PDA-phones go QWERTY

PDA-phones, such as the popular Palm Treo 650, BenQ P50 as well as the upcoming Dopod 900, nowadays allow users to input data through its integrated QWERTY keyboards. No need to put up with expensive Bluetooth keyboards or sluggish handwriting recognition software.
Compare the QWERTY handhelds here

Eleksen Bluetooth portable fabric keyboard

Personally, with handhelds now sporting QWERTY pull-out trays and subnotebooks getting even tinier, portable keyboards are finding it harder to justify their existence. The last one this writer owned collected dust until it was finally tossed onto the trash heap. For the last of the road Mohicans still relying on PDAs to input their data, Eleksen's Bluetooth fabric keyboard is probably the most practical and portable option out there. It's so flexible, you can roll it up and never know it's in your pocket. Just don't mistakenly blow your nose with it.

More images of the keyboard (courtesy of our US site): Picture 1 | picture 2 | picture 3

Price: US$99
Availability: End Q2, Elecksen
Device: Portable Bluetooth-enabled keyboard
Basic specs: 0.6mm thick, raised and flat keys, water-resistant fabric, Bluetooth, USB and proprietary connections, drivers to support Win Mobile Smartphone, Symbian Series 60 and Palm 5.0 Bluetooth-enabled devices

Jackito-Tactile Digital Assistant

The Jackito-TDA or Tactile Digital Assistant's been around for a good nine months. So there's no fear it'll make good on its promise to oust the PDA which is still very much alive. That said, the TDA is a pretty nifty handheld device in that it does away with the stylus and relies solely on the very tactile use of fingertips and thumbs to operate the menus. Developed by French firm Novinit, the Jackito sports two simultaneous touch points on opposite ends so you can input data with just your thumbs, which is much faster than a stylus. Or so the company claims, since none of us at CNETAsia has had the good fortune to play with one. While it comes preloaded with 20 applications, we're not sure what kind of third-party software exists out there which supports its 3ActilOS operating system.

Click to see with battery here

Price: From US$600
Availability: Jackito Web site
Device: Finger touch-sensitive digital assistant
Basic specs: Black-and-white ultra-contrast, seven specialized low-frequency processors running in parallel, 2.5MB SRAM, 16MB NOR Flash, 4.5-inch color QVGA LCD with 320 x 240dpi and landscape orientation, 4 standard connectors + 2 memory cards slots + 2 internal bus interface, Multi-Task, Multi-Windows, Real-Time, Tactile-Object Oriented, 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.63 in, 5.2 oz, single AA battery

Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard

When the Virtual Keyboard first emerged, we thought the idea way cool even if actually typing on nothing more than a bunch of projected glowing numbers wasn't. For those who don't mind the tradeoff for some hip quotient, i.Tech has released a Bluetooth version in Singapore. To operate, simply hook the rechargeable unit with supplied connector cables to a QWERTY-needy device like a smart phone, handheld or PC. A red lighted outline of a keyboard is projected onto any flat surface. Don't expect touch typing here as there's no tactile feedback to guide you, even if each key tap is accompanied by a sound effect. More likely you'll end up relying on the two-finger search-and-peck method which won't win you any fastest finger prizes.

Price: S$338 (US$204)
Availability: Singapore, distributed by TSR Silicon Resources (Asia) Pte Ltd
Device: Virtual keyboard
Basic specs: Up to 2 hours of continuous typing on single charge of internal battery, 90 x 34 x 24mm, Bluetooth

Sony CLIE PEG-VZ90

Sony may have committed Xenocide by withdrawing its CLIE from the rest of the world. But this has only added an unattainable allure to the PDA, which is still very much alive in Japan. Sony's latest eye candy, the PEG-VZ90, ups the X factor by sporting a slide-out console of multimedia controls, an OLED screen, and a CF card slot (surprise, surprise) alongside the usual Memory Stick bay. And given its multimedia pedigree, this device plays MPEG-4 video and holds tunes in both ATRAC3 and MP3 formats. If you're planning on being a smarty pants by ordering it direct from Japan, the VZ90 runs only Palm OS 5.2.1 Garnet, the Japanese edition. Hontouni zannen ne (too bad).

Click here for: slide-out console | side angle | docking cradle | press release

Price: US$860
Availability: Japan, September 24
Device: PDA
Basic specs: Palm OS Ver.5.2.1, 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, Wi-Fi, Sony’s 123MHz ARM-based CPU, 3.8-inch OLED display with 1000:1 contrast ratio, up to 12 hours on MPEG-4 and MPEG-1 playback, and up to 42 hours on ATRAC3 or MP3 playback, 109 x 87 × 23mm, 270g

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (2240)

» Digital Cameras (988)

» Notebooks (1238)

» PC & Peripherals (1312)

» Handhelds (585)

» Printers (83)

» Home AV (1147)

» Music & Play (896)

» Gadgets (1488)

» Future Tech (396)

» Green Tech (172)

» Lifestyle (157)

» Luxury (22)

» Home Appliances (58)

» Cars (99)

» Games and Gear (248)

» Software (96)

» Web (119)

Previously...

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Hot Topics

Subscribe to
Crave

What's Hot

apple apple inc. apple iphone apple ipod asia battery camera game google inc. iphone microsoft corp. microsoft windows mobile phone photograph singapore smart phone software sony corp. video

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads