HP Jornada External Keyboard
by Todd Ogasawara [EDITOR'S NOTE: As one reader emphasized recently, the word "touch-typeable" is a subjective evaluation (actually, he used stronger words than that). This gentleman did not even think that the keyboards on the larger H/PCs and H/PC Pros were useable by a touch typist. Ed Zabrek and a number of other reviewers love the keyboard on the Jornada 680, but that love is contextual. It's the best keyboard available for a small, pocketable Handheld PC one you can pop in your pocket and carry with you wherever you are. HP recognizes the 680 for what it is and offers this larger, more-touch-typeable external keyboard for the Jornada series of PC Companions Rich Hall.] HP's Jornada External Keyboard is about the size of a small notebook PC keyboard (see Screen 1), similar to the keyboard on HP's new Jornada 820 H/PC Pro mini-notebook. The keyboard comes with a permanently attached serial cable used to connect to the serial port of any HP 300LX-or-above Windows CE Handheld PC. It also connects to HP's Jornada 420 Palm-size PC via the 420's docking cradle. The package also includes a 3.5" floppy disk with installable software drivers for the various HP devices. The external keyboard has six rows of keys. The top row consists of 8 function (F-keys) and 4 dedicated application launch keys. The rest of the keyboard is similar to a standard desktop PC keyboard, except that it does not have a separate numeric keypad. The key size and spacing are, according to HP, 90% of a full-size keyboard. Large enough, I found, to touch type on easily. Tested with an H/PC and Palm-size PCI tested the keyboard with a Hewlett-Packard 620LX H/PC and a Jornada 420 Palm-size PC. Software drivers must be installed on each HP device you want to use with the External Keyboard. This is a simple matter of connecting your Jornada to a desktop PC, running Windows CE Services ActiveSync, and then running the installation program from the 3.5" disk that comes with the External Keyboard. The next step is to physically connect the keyboard's cable to the Jornada. The keyboard connects directly to the 620's serial port, and to the 420 through its docking cradle. Finally, you activate the keyboard driver from a Start menu option on the 420 or 620. The keyboard driver detects whether or not a keyboard is attached and enables its use when it is attached. (Note: if you reboot your HP Jornada, you'll have to activate the keyboard driver again from the Start menu.) New ways to use your HP JornadasThe External Keyboard lets you use your HP Jornada in new and more productive ways. For example, it becomes easier to write longer e-mail, compose memos or notes, or do any other keyboard-intensive task. This is especially true with the 420 Palm-size PC, but also with HP's Windows CE handheld PCs. For a while now, I've carried around an NEC MobilePro 750C. This mini-notebook-sized H/PC has a larger keyboard that is easy to touch type on. The HP 620LX is much easier to carry around, but its smaller keyboard is harder to use. The External Keyboard lets me use the 620LX all day, mostly as a data access and retrieval device, and then connect up to the keyboard for the typing-intensive tasks like writing reports, longer e-mails, and the like. The keyboard can stay in my luggage, or in my briefcase most of the time. I would have preferred to be able to connect the Jornada 420 Palm-size PC directly to the keyboard, instead of through the docing cradle. The way it's set up now, you have to take the cradle with you to use the keyboard. It's just one more piece of equipment you have to carry around and connect up. However, the advantage of using the cradle is that it holds the 420 upright on a desk, making it easier to see the screen while you type. I don't mind the shortness of the keyboard's cable, but it is relatively stiff, which makes positioning the keyboard and 420 a bit difficult. I found the 90% sized keyboard very comfortable to use. The HP Jornada External Keyboard is an excellent solution to the dilemma of wanting a PC Companion that's small enough to carry in your pocket, but easy to touch type on. You can carry around one of the smaller HP PC Companions, and keep the External Keyboard close at hand (in your briefcase, car, or hotel room), ready when you need it. There are three very special function keys that help you keep your hands on the keyboard, and off the stylus. The "OK" and "Cancel" keys let you move through window prompts without having to pull out your stylus and tap on the screen. And the "task switch" key lets you move between applications from the keyboard. These keys speed things up quite a bit. I bought Hewlett-Packard's new Jornada External Keyboard for $80 at a local CompUSA store in Hawaii. It comes with a carrying case and floppy disk with software drivers for the various HP devices. For more information, contact your local Hewlett-Packard dealer or visit HP's Jornada Web site, www.hp.com/jornada/ products.html, and go to the Accessories section. * [Todd's complete comments on the HP External Keyboard can be found on his Web site at to-tech.com/windowsce/jornada/keyboard/index.html.]
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Todd
Ogasawara is the forum manager of the Microsoft Network, Computing Central, Windows CE
Forum and Telephony Forum. He has been working with computers of all sizes and with all
kinds of operating systems since the mid-1970s. He lives in Hawaii with his wife and
daughter. The Windows CE forum is found at: