Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #225797 in Cell Phone Accessories
- Brand: Think Outside
- Model: SBT5ER
- Original language:
English - Dimensions: 1.20 pounds
Features
- Full keyboard for easy typing of emails, document and spreadsheet revision, and surfing the web
- Compatible with Palm OS, Pocket PC/Windows Mobile, Symbian OS and WM Smartphone operating systems
- Connects wirelessly via Bluetooth technology
- User-programmable shortcut and command keys for complete remote control
- Folds down to 5 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches; weighs 10.7 ounces
Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth Kbd
Product Description
Stowaway® Bluetooth® Keyboard
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful.
By Joomm
Background: I use a HP 4700 series PDA with a Pocket PC OS. I type 50-60 wpm. This is my first portable keyboard purchase. I have used the product for 3 days.Cons:1. PDA stand is hard to remove from keyboard2. Center folds do not lock flat3. Keyboard casing is prone to smudges (but very durable)4. Discovery/power button needs a stylus to be usedPros:1. Full size keyboard including separate number row2. Easy and compact keyboard folding3. Driver support for international keyboards4. Adjustable repeat key rate and time delay to repeat. Repeat rate is very fast at top setting.5. No delay after key press. This keyboard keeps up flawlessly with my typing speed.6. Keyboard links securely to PDA without having to re-type code each time. Once password connection is set up, re-linking after either device is turned off is fast (just press any key on the keyboard).7. Keyboard functionality similar to windows: I can switch easily between programs by pressing Alt-Tab. Accents, grave accents tilde "n'"s, inverted exclamation marks are typed just like on desktop computer.8. Programmable keys for launching programs and well thought out built in short cut keys. Special quick launch keys for calendar, contacts, e-mail and internet are off to the side.9. Keyboard turns off when you slide endgrips into storage position. While it is small, a green LED light indicates when keyboard is consuming battery power.10. Convenient stylus well for alternating between stylus use and keyboard use. Stylus well also present on the left for left-handers. (Keyboard and shortcut keys actually make navigation without a stylus convenient and easy. Switching between open programs on a PDA is much easier with the Alt-Tab keys than with the stylus)11. Unbelievable range: I can type from a separate room through a cople of walls and around a few corners. The single press of the shift key seemed to capitalize unintentional 3-4 letters at this range, but I really wasn't expecting to see anything at all. Use around other wireless devices (phone and router) did not interfere with transmission.General Comments: I find this keyboard to be an excellent product and productivity enhancing tool. Installation was flawless. Some tasks such as switching between programs are actually easier now. While I can type with the keyboard on my lap, the sides tend to flap a little. The natural downard pressure of the fingers typing makes the keyboard more straight. Thus this is a moderate nuisance that does not entirely disable the ability to type with the keyboard on the lap. The folding PDA stand is difficult to remove from the back of the keyboard. After several tries I seem to have a 75% reproducible method of doing this easily. Sometimes I am afraid I will damage the keyboard by either taking the stand out or by replacing it. A polishing cloth comes with the case to remove fingerprints which is nice. Packing the cloth in the neoprene case with the keyboard is a little tricky without crumpling the cloth (zip the case 35%, insert the keyboard then the cloth, straighten cloth under neoprene case then zip remaining case). For the first couple of days I thought I had to type the password on the device and PDA each time to synchronize the devices. This was getting a little annoying. Then, after reading the owners manual on the CD (which is much more complete than the brief instructions provided on paper), I found this wasn't necessary. Just pressing a key does the job after either device is turned off. The keyboard keeps up with my typing speed. The range on this device is absolutely unbelievable. I was able to type approximately 50 feet away from my PDA on a full battery! I am curious to know if other users find this reproducible. I don't have a good feel for battery life yet. There is no apparent interference from use near other wireless devices. The device is practical to use. Another inconvenience I find is that picking up the keyboard to move to another room is a little clumsy since the keyboard doesn't lock in the center. Sometimes this will result in a few unwanted keypresses during transport with both devices on. This is particularly a problem when I have many other things in my hand. Overall this device has boosted my productivity, and I am extremely pleased. I was planning to buy an ultraportable lap-top, but this is an inexpensive solution to turn my PDA into essentially the same thing from a word processing perspective. Just wish they had a good database solution for PDA's.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
By Jerry Saperstein
I'm as fan and happy user of ThinkOutside's earlier Bluetooth keyboard. It has shortcomings, such as no row of dedicated number keys and a somewhat cramped layout for large fingers. But it really did the job within those limitations. But this new model, the Sierra, simply has no equal. It is a full-sized, five-row keyboard that folds into a small, highly portable package. (A nice little carrying case is included.) Truly this keyboard unleashes the full potential of PDAs an smartphones as productivity tools. While other portable keyboards with their cramped layouts are suitable for typing short e-mails and memos, the Stowaway Sierra is comfortable enough to allow for hours of typing,though of course, you might impair your vision first with the small screens of many PDAs and smartphones. There is a dedicated row of number keys (yea!) with function keys accessible as well. Key spacing is easily the equivalent of full-sized keyboards and the responsiveness is nice. Relatively short, but definite keystroke throws; a nice tactile response to each key, which is wonderful for fast typists. In my Sierra, there is a slight bow in the center of the four-segment keyboard. It doesn't interfere with my typing and I suspect it might be something that goes away over time. The Sierra can also be put to effective use with laptops that have less than full-sized keyboards. The Sierra is a lot more comfortbable than the keyboards I've used on some laptops. Even if the latop doesn't have built-in connectivity, it can be added with a USB Bluetooth adapter costing a few dollars. Another nice point is that you can download the drivers for your device directly from the ThinkOutside web site. Not a big deal, but a nice touch. A single AAA cell powers the unit. The specs say a battery will last two months, but I'd suggest always carrying as spare. Negatives? Not to me, but some people might consider the very shiny chrome exterior to be a real negative. It picks up fingerprints instantly. ThinkOutside has obviously heard and responded to the complaints engendered by this finish: they include a small micro-fibre cloth to wipe down the exterior surfaces. While the chrome finish doesn't bother me, I do think it is kind of a dumb design decision, probably influenced by Apple's equally brainless use of chrome finish on some iPod models. Not a big deal for me, but some people will probably get stressed about this. The other posible negative for some is the fact the keyboard does not form a rigid unit when the sections are put together. You don't notice this when the keyboard sits on a solid surface. But if you place the keyboard on your legs, there is a definite bowing as you type which some might find very disturbing. Putting a legal pad or magazine under the keyboard limits this bowing. Overall, the ThinkOutside Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth keyboard is simply the finest folding, portable keyboard ever made. I will not be leaving home without it.Jerry
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
By Thomas Mugleston
I recently purchased the Stowaway Sierra Bluetooth Keyboard (Model: STBT01) so that I could more easily take notes during meetings. The hardware seems to be pretty good. However, I have been having a number of driver problems. I give the hardware 4 stars, but current Palm driver only 1. It has potential to be a really good product.Hardware: The four keyboard sections open smoothly and lay flat on a hard surface. The hinge mechanisms are made of plastic and feel a bit flimsy to me. I find myself being "careful" as I open or close the keyboard so that the hinge isn't damaged. This keyboard feels like it needs to lay on a flat surface in order to be really stable. The center hinge doesn't lock in place. If I were to recommend changes to iGo, I would make the hinges out of metal and ensure that the whole keyboard locks together rigidly.The feel of the keys is great, and touch-typing was natural and intuitive right out of the box. It is also nice to have a one-piece spacebar. The dedicated number row is also great for those of us who do need to work with numbers.As for the drivers. The thinkoutside website says that this keyboard is compatible with the 700p. However, I have found that a number of keyboard comands and functions as described in the manual don't seem to work on my handheld. For example I'm supposed to be able to emulate the 5-way navigator and move around within the palm interface. However, I can't seem to move left or right or use the "select" command. There are other dedicated function keys for Menu, Done, Cancel, etc. These also don't seem to work.The keyboard works great within Documents-To-Go which came bundled with my Treo 700p. I can type normally, hit the enter key and it goes to a new line, etc. As far as I can tell, all the keys physically work just not with the Palm OS itself.I would be happy with the hardware as long as the drivers worked. If you are a Treo 700p user, I would recommend that you hold off from purchasing until a more reliable driver comes out. I hope to hear back from iGo/Mobility/Thinkoutside soon with some suggestions or better yet a good driver. Otherwise, this keyboard will be sent back as defective.Good luck.Update 10/13/06I tried installing every version of the drivers that I could find on the website, uninstalled any other bluetooth devices on my palm, and still couldn't get the keyboard to work as described in the manual. I have also tried multiple times to contact ThinkOutside/iGo via email with no response. I hear that ThinkOutside driver problems is a common complaint among Palm users. I do not recommend this product for Palm 700p users. And good luck getting any customer support from ThinkOutside. At least I had a kind retailer who took the product back.
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