MobileTechReview.com: Snap N Type Thumb PDA Keyboard from Belkin and TT Tech Review

PDA Keyboard Reviews: Snap N Type

If you've been looking for a thumb keyboard for your PDA and have an iPAQ 3800 series or a Samsung I300 Smartphone then the TT Tech may be what you've been wishing for. These folks also make thumb keyboards for the Handpsring Visor (except Edge), Palm m5xx series, iPAQ 3600/3700 as well as the models mentioned above. Belkin will start selling the iPAQ 3800 series model in June along with TT Tech.

As with all thumb keyboards, the Snap N Type slips onto the bottom of your PDA, covering the hardware and (in the case of Palm OS units) the grafitti area. Not to worry though, the hardware buttons are replicated by buttons on the Snap N Type. Thumb boards are designed this way so that they increase the overall length of the PDA as little as possible.

The Snap N Type keyboards don't add too much bulk to the PDA. The Palm and Visor models are the slimmest, and the Samsung version is the most bulky (but hey, it's not like you have a lot of alternatives if you're looking for an I300 thumb board!). The iPAQ units come with a protective plastic cover that fits over the top of the thumboard when it's not on the PDA, preventing dirt and grunge from gumming up the contacts in the slot.

Installation is straight forward. Driver software comes on a floppy, and for the Palm OS versions, you'll install a .prc file on your Palm. For the iPAQ, you'll use a setup program that will install the driver via ActiveSync. Updated drivers, manuals and Macintosh versions are available on TT Tech's website.

The drivers are very stable and didn't conflict with other keyboard drivers we had installed or cause any odd behavior or crashes. You should of course, turn off any other keyboard drivers you have installed before using the Snap N Type, but you do not have to uninstall them. The driver can be set to "auto enable" so that it'll run whenever you attach the keyboard. You can also specify whether or not you want the on-screen keyboard to pop-up when the keyboard is snapped onto your PDA.

The keyboard driver behaved perfectly with Word, Excel and all the built-in programs on the iPAQ version.

The Snap N Type has keys that map to your hardware buttons: calendar, contacts and etc., and even the Windows Start Menu for the iPAQ). There are also cursor movement keys, so you won't have to switch between stylus and keyboard constantly. Smybols and numbers appear in orange above the white letters on the keys. If you want to type numbers and punctuation, you'll hold down the orange "SYMB" key while pressing the appropriate key. It also has an on-screen emoticon and symbol keyboard that pops up when you press the button labeled ":-)". This little piece of software will appeal to Instant Messanger folks because it allows you to quickly add emoticons such as smily and winky faces by pressing the appropriate on-screen keyboard key. You'll also find a variety of common symbols such as brackets, parenthesis, Euro, Pound and Dollar symbols in the on-screen keyboard. You can map the keys to any symbol or emoticon combo of characters that you wish, making this on-screen utility quite powerful.

TT Tech Snap N Type for iPAQ

Snap N Type for iPAQ

Snap N Type for Samsung I300 SmartPhone

Snap N Type for Samsung I-300 Smartphone

These keyboards feel very sturdy and have withstood our abuse for several weeks (no easy task, as some of us type like gorillas with our thumbs!). I don't think you'll be breaking this anytime soon! The Belkin branded version comes with a 3 year warranty, attesting to their faith that this thing will last perhaps longer than your PDA. The keys are relatively large for a thumb keyboard, making it user-friendly for the thicker fingered folks among us.

The keys are grippy and click at the end of their travel. You can also set the driver to give you an audible click for key presses. The keys were firm but acceptable. I have thin fingers and a light touch and would like perhaps a bit less firmess, but I seem to be at the "wimpy" end of the key-pressing spectrum. The keys are placed with spacing that's relative to a standard desktop KWERTY keyboard (no bizarre offsets, as with some PDA keyboards). The key size is generous for a thumb keyboard.

The iPAQ keyboard works with the iPAQ both naked and in expansion packs such as the CF Card and PC Card packs.

If you're a thumb keyboard person, you'll like this keyboard. The keys are large and well spaced and the onscreen keyboard extends the range of symbols and emoticons further than any other thumb keyboard to date. Many supported PDAs. Driver software is solid, and has an auto-enable feature. So far, this is my favorite thumb keyboard on both iPAQ and Palm!

www.tt-tec.com all models, $39.95 US, styluscentral.com sells them in the US
Belkin Also sells this keyboard under their own brand name for the iPAQ H3800/H3900/H5400 Series

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