Offline PDA Setup and Folding Keyboard Comparison

2021-09-30

Palm m500 docked to the Palm Ultra Thin Keyboard

Portable Folding Palm Keyboards

When I received my m500 last week it was part of a bundle that included a Palm branded Palm Portable Keyboard which I will henceforth refer to as the PPK. I now also have what is called the Palm Ultra Thin Keyboard. From the typing I've done on each so far I can say that they both feel pretty nice. Generally reminiscent of somewhat compact laptop keyboards. Key travel is sufficient and I can type normally on both save for certain non-alpha characters which I'll touch on later. Something they have in common being Palm keyboards is they both have various Palm OS specific shortcuts available and mapped to keys via the function layer. Things like launching the date book, address book, menu button and things of that nature.

Now for the differences. The PPK is an impressive design that has four main sections and folds into a compact bag or large pocket friendly rectangle. The Ultra Thin instead has two main sections and folds roughly in half. The resulting folded up keyboard is pretty similar to the PPK in length and width but is half as thick. To achieve this much thinner and smaller footprint package with fewer moving parts the Ultra Thin reduces the number of keys. I would say all the essential keys are pretty much there as you'd expect but numbers and other symbols are mostly accessed through one of the two function key layers. Meanwhile the PPK is essentially a pretty standard laptop style layout with everything right where you would expect.

They are both solid options for a portable folding keyboard for a Palm Pilot but what you plan on typing may mean one is a better fit than the other. For longer sessions and more "serious" typing the PPK is likely to be worth the extra bulk due to the better layout. Especially if you tend to need a lot of symbols and numbers. For general or casual use I think the Ultra Thin is the sleeker and more portable package while still not being bad at all to type on.

For my uses I think the Ultra Thin will be the go to because I like how much smaller it is not just in folded up size but when in use it also takes up much less space and is more rigid. This means I can pull it out and use in more situations and unlike the PPK I can type in my lap. For typing notes, todos, gemlog posts, and working on smolZINE it has been up to the task so far. Another benefit I should mention that applies to both keyboards is that they require no power of their own. No batteries are needed since what little it needs it can get from the PDA that is docked to it. One less thing to worry about charging is great!

PPK next to the Ultra Thin Keyboard

My Offline PDA Setup

This setup is really growing on me as I use the m500 more. The display is very readable in the sunlight and I have been using it outdoors more than anywhere else so far. I really love being able to use it easily outside and for days of fairly heavy use without having to worry about the battery running out. I'm reading on it, writing, using it to organize some things and keep notes. I'm not a heavy user of calendars typically but I've been using date book as well. The Palm OS organizer apps are lean and well thought out. Who cares if they are 20 years old? Well designed software is well designed software.

Even 20 years removed from the PDAs time I think they are amazing little PERSONAL devices. That is they were intended and designed to be your digital helper. Practically no traces of the user hostile trends that have flourished in the years between and that's refreshing. Well maybe some of those trends were already around then on other platforms but thankfully mostly absent on Palm OS. The efficiency of the hardware and software due to the constraints of the technology at the time is fascinating. Perhaps even more fascinating now is the whole philosophy of augmenting your life in a respecful and personal way when contrasted with the current state of personal computing.

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