Windows Phone Thoughts: HP Jornada, HP iPAQ, and Dell Thumb Keyboards Reviewed

"It took a while for the thumb keyboard concept to win me over. But, it did and my opinion now is that any Pocket PC I use regularly must have a thumb keyboard option. However, thumb keyboards are not all alike. This review takes a look at the three I’ve been using and makes a plea to thumb keyboard designers to do a better job (and take a lesson from the defunct HP Jornada design team). The three thumb keyboards reviewed were all purchased from the Pocket PC’s manufacturer (Compaq, Dell, and HP). The Pocket PCs used for testing were a Compaq iPAQ 3850, a Dell Axim X5 Advanced, and an HP Jornada 565."

My fellow Mobile Devices MVP Todd Ogasawara put together a great comparative review of three thumb keyboards on the market. While I haven't tried the Dell, I've tried several others, and I've come to one conclusion: the HP method (making the keyboard overlay the device) is the only solution that I find personally acceptable. Everything else is just too big and too ugly. I suppose what I really want is a Pocket PC with an integrated keyboard...it would make email and IM much more useful!