and the "check" button next to it is the mouse button.
The "ClickNType" program lets you change the keyboard and mouse speed. If you stop moving the mouse for 2 seconds, the cursor disappears (so as not to obscure the screen). The keyboard speed is actually controlled via the "Buttons" control panel, so the program is really only necessary if you want to use the mouse features of the keyboard.
Other features
The Click 'n' Type keyboard has fairly large buttons for a thumb keyboard. They're rubber, fairly easy on the fingers, and have a definite "click" when pressed (they sound just like the Compaq thumb keyboard).
I am fairly impressed with the number of keys that Targus has managed to fit onto their keyboard layout. Most thumb keyboards have about a dozen symbols that you can type (after the normal A through Z and numbers). Targus goes so far that they have all of the symbols on a normal keyboard... with one notable exception.
Apparently, nobody at Targus sees the need for an Escape key. I do a lot of terminal emulation from my devices, so an escape key is pretty much a necessity. I can live without an "Alt" key (which is also missing), but I would have thought that an Escape key would have been on the list, especially since there are 20 keys that don't have "Function" mappings on them!
While we're talking about the drawbacks: I have only one other reservation about this keyboard. The placement of the Enter and Delete keys is awkward. On a normal keyboard, the Enter key would be on the same row as the 'L' key. Targus has made their keys fairly big and widely spaced so that they're easier to use, which means there's no room for the Enter key next to the L. Nor is there room for the Backspace key next to the 'P'. As you can see, the 'Enter' key is two rows below the L, and the Delete key (the key with the left arrow on it) is one row below the L. I keep pressing Delete when I mean to press Enter. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually.
By and large, Targus got more things right than they got wrong. The slots in the upper-right corner of the keyboard line up with the speaker, so that sound isn't muted when the keyboard is attached. The IR port (which is on the side of the e740) isn't blocked by the keyboard either. The back has a cutout for the extended battery. There’s a pass-through power connector on the bottom of the keyboard. All signs of good engineering.
Gotchas
• Delete and enter keys can be confusing
• No escape or alt keys
• Reset button is inaccessible
• Must use the D-pad instead of cursor keys
• Mouse pointer sometimes draws oddly
Conclusions
While there are some things I would have done differently, the Click 'n' Type keyboard is still a fantastic addition to my e740 arsenal.
If you're interested in another viewpoint on this keyboard, check out this PDAJunkie review.
