Infrared Keyboard

quote:Originally posted by SadiaV

Hello,
Could You suggest me any Infrared keyboard for Medion 200. (From internet shops which can send it to the Lithuania)
Thanks for advices.

MDPPC 200

I'd get a ThinkOutside StowAway infrared keyboard. It's so much better than most of its alternatives (say, the IR-502). It's available almost anywhere in Europe.

Please note that several manufacturers sell the same keyboard under their name; most importantly, palmOne. This means the widely available "palm" IrDA keyboard will work with Pocket PC's too.

Thanks for reply.
I have just found very interesting offer (http://store.craytonelectronics.com/papopcsppcsi.html) Maybe anyone has this keyboard? What can You say about it? Isn't it too cheap?

MDPPC 200

quote:Originally posted by SadiaV

Thanks for reply.
I have just found very interesting offer (http://store.craytonelectronics.com/papopcsppcsi.html) Maybe anyone has this keyboard? What can You say about it? Isn't it too cheap?

MDPPC 200

Well, it's the Belkin Infrared Wireless PDA Keyboard BEL-F8U150. In general, it's around 35-40 bucks, so, for 20 US$, I'd say it's a good buy.

It's not as good as the SA keyboard though - but that's at least 50 bucks.

Emm, I see, well, maybe it can be used with my PC via Infrared adapter instead of normal keyboard? Is it possible?

MDPPC 200

quote:Originally posted by SadiaV

Emm, I see, well, maybe it can be used with my PC via Infrared adapter instead of normal keyboard? Is it possible?

I don't think so - I've looked around but didn't find any evidence of this. The drivers that come with the keyboard are PDA-only.

Unfortunately, infrared is unlike Bluetooth. Bluetooth keyboards manufactured for PDA's generally can work with desktop computers too because they (also) support the standardized HID BT service. Infrared is quite different in this respect.

Hi Menneisyys,

I am considering a ThinkOutside Stowaway keyboard. However, it seems the infrared solution may be better than BT, as fewer drivers and less internal memory is required. Additionally, the cost of the IR version is about 1/2 of the BT.

Would you agree?

The keyboard will always remain relatively close to my HP iPAQ (when in use), so distance is, of course, a non-issue. What would you recommennd?

Thanks -

Any thoughts on my posting...anyone?

quote:Originally posted by jhettena

Hi Menneisyys,

I am considering a ThinkOutside Stowaway keyboard. However, it seems the infrared solution may be better than BT, as fewer drivers and less internal memory is required. Additionally, the cost of the IR version is about 1/2 of the BT.

Would you agree?

The keyboard will always remain relatively close to my HP iPAQ (when in use), so distance is, of course, a non-issue. What would you recommennd?

Thanks -

The IR and the BT keyboard uses the same driver. With my cleanup hacks explained at, say,http://www.ipaqhq.com/forums/showthread.php?p=98063 , you can reduce its (static) memory footprint to around 300k.

Furthermore, it's able to operate parallelly when the PPC is connected to other BT (and, with BT 1.2-compliant devices (and the Asus a730), Wi-Fi) devices/networks.

Surely, the IR keyboard is cheaper than the BT one and can be used with non-BT-enabled, generally older or low-end (for exampe, the rx1950) devices. That is, in cases, the IR keyboard may indeed be a better choice in this respect.

I will certainly check out those hacks and come to a decision.

One other thing I forgot to mention is battery drain. If no AC connection is present, won't having the BT radio turned on for a long period of time (for keyboard use) signinficantly drain the battery quicker than if I relied on IR?

quote:Furthermore, it's able to operate parallelly when the PPC is connected to other BT (and, with BT 1.2-compliant devices (and the Asus a730), Wi-Fi) devices/networks.]

Does this mean faster throughput (i.e., as opposed to serial)?

quote:Originally posted by jhettena

I will certainly check out those hacks and come to a decision.

One other thing I forgot to mention is battery drain. If no AC connection is present, won't having the BT radio turned on for a long period of time (for keyboard use) signinficantly drain the battery quicker than if I relied on IR?

It really depends on the PPC in question. For example, Dell and Asus Pocket PC's are famous for their high battery drain when using BT. HP and Fujitsu-Siemens PDA's, on the other hand, don't have significantly bigger power consumption with switched on BT. Therefore, if you have a Dell/Asus, you may want to prefer IR; if you have a HP or a F-S, BT isn't a bad choice.

quote:

quote:
Furthermore, it's able to operate parallelly when the PPC is connected to other BT (and, with BT 1.2-compliant devices (and the Asus a730), Wi-Fi) devices/networks.]

Does this mean faster throughput (i.e., as opposed to serial)?

Nope, just that using a BT keyboard doesn't inhibit using other BT/Wi-Fi devices at the same time. (Note that using Wi-Fi will NOT be possible with older devices that only have BT 1.1-compliant BT stacks - this applies to all BT 1.1 devices except for the Asus A730(w) and the Mitac Mio 558.)

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by jhettena

I will certainly check out those hacks and come to a decision.

One other thing I forgot to mention is battery drain. If no AC connection is present, won't having the BT radio turned on for a long period of time (for keyboard use) signinficantly drain the battery quicker than if I relied on IR?

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It really depends on the PPC in question. For example, Dell and Asus Pocket PC's are famous for their high battery drain when using BT. HP and Fujitsu-Siemens PDA's, on the other hand, don't have significantly bigger power consumption with switched on BT. Therefore, if you have a Dell/Asus, you may want to prefer IR; if you have a HP or a F-S, BT isn't a bad choice.

I have an HP hx2755...good to know there's no difference, in this case. Thanks.

quote:Nope, just that using a BT keyboard doesn't inhibit using other BT/Wi-Fi devices at the same time. (Note that using Wi-Fi will NOT be possible with older devices that only have BT 1.1-compliant BT stacks - this applies to all BT 1.1 devices except for the Asus A730(w) and the Mitac Mio 558.)

That is SUCH a good thing to know. WOW! I would have been very disappointed to learn (after the fact) that I could neither have a WiFi connection nor other BT connectivity when using a BT keyboard. Thanks for the information!!!