PDA Reviews

After you put your credit and some other cards and your checkbook you'll have problem to close this case - it's so bulky. You can't put this case inthe pocket - it so big. More of this, when finally I closed it - it turned on my Visor (all night it was turned on!!!) and I saw battery low warning on the next morning, when I opened it!!!

in order to get a good idea about this product the picture should be the inside of the case as well as the outside

This case was good for the first few days for it protects the palm v much better than the case that came with it. The idea of putting everything in one carry case sounded convenient, but it finally got a little bulky for me. It isn't really necessary (for me) to get all my credit cards and my checkbook out to check my to-do list. Overall, I'd give it a 3 for the protection it provides.

This product is junk, due to a cheap connector that broke the first time I tried to remove it form my Visor Pro. The keyboard wouldn't work at all when first installed, then worked intermittently with much adjusting of the position of the keyboard after the connector was cracked. A really disappointing dud.

The ThumbPad is very lightweight, but seems quite durable. The Visor slides into a nice solid dock with the ThumbPad, unlike other mini-keyboards I've seen where the connection is very tenuous, and you have to be really careful to support the unit to avoid putting any weight on the connection. With the ThumbPad the can just hold the keyboard, which easily supports the weight of the Visor for comfortable typing.

The keyboard layout has a pretty big flaw. There's only one shift key, at the lefthand side. Would including a shift key on the right side as well have increased the size of the unit by that much? Punctuation is accessed using the "function" key, and, you guessed it, there's only one, on the lefthand side, right next to the quotation mark and apostrophe, making it very awkward to type these symbols. If there were shift and function keys on each side, you wouldn't have to shift your grip on the ThumbPad and it would be much more comfortable.

My biggest frustration with the ThumbPad is a non-fatal but annoying bug. If the ThumbPad is idle too long (on the order of ten seconds), the PDA stops accepting input from the keypad. I have to turn off the PDA, and turn it back on by pressing a key on the ThumbPad, and then I can continue typing normally. My email to tech support has not yet been returned (though it's only been a few days). I had a similar small bug with a different Targus keyboard in the past, which was never resolved, so I think I'll be avoiding their products in the future (when possible--the Visor user doesn't have a LOT of options for peripherals!)

The Targus ThumbPad is an external thumbboard that attaches to your Palm via the Universal Connector at the bottom. Rather than covering the buttons and Graffiti area, it extends a couple of inches beneath the handheld, which amazingly rests firmly in place. The ThumbPad is made of plastic and is very light.

It's not nearly as functional as the full-size folding keyboards -- useful extra keys like "New" and "OK" aren't there, but that's to be expected with a keyboard this size. More perplexing, however, is the absence of parenthesis keys. You do have to reach for the stylus and the Palm's own buttons from time to time, and you must resist the temptation to use the ThumbPad's directional keys in the Apps menu -- they don't page up and down.

The fact that the ThumbPad flares outward from the Palm's base gives the keyboard more room and allows the keys to be bigger than the keys that PDAs with built-in thumbboards have. Key action is very nice, as nice as the Tungsten W or C (but with more room) and far nicer than Sony Clie thumbboards. I find typing surprisingly quick. I would have preferred to see sticky Shift, Fn and Control keys, like some built-in thumbboards, since holding down two keys at once is awkward on a keyboard of this type.

Overall I'm quite pleased with this little thumbboard, and look forward to using it to send SMS when my Palm Bluetooth card arrives.

This review was drafted on a Palm m505 using the ThumbPad.

This product is junk, due to a cheap connector that broke the first time I tried to remove it form my Visor Pro. The keyboard wouldn't work at all when first installed, then worked intermittently with much adjusting of the position of the keyboard after the connector was cracked. A really disappointing dud.

The ThumbPad is very lightweight, but seems quite durable. The Visor slides into a nice solid dock with the ThumbPad, unlike other mini-keyboards I've seen where the connection is very tenuous, and you have to be really careful to support the unit to avoid putting any weight on the connection. With the ThumbPad the can just hold the keyboard, which easily supports the weight of the Visor for comfortable typing.

The keyboard layout has a pretty big flaw. There's only one shift key, at the lefthand side. Would including a shift key on the right side as well have increased the size of the unit by that much? Punctuation is accessed using the "function" key, and, you guessed it, there's only one, on the lefthand side, right next to the quotation mark and apostrophe, making it very awkward to type these symbols. If there were shift and function keys on each side, you wouldn't have to shift your grip on the ThumbPad and it would be much more comfortable.

My biggest frustration with the ThumbPad is a non-fatal but annoying bug. If the ThumbPad is idle too long (on the order of ten seconds), the PDA stops accepting input from the keypad. I have to turn off the PDA, and turn it back on by pressing a key on the ThumbPad, and then I can continue typing normally. My email to tech support has not yet been returned (though it's only been a few days). I had a similar small bug with a different Targus keyboard in the past, which was never resolved, so I think I'll be avoiding their products in the future (when possible--the Visor user doesn't have a LOT of options for peripherals!)

The Targus ThumbPad is an external thumbboard that attaches to your Palm via the Universal Connector at the bottom. Rather than covering the buttons and Graffiti area, it extends a couple of inches beneath the handheld, which amazingly rests firmly in place. The ThumbPad is made of plastic and is very light.

It's not nearly as functional as the full-size folding keyboards -- useful extra keys like "New" and "OK" aren't there, but that's to be expected with a keyboard this size. More perplexing, however, is the absence of parenthesis keys. You do have to reach for the stylus and the Palm's own buttons from time to time, and you must resist the temptation to use the ThumbPad's directional keys in the Apps menu -- they don't page up and down.

The fact that the ThumbPad flares outward from the Palm's base gives the keyboard more room and allows the keys to be bigger than the keys that PDAs with built-in thumbboards have. Key action is very nice, as nice as the Tungsten W or C (but with more room) and far nicer than Sony Clie thumbboards. I find typing surprisingly quick. I would have preferred to see sticky Shift, Fn and Control keys, like some built-in thumbboards, since holding down two keys at once is awkward on a keyboard of this type.

Overall I'm quite pleased with this little thumbboard, and look forward to using it to send SMS when my Palm Bluetooth card arrives.

This review was drafted on a Palm m505 using the ThumbPad.

While I should have been more cognizant of the scale of this product from the picture on this detail page, I had envisioned it as more of an ergonomic piece that I could wrap my fingers around and type with my thumbs. Unfortunately, it feels about 80% of the size I was hoping it would be. The keys are tactile, as they are raised, but they're just slightly too small for thumb typing at a better rate than hunting and pecking with the onscreen keyboard. The advantage of the mini keyboard is that, unlike the fullsize keyboards, you don't need a flat surface on which to type. However, the iPaq feels slightly unbalanced in the too-small unit and, rather than using the unit to support the iPaq, I find myself resting the iPaq on a desktop or on my lap. In summary, the typing speed gain isn't significant enough for me to recommend this unit to everyone given it's hefty price tag.

It seems like a neat idea, and it's nice and compact. however if you get into to a typing frenzy, your thumbs tend to cover up your vision of the keys you need to type, and you get lost easily and have to keep looking down at the keyboard to get your bearings. There's supposed to be a button to press in order to disengage it from the iPAQ so you don't break it. The first time I pressed it, it got permanently locked into the "release" position. It still stays on firmly and i can just tug at it to loosen it, but the button was worthless. typing might still be faster if you just use the stylus on the digital keyboard that pops up onscreen.

Every iPAQ user I know either goes naked with the iPAQ (no sleeve at all) or used one of the *functioning* expansion packs like the phone, PC Card, or CF packs.

While these style packs come in funky (sort of funky) colours, they don't do anything, not even protect the screen. If you really, really want one, I suggest that you either spray paint the black one that came with your iPAQ, or, for less expense, glue some dollar bills to your old case. Now that would be funky.

At one tenth the price that these go for I probably won't buy one. At full price, there's just no value.

Fellow amozoner's, The ipaq style packs are not bad. It all depends onthe kind of style you like. The colors match the silver buttons and the exposed unit. It is also a great feature to have a matching stylis. It stands out in a good way, it looks good and it is not depressing compared to the black style pack. The Bottom line is 1.if you want to style-get it 2.if you like your style pack that you already have-dont buy it

I DO recommend it!!!!

-Brandon

This is a quality case for PDAs, soft leather, a feeling of durability. I would definitely recommend it over the cheaper cases you see everywhere. BUT, it is too small for the Palm IIIc, vertically, with either the top or the bottom of the unit sticking out, defeating the goal of protecting this particular unit.

Over all, I have been pleased with the product. The case is made with good quality leather, and it mostly retains its shape well (the only complaint I have is that after about a year, the stylus-holder becomes too loose to keeps the stylus in). When I first got it, I did think that the case is not quite big enough to completely cover the edges of the Palm III; however, over the years, I decided that it served its purpose admirably -- the protection that my pilot needed the most was against the minor but frequent trauma of being banged around in my bookbag or purse, and the thick leather padding did a good job absorbing the shock. Besides, no other case comes with a cute little duckie!

and why would anyone? one side defeats the purpose of the other.

I bought this product after I bought Franklin Covey software for Palm Vx. The latest software works very well with Microsoft Outlook and Palm Organizer, and I decided to try the famous Franklin Covey System.

The product was good, but no calender included. If you need paper calender, you should buy another one from Franklin Covey. But if you use the calender on Palm, that is OK.

the quality of the case is not so good, but woeks.

Overall, this is good as starterkit. If you find this does not work for you, you can quit anytime without hundreds dollar investment.

I have a 3900 series IPAQ and installed the software per the instructions. First problem, I could not open more than three maps at one time even though the book says ten. Second problem, there are gaps between the maps. I tried to have it plot me a trip from Atlanta, GA to Pensacola, FL. This is a straight-forward trip, but because of missing sections between the maps, it could not. Third problem, every second or third time I powered down the PDA when stopping for gas, I had to do a soft-reset to get the thing working at all. The system had no problems reconnecting to the GPS signal(s) during gas stops, except for these lockups, it usually took 30 to 45 seconds. Maps were accurate along the route, where maps were available. I found no updates available online to fix these problems. For around town I think it works great, but for any kind of distance, I would look into a different solution/product.

The Pharos GPS for iPAQ has the potential to be a good product, but the current version has some some definate challenges. The Ostia mapping sodfware is fairly easy and frindly to use, but that's where its good points end. The routing is not very intuitive. For example a simple direct route between two large cities connected by an interstate would not route that way. Instead the route has you getting on and off the interstate onto US or state roads several times. Presumably it is a shorter distance that way. I was told that version 4.01 corrects this and was offered a "Free*" upgrade. (*just my opinion, but when you pay for a product that is outdated when you get it, I just don't see is as you doing me any special favor by giving me a "free" upgrade). Well, anyway the upgrade did have an option to stick to highways but it didn't work, the software still routed me the same way. The software decides the best way to get from point A to point C, not you. You can't go via point B. The next issue was the hardware. The cigarette lighter plug would not maintain a connection and any time there was a power loss the GPS signal would be lost. The GPS signal itself was hard to get and hard to keep. I finally determined after much trial and error and frustration that the problem was the connector between the cable and the GPS antenna. I contacted Pharos Tech support via email and received no reply. I called and explained all the problems and requested a new cable. They would not do that, and insisted I send the cable for testing. Not wanting to be down, I requested Pharos ship me a new cable first that I would pay for then they could issue me a credit once they received the old cable and determined it was bad. They would not do that either. The only way they would work with me was for me to send them the cable for them to test and return within 2 days. I did. Three weeks later I got my old cable back, no explaination, no repair, just a box with a cable. Still didn't work.

Summary: Concept - 5 stars, Software - 2 stars, Tech Support - minus 100 stars. Maybe a real software company will buy Pharos someday because they really do have some good ideas, but do not seem to be able to make them wouk right and clearly know nothing about customer service or relations. For now, buy a Navman, I did and while it's not 100% perfect, it's pretty good and I'm happy with it. See my review for that product.

The unit installed very easily. The 12v connector worked very well and did not disconnect. Both the gps unit and the pda were powered from the 12v connection. The software loaded easily on the laptop and transferred to the iPAQ with no problems. The maps require a little forethought. However, loadiing all of the state of Indiana still left lots of room on an SD card for other things. The system takes about 90 seconds to acquire satellites and then routes very well. Have only used it for local routing, but that is where I would need help most anyway. I already know how to use the interstates to get from one large metropolitan area to another (i.e. Chicago to Cleveland is relatively easy get on the interstate and stay on it). Sometimes it tells you about an exit just a little to close to the ramp. The voice prompts are very helpful.

I bought this thinking that it was the same as the original stylus I'd lost. Forget it. It fits well in the slot, works well to write Graffiti, but it does not have the reset pin hidden under the stylus head/cap. If not having a built-in reset pin is not a big deal for you, then this is a good buy.

Read the "fine print". I thought I was getting the original Handspring stylus(based on the picture) when in fact it is a black plastic wannabe. Where are the multi colored 5 paks? These work but are much lighter and easy to misplace because they are all black.

I was a bit disappointed with these 'replacements' - they really aren't (though the accompanying graphic shows stylii that look like the original). These are just black plastic versions that are shaped the same.

Pros: They fit in the stylus holder ok and they're reasonably cheap. You get three and you'll probably lose some so that's nice. Just be sure to put the spares somewhere that you'll remember.

Cons: These are one piece shaped alike versions. They have no removable end with a reset wire like the original. They're sort of crusty to use - just don't feel good in your hand and aren't finished very well.

Overall: They work. It might be hard to find an original replacement now and even if you do they'll be expensive (relatively) and you'll probably lose another one if you lost the first. I'd say they're ok if you can't afford or can't find an original replacement.

Truly a poorly designed case:

* no syncing in cradle with case
* not all parts are leather; the essential part that holds the Palm in place
is made out of plastic
-> far too narrow, does not bend enough
* once my Palm was in there, I could hardly get it out again

I was not happy with this buy !

This won't protect your PDA in your pocket, and it doesn't allow you to synch it in a cradle. Furthermore, I took it in and out of the case a couple times and it was already coming apart. Oh, and it was well-nigh impossible getting anything in and out of the pockets.

It would be nice if someone would make a good Tungsten T case that really protected the PDA, and didn't leave holes for lint.

I just got this case for my palm despite the 2 "bad" reviews it got on Amazon. I personally think the case is really nice. it holds the palm nicely and gives it way more protection than the silly plastic cover that came with my TT. I have had no problems with it and continue to have no problems. I did experiance a little trouble with the slits in the case for cards but realised it was my own stupidity and realising you have to slip it "up" into the slit and not "down" into it. it's a well designed an well made good looking case. Only downside is you do have to remove it from the case to hotsink it. but thats Palms fault for not designing more clearance into the synk base. but for that little detail I give it a 4 not a 5