Price:	$125.50		Reviewed by:	Neil Brown
Supplied:	JavoEdge		Review date:	01/01/2005
Pros:	Good-size keys, with travel Versatile Dedicated number row Sturdy		Cons:	Driver irritating Large footprint Not cheap

Introduction Using the Transcriber, or the on-screen keyboard, is absolutely fine for making short notes, entering appointments, contacts and the like. However, for prolonged entry, the on-screen entry methods are not completely suitable. Most styluses tend to be small and rather uncomfortable for lengthy usage, and screen protectors, no matter how durable, will get worn down through repeated scratching. As such, if you are looking to enter more than a few words on your PDA, you might be interested in looking at an external keyboard; such as the Bluetooth JavoKeyboard from JavoEdge.

Packaging and Contents The keyboard came supplied in a plain white box, but, as I was sent the device prior to its official release by JavoEdge, I do not know whether this is the packaging that will be supplied to end customers Personally, it makes very little difference to me, as I do not think that it is necessarily worth spending money on fancy packaging. The box was certainly suitable for the job, keeping the keyboard and the batteries packed in foam; bearing in mind the price of the keyboard, it is worth having peace of mind that it will survive in transit from the USA without a problem.

Inside the box, there is a brief user-guide and instruction card, covering how to install the driver for the keyboard (varies depending on OS), how to lock the keyboard in position, and how to turn it on. Underneath the paperwork there is a CD, in a paper sleeve, which has the necessary software for PPC, PalmOS and Symbian. Before you reach the keyboard itself there is a smart and simple black leather case, lined with foam. Finally comes the keyboard itself; silver with black trim, with the JavoEdge name in the centre of the top-most face.

Like the Proporta Roll-up keyboard, which I reviewed almost a year ago, the JavoKeyboard offers a dedicated number row, but, additionally, close to full-size keys. This has two main results. Firstly, typing on the keyboard is simplicity itself, as it feels just like a normal pad. If you are used to a UK keyboard, then it might take a little longer to get used to the layout, as this is in the US style- for example, the @ symbol is where you would expect to find “ and vice versa. There is a # in place of the £, which can be found attributed as a third function to the letter P. The other result of having good-size keys is that the keyboard itself is more portable than pocketable. When the keyboard is in its case, it is twice the height of my LOOX, and roughly a quarter longer and wider. Obviously, if you are putting the keyboard into a bag, as I would recommend, this is not a problem, but if you were hoping to be able to keep this in your pocket for ease of access, I would suggest looking for an alternative keyboard, unless your pockets are significantly larger than mine.

The Keyboard itself Getting the keyboard ready for its first use is very easy- simply run the CD (or download the drivers from the JavoEdge site), select the OS you wish to use, and the drivers will be installed. For PPC, this will be through the ActiveSync process, with PalmOS it will be via QuickInstall to HotSync. I am afraid I have no knowledge of Symbian to be able to make any comment. After installing the driver onto your PDA, you need to pair the keyboard and the machine. Unusually, the driver takes over the entire Bluetooth process, including switching on and off the Bluetooth radio. As such, when you open the driver, which appears with its own icon, the radio is switched on if it is off. Once Bluetooth has turned on, which can take a couple of seconds, the top-most radio-box is simply labelled “Active keyboard”.

Before you can switch the keyboard on, you need to open and lock it. The keyboard folds in half, with a latch on the right hand side. Once open, you need to use the slider on the bottom left to move the keys into their usage position, and slide the latch on the middle right to the left to lock the keyboard in position. If you are going to use your PDA whilst it is in its cradle, then there is no need to open the in-built support. However, assuming you are away from your PC, you can opt to open out the slightly flimsy but spring-loaded support, which locks in place. Once everything is in position, you are ready to use the keyboard!

The driver Having made sure that the keyboard is switched on (see the diagram for the location of the switch, which is bottom-left, on the front), checking the box starts the connection process. The connection screen appears, searching for any available keyboards. Once a suitable keyboard (preferably your one!) has been discovered, tap on it, and then tap the box marked “connect”.

Up until now, things were absolutely fine. However, once I tapped “connect”, I came across a problem, which might be related to my device, or to the driver in general. A small box marked “Step One” appears, and requires a tap to remove it. Then “Step Three” comes up, but, before there is a chance to tap it, “Step Four” appears. Three times. Once you have tapped through all of those, you can clear that original “Step Four”, and the final “Step Nine” appears. Tap through that, and you are ready to go. This is really the only downfall of the keyboard, and I hope that it is something that can be sorted in a future release of the necessary driver. Don't get me wrong- this doesn't stop me from using the keyboard, but it is a significant nuisance. The driver is certainly not all bad, however- if the PDA is turned off whilst the driver is on, the PDA complains of an error, but does not force a soft reset, unlike some drivers. Additionally, as the second image from left (below) shows, it is possible to assign the 10 functions keys to different applications; thus, not only can you launch the "core" PIM applications, you can have your choice of programs available at a key press.

Usage and further thoughts Once the driver is initiated, the keyboard itself is a pleasure to use. Because the keys are close to full size, it is easy to maintain a high typing speed for a prolonged period. Also, the keyboard has only a little flex, making it ideal for typing on your lap on a train- the flex absorbs a lot of the bouncing around, whilst remaining solid enough to support the PDA. Unlike some keyboards, the JavoKeyboard has a dedicated number row, which should prove useful if you have to enter digits for a prolonged period. Both the inside of the PDA support and the base of the keyboard itself have strips of anti-slip material, which means that you can type on a polished or slippery surface without sliding around. When I used the keyboard on a train, I really appreciated this- using a normal keyboard, I found a tendencing to slip all over the pull-down tray / table. JavoEdge really have gone the extra mile to ensure that their keyboard is as user-friendly as possible, and this attention lifts and good product into the category of a great product.

Some of the Windows shortcuts work as well, (including Ctl-A, Ctl-X,C and V, which I use most often), which does make life more like using a mini-computer than a PDA. Additionally, like a “real” computer, when you have the keyboard driver enabled, the PDA does not shut down after 30 seconds- so, if you are typing, and want to look something up, you can do so in the knowledge that you won't have to re-initialise the driver afterwards. The keys themselves have a satisfying click, and a decent travel, which I find invaluable in obtaining a decent speed- whilst the laser keyboard looks stunning, I would imagine that this lack of feedback with each “tap” would be off-putting, and difficult to use.

Why Bluetooth? Perhaps one of the most important issues to address here is the usage of Bluetooth, rather the IrDA or a serial-based connector. The general opinion is that having to connect to a cable, or worse, a fixed connector, is inconvenient. This is especially true if you have a device which allows usage in landscape mode, as most connectors are only positioned to allow vertical placement. However, battery consumption is generally low, as the connection is made via a cable, rather than needing to transmit anything wirelessly. At the other end of the scale, Bluetooth devices are seen as battery-guzzling monsters, compatible only with high-end devices equipped with Bluetooth technology. Additionally, why is there a need for an in-built stand if you are connecting to something which does not need to be so close to you PDA? IrDA, it seems, is the perfect “middle ground”, providing the best of both worlds. Whilst allowing devices to be used in landscape mode, it is not particularly heavy on the battery. So why would anyone want Bluetooth?

Well, I cannot provide a full answer to this, as I have never used an IrDA keyboard. I have used keyboards with wires, keyboards with connectors, and even full-sized keyboards connected via USB. None, however, were as convenient as this Bluetooth keyboard. I am lucky to have reasonably good eyesight, and, as such, I do not necessarily want my PDA to be half a foot from my nose when I am typing. Whilst having a support built into the keyboard can be useful in some situations, I have found that I more often than not have the PDA further away than the support allows. For me, Bluetooth gives me a degree of flexibility that IrDA would not. Battery life was not a particular issue for me; I typed on the keyboard for about 2 hours, on and off, and have not had to replace the AAA cells in the keyboard yet. When I worked on a document for just over 15 minutes, my LOOX used about 5% of its battery, which is not bad at all- if I were to use it for about 2 hours, dropping to 60% is no great problem. I cannot compare this to IrDA usage, but, it is certainly not worrisome enough to prevent me from using it.

Conclusion

I am very impressed with this product, as it managed to change my viewpoint of Bluetooth keyboards completely. I no longer regard them as battery-guzzling, and see their choice of radio as a distinct advantage. Other than the driver problem, which I hope will be addressed soon (or found to be specific to my device only!), the keyboard is quick to set up, and is a pleasure to use. If you are touch-typist, you might as well opt for a keyboard which will allow you to type as fast as possible, and, in this respect, the Bluetooth JavoKeyboard is the best I have used. $125 is not cheap, but you are getting a quality product which should last a long time- it is built sturily, despite a slight flex, and you no longer need to purchase a new keyboard simply because you change your PDA.

Having sworn when I bought my LOOX that I was not going to use it in place of a laptop, I am beginning to have second thoughts. The keyboard is simply too useful not to carry about in my bag with me, and am tempted once again to try to work from day to day without recourse to a “full” Windows system. The flexibility of Bluetooth allows me to change from portrait to landscape mode without the need to move IR arms and line up ports, and to walk away from my keyboard in the knowledge that it will not shut down. Overall, it is a very good product- solve the driver issue, and it becomes excellent. UPDATE: JAVOEdge have released a new driver, which has solved the problem which I mentioned above- now, I simply tap the "Active Keyboard" box, and select my keyboard. As my conclusion said- now this has become excellent. (25/02/2005)