HP Ipaq Bluetooth Folding Keyboard
Improve productivity when using a Bluetooth enabled iPAQ Pocket PC with this Bluetooth keyboard. It's great for entering a large amount of data quickly. When not in use the keyboard folds up into an ultra-small package for easy portability. When open, it is the same size as a notebook computer keyboard!
HP Ipaq Bluetooth Folding Keyboard Accessories
 HP iPAQ hx2795 Pocket PC (FA676B#ABA)
HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion
HP iPAQ Universal Stylus 3 Pack Kit
SanDisk 2 GB SD Memory Card ( SDSDB-2048-A11, Retail Package)
HP iPAQ hx2795 miniSync Retractable Cable
HP iPAQ hx2795 ClearTouch Crystal Screen Protector (Single Pack)
Ipaq Screen Overlays
HP iPAQ hx2795 Armor Case - The Metal Case (Black)
HP iPAQ hx2495b Pocket PC (FA674B#ABA)
Horizontal Leather Case with Belt Clip/Loop for the HP iPAQ hx2795 / hx 2795
HP Ipaq Bluetooth Folding Keyboard Reviews
Beware if you buy one. Had to return it. The manufacturer said it could work. I couldn't make it happen. I have iPAQ 4350. Looks cool. good luck. Maybe you can.
The manual, such as it is, makes no mention of an absent power switch. * Compact enough to fit into a jacket pocket, yet opens to a comfortable working size with full-sized keys, including a number row. Sound unbelievable. But when HP is either too dumb to include an on/off switch, or they expect us to be so dumb to not notice or care, then I must seriously doubt the usefulness of other products bearing the iPaq name. How HP ever expected anyone to sit still for this kind of idiocy eludes me. One might even forgive the useless locking mechanism. Two weeks after putting in a fresh set of batteries and not using the keyboard, you'll return to find them dead.
The battery cover, need I add, breaks easilly. The manual tells us that a lock is provided to keep the opened keyboard flat "while on your lap or on a non-flat surface". * It doesn't turn off.
What this means is, even when folded and not in use, even when appearing to be dormant, and even when the software shows that there's no bluetooth connection, the keyboard is still eating your batteries. Even when locked, the keyboard doesn't lay flat, and with the center of the board hovering over the empty chasm between the user's legs, held in place only by one thin piece of wire, the two halves bend to an increasingly exaggerated "V" shape after any amount of light-handed typing. * The keyboard ships with no case, as do most other portable keyboards with non-rugged exteriors. Con -. I won't even consider an iPaq. There's no power switch. For the mobile user then, in addition to the keyboard itself, one need also travel with something stable to rest the board on, to have something to prop the handheld against if distance is desired, to carry the batteries separately, and to re-enter the access key into the software after reinserting those batteries.
* The manual correctly tells us that one reason to use a wireless keyboard is to "enjoy the convenience of a wireless bluetooth connection up to 7 meters away from your.PocketPC". * Flimsy Locking Mechanism / Not Usable on a Lap. * The bluetooth connection is clean, lag free, and accurate. If HP is content to offer this marginally useful toy to consumers for $100, then I cannot believe enough magic exists in the world to suddenly make them sharp enough to produce a sophisticated device like a PocketPC for $300-400. The automatic "sleep mode" simply disables the wireless connection; it does not power down the keyboard. The HP Bluetooth keyboard is quite simply an offense to any consumer with even the vaguest and most forgiving sense of quality.
And of course, when sitting on a flat surface, the lock isn't needed. Unfortunately, the designers ignored this consideration when conceiving the non-removable cradle. HP could have saved themselves the trouble of this useless bit of cosmetics. Not the coolest way to walk into a meeting full of executives expecting you to take notes. The only way to power down the keyboard is to open the battery cover and remove the batteries. The button in the upper right corner of the keyboard is to establish and disengage the wireless connection between the software and the handheld; it's not a power switch.
All potential buyers of iPaq handhelds should take this keyboard as a reflection of what, if any, emphasis HP places on quality of design and the integrity of iPaq name. A quick look at the Freedom Keyboard's pull-out cradle offers HP a lesson in how to do it right. Those at HP responsible for protecting public perception of the iPaq brand name should be truly ashamed of themselves. The full-size keys require no revamping of typing habits as does the miniaturized key spacing on the Freedom Keyboard.
A user must find a solid flat surface to type on, such as a book. It reflects also the degree of respect HP has for the intelligence of their customers. The attractive brushed metalic exterior of the folded case thereby scratches easily in a jacket pocket containing loose change or a set of keys. Pro -.
Go to the major websites dedicated to PocketPCs, and do a search of their forums using the keywords "bluetooth keyboard". For those who do serious number entry to spreadsheets, this is decidedly a deal-maker over the Stowaway keyboard which requires alt-key combinations to access numbers and symbols. This "lock" is a single piece of wire about the thickness of an undone paperclip, which travels 7/8" along the top of the board from the left half into the right.
To my knowledge, there is no other folding bluetooth keyboard on the market at the time of this writing which has *both* full-size keys *and* a number/symbol row. This is not a case of a know-nothing customer who needs to read the manual. Add to that the marred exterior and bent lock after minimal use, the HP iPaq keyboard is worth perhaps 1/3 it's $100 retail price, and then only if a consumer absolutely requires the full-size keys and number row.
* The software for gaining a connection is a bit cumbersome, requiring entry of a checkmark into a box with each use, and then an access code on a second screen with each battery replacement (see below). Yes, you read that last bullet correctly: You can't turn this thing off. My next handheld upgrade, I'll probably stay with Fujitsu-Siemens Loox (I currently use a Loox720, a truly excellent PPC), or maybe go with a Dell Axim.
Although the folded board will fit easily into a jacket pocket, the additional loose paraphernalia negates any usefulness of this mobile keyboard for the mobile user. One might easily forgive a negative design attribute like the non-removable cradle, or the parsimony of not including a case.
and I will no longer consider ANY bluetooth keyboard for my iPaq. [.]. I finally decided to set the keyboard aside and went to fold it back up, only it started to break up instead. Instructions which come with this item are woefully inadequate to get a person started. The end of all this was that the keyboard wound up in two pieces (roughly) on the floor. Everything I tried to make it work with my iPaq pocket PC resulted in building frustration when it STILL wouldn't work.
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