Your good neighbor
who's also a computer
consultant!
Friday 21 November 2008
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Your good neighbor |
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Friday 21 November 2008
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From TNPC issue #4.17... 
Knickknacks for your PDAby Al GordonAugust 23, 2001 I confess -- I have a weakness for tchotchkes, which naturally makes me fond of Targus. For those who don't know Yiddish, a "tchotchke" refers to a small item such as a knickknack or trinket. Or the kind of computer accessories in which Targus specializes. There is for example, the Stowaway PDA Folding Keyboard developed
by Think Outside and distributed by Targus. It comes in versions
for the iPAQ, HP Jornada, and Handspring Visor. Price is about
$90. You'll find pictures and more links on my supplemental page, at: The Stowaway -- previously recommended here in its other PDA incarnations -- comes out of the box as a flat rectangular casing about the size of most handhelds. You flick a latch, and it unfolds into a full-size keyboard, with a docking mechanism for your handheld. Stowaways come with driver software that you need to install on the handheld so that they will accept the keyboard input. Thereafter, you simply snap your PDA into place and start typing. You can touch type without problem. The keys have a feel something like that of most notebooks. The driver software allows you to assign function keys to specific tasks. And the drop-dead factor when you unfurl it on an airplane or wherever is totally huge. I would not attempt to write the Great American Novel with a Stowaway. But it is a key accessory in being able to use a PDA on the road. A stylus may be fine for a few keystrokes, but writing that way gets old very fast. With the keyboard, you can take care of email replies, prepare short notes, memos, and other documents, fill in Internet forms, and the like. In other words, you are equipped to handle the simple road warrior tasks for which lugging a full notebook would be overkill. If there is any downside it's that each Stowaway is specific to each PDA model. You can't use a Visor keyboard with a Palm or an iPAQ with a Jornada. Company spokespeople acknowledge that they always are asked about adapters, and the answer is that there are no plans to make any. Targus and Think Outside argue that they need to match up each connection system to each PDA brand's proprietary design, and besides, other than people doing product tests like me, hardly anyone uses more than one PDA. Of course, to play road warrior, you probably will need
communications. Pocket PCs ship with Pocket Outlook to handle
your email and Pocket Internet Explorer, and most Pocket PCs can
accept CompactFlash cards. So Targus has you covered here with
its CompactFlash 56k v.90 Pocket Modem which will set you back
about $120. A better deal, however, is the $130 Targus Pocket PC Portability
Pack, which includes the modem, a combo pen/stylus, and a
retractable phone cord. The retractable cord for the Targus Pocket PC Portability Pack is available separately for $15. The modem is flat, easy to tuck away, and is plug-and-play with a Pocket PC. I took a HP Jornada, Stowaway keyboard, and Targus modem with me on a recent weekend out-of-town trip (plus a handy zipper case, $20, for the handheld and keyboard), and found that the package was more than adequate to let me catch up with my email and keep tabs on the news back home via Internet. Targus also makes a wide range of phone and powerline adapters for the world traveler. A TNPC'er, who clearly is (ahem) a power user, tipped me to the fact that Targus's Targus Universal Auto Air Notebook Power Adapter can be used with select PDAs, also. This $120-unit allows you to power your unit from your car's power plug a/k/a cigarette lighter, or the Empower system now on many airliners. Targus uses modular "PowerTips" to allow you to connect the power adapter to the appropriate notebook -- because, Heaven forbid, that computer makers could agree on a common plug design. And you can buy additional tips a la carte at about $20 each. Adapter plug #57 works for Palm Vs and #79 will handle a Compaq iPAQ. It perhaps would be overkill to buy the universal power adapter just for a PDA. But the adapter is a must have for road warriors and adding adapters for PDA and cellphones is an inexpensive way to leverage your investment in the power unit. Once you are the Person Who Has Everything for the PDA, you then
need a big bag to put it all in. Targus, of course, has made its
name as a case supplier. For more details and photos go to my supplemental page: I like the $30 CBT100 BlackTop Handheld Organizer, a messenger- style shoulder bag that has ample room for a PDA, Stowaway, modem, phone cord, some CF memory cards and other accessories, spare power supplies and sync cords -- with some room to spare for a music player. Very useful on a trip. Targus is Compaq's supplier for iPAQ cases, as well. The Executive Leather Case, $30, holds a "naked" (no sleeves) iPAQ and, as the name suggests, is designed to help mobile professionals look as cool as possible. A $26 Neoprene "Sports" case projects a casual look. Completing the triumvirate is the clever (and only $16) iPAQ Expanding Nylon Case. It has a nylon front and back for protection and stretchy sides so that it can accommodate an iPAQ with any of its three different sized sleeves -- blank, CF, or PCMCIA. The clip system used in the sports case also is employed in the Deluxe Leather Wallet for Handspring Visor, $50. Note that this case is only for Visor Deluxe and Platinum; Prism and Edge are different sizes. The company also makes dozens of generic PDA cases, such as the $16 Leather Handheld Belt Clip Case, a pouch-like PDA holder, which was a nice fit with the Prism and the Jornada. The entire list is too lengthy to mention. Just one bit of advice: be sure you carefully check the cases that use stick-on Velcro to hold the PDA. With Visors, you need to be sure that the Velcro mounts don't block the Springboard slot, and with Pocket PCs, be mindful that the units' weight can tax the Velcro stick- ons. All in all, Targus offers good value for the money, which makes for good tchotchkes. Socket CommunicationsSocket Communications, Inc. has carved out a niche for itself in connectivity cards for Pocket PCs and laptops. Their CF Phone Cards, which have built-in cables, allow Pocket
PCs to use most popular GSM (e.g., VoiceStream) and CDMA (e.g.,
Sprint PCS) cell phones as modems for Internet access. The units
won't work with TDMA (e.g., AT&T Wireless) because that cell
technology is not set up for data transmission. I tested the
cards last year and had satisfactory results. New this year is a
"PocketPack" bundle that includes software. Socket also is
looking to Bluetooth to literally cut the cord between cell
phones and PDAs. Also in the Socket Pocket PC arsenal is a line of barcode readers that demonstrate the commercial usefulness of handhelds. A Pocket PC equipped with a reader is intended to be a cheaper and more flexible solution than single-purpose bar code readers. Recent testing focused on the Ruggedized Low Power Ethernet
CompactFlash Card. "Ruggedized" means the connections are encased
in heavy rubberized material to guard against damage from clumsy
types like me. If svelte dimensions are of more concern to you, there is a card
with standard cabling. However, as both have the same price, I would recommend the ruggedized version. Don't get put off by the networking purpose. For end users and small businesses, the card allows your handheld to use your cable modem or DSL broadband connection. The Socket Ethernet card also ships with nifty driver software that allows the user to quickly sync a Pocket PC over a network connection. It worked successfully in tests with both a Compaq iPAQ and HP Jornada. Note also that Socket has a distribution deal with Targus, so you
will see their CF cards under the Targus brand in some outlets. For more details and photos, go here: You can reach Al Gordon at:
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