Palm 3245WW Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard
When you're on the move, sometimes you need a faster way to compose longer messages, reports, and even spreadsheets. This compact yet full-size wireless keyboard folds up for portability, while giving you the benefits of true touch-typing. Plus, the freedom of Bluetooth Wireless Technology allows you to work with or without your Treo smartphone docked on the pullout easel.
Palm 3245WW Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Accessories
 Palm TX Handheld with Hard Case
Palm TX Handheld
Saunders 00497 RhinoSkin Aluminum Hardcase for Palm Tungsten TX/T5
Palm 3199WW Cradle Kit for Tungsten E2/T5/TX and LifeDrive
Palm Stylus 3-Pack (3178WW)
Palm TX ClearTouch Crystal Screen Protector (Single Pack)
Palm TX Car Charger
Palm 3176WW Slim Leather Case for Tungsten T5
iGo Stowaway Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard for Blackberry and other PDA/ Handhelds
Palm TX Armor Case - The Metal Case (Black)
Palm 3245WW Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard Reviews
Overall, I guess it's worth it, as I was unable to find any other wireless keyboards compatible with Centro; but for the relatively high price, I wish a little bit more thought had been put into the R & D in terms of design and usability. The keyboard is responsive and works fine, as long as you're making entries every 10-20 seconds or so; however if there is any kind of semi-extended lull between uses, the keyboard loses its connectivity with the device, and you need to pair the keyboard and the device all over again (which includes the device having to re-discover the keyboard); certainly a hassle as you're trying to remember what is being said at the meeting during the process. It takes around 15-20 seconds to ready and pair the device before being able to take notes. I use the Palm 3245WW Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard to take Memo notes on my Palm Centro while I'm at meetings. As far as size and usability goes, pretty good, except the backward slash/question mark key is awkwardly located on the far side of the right shift key (a hassle as you're trying to enter urls and other such "backward slash" items).
I have grown to like using it this way. They didn't seem to know the functionality of the driver and that it was that way by design. And since I'm used to not doing that in the past, I generally keep typing and then notice that I forgot to press shift and so I have to backtrack over again to the beginning of the sentence and erase the first letter and replace it with a caps.
- Because it is based on bluetooth, you have to pair it with your palm device every time you need to use it. Cons:. For starters I never move the wand at all, and just re-orient my T5 in landscape mode to use it with the device always on its side rather than upright. And in order to conserve battery, I normally keep my bluetooth off on the centro unless I need it. I had opened a call with Palm support on this very question.
Then I purchased a Palm Centro and tried to make the keyboard work with it with some difficulty. I had grown used to this nice feature.
- Flimsy design: you should use it on a hard flat surface. I don't have this feature on a normal PC's keyboard so technically I shouldn't be complaining, but I spend more time backtracking to the start of the sentence and fixing the mistake now, which defeats the purpose of it since it's supposed to help me type faster and be more productive. After trying the routine resets, they gave up and escalated to second level support. Cons:.
- Temperamental: With the moving/sliding parts, the interconnections within the device are not always reliable. - Auto-caps: The keyboard driver is different and has less functionality. Summary:. Overall I was happier with the IR keyboard (even with its mechanical flaws) because it got me started on my work quicker.
So they started putting me through the painful troubleshooting exercise of doing a hard reset on the centro and losing all my data and put it back to factory configuration. I then decided to instead purchase the Palm Keyboard with Bluetooth which, as it says on the palm support page, is the compatible accessory for the centro. There I was fortunate enough to talk to a person who actually uses one of these keyboards, and he instantly pointed out to me that this is the new way its supposed to work and there's no fix available for it. I could instantly see my productivity increasing merely because I can type so much faster with this. I had returned the first one of this keyboard that I had bought because of that very reason, and got a replacement. Bluetooth Keyboard:. Comparing the two types of keyboards here's what I like and disliked about both. So first I start the bluetooth, then I pair both devices together, and then I can start using it.
The bluetooth keyboard doesn't score very high marks in my book comparatively. I had grown used to the IR keyboard driver automatically capitalizing the first letter of each sentence. - Bluetooth is the method of communication so I don't have to rest the device in the cradle and line it up with the IR port. I miss the days when I used to put the T5 in the cradle, no initial setup needed, just adjust the position of the slider on the IR keyboard and I'm good to go. So even when I am not typing anything I still have to keep moving the cursor and register some type of activity to keep the centro from going to sleep. I normally put the centro on a more convenient place so I can view it better while using the keyboard with it, instead of keeping it inside the cradle.
I have been using the Palm Universal Wireless Keyboard (infrared) for a while with my Palm Tungsten T5 and I had grown to like it. It seems more high-maintenance and has more baggage attached with getting the bluetooth connection started and its an obstacle for me. - Just as flimsy as the IR keyboard, and a hard flat surface is needed to operate the keyboard. It will work with the device as long as both are within bluetooth range. Infrared Keyboard:. That way I don't have to press shift to capitalize the first letter of every sentence, it automatically does that for me.
It's a nice-to-have feature. Pros:. At that point I just decided I better stop complaining and get used to the way it is now. - Auto-caps: Whenever I type a period "." followed by a space " ", the IR driver senses that I am starting a new sentence, so it turns on caps only for the first letter I type afterwards. This helped me type faster. - Full Size Keyboard: Same as for the IR model. The other finicky point in the unit is where you have to slide the cradle to the right to turn the keyboard on. Naturally that didn't help.
I continue struggling with this still and try to start the keyboard working and slide it to the left or right a bit for the terminals to come in contact (trial and error method) but after a couple of attempts it always seems to cooperate. - Full size keyboard: my hands rested comfortably on it and typing is a joy, compared with the on-screen keyboard. - When folded up, it is compact enough to fit in my pocket without causing my pocket to bulge out noticeably. Ever since then I have not disturbed the wand and only did the sliding adjustment whenever I needed to use it and it has worked fine for me ever since.
Pros:. - Easy to get started: The IR port always ready to go. In the Bluetooth driver, it doesn't turn on the caps so I have to remember to press shift now at the start of each sentence. - During my typing if I pause for a bit to think about something, and in the meanwhile the device goes to sleep after the 10 or 15 seconds as it is configured to do so, then I have to go through a whole set of choreography to pair the two devices all over again. Plus the time lost with the auto-caps makes for a less pleasant experience.
The keyboard has a good feel to it and is large enough to be comfortable and light enough to be really practical. It was quick and effortless and in a few days I was up and running. Between my palm and keyboard, I have easy access to word processing which I need for my work and don't have to carry a cumbersome laptop back and forth every day. Installing the new software was a snap, it has worked perfectly, and the wireless aspect makes it quick and easy to use. My old palm keyboard which I loved, suddenly stopped working one day, and my life got harder. I kept losing the bid and finally simply decided to pay more and order it from Amazon, and I am so glad that I did. I found the wireless bluetooth keyboard on-line and tried several times to buy it on ebay to save money.
I was hesitant that it would work well with the 700wx as reviews did not specifically mention this model Treo was compatible - rest assured this keyboard does work - and it works very well. For Canadians - don't let the lack of Treo components available due to the cellular monopoly stop you from ordering this great tool online.
I thought the first one was the greatest thing ever when I first hooked it up. I must have since there was no one higher than him. Further, he refused to help me because I had bought the keyboard from Amazon. In the meantime, I'm looking at bluetooth keyboards by other manufacturers. When I asked one of them to let me speak to his manager, he told me that there was no one higher than him. I'm giving it back to my brother. How I do wish I had bothered to get his name.
She had me do a hard reboot of my phone, which wiped out all the personalized settings. It doesn't work any better than the first one. He told me that warranty replacements were handled by tech support (the ignorant folks who sent me to His Arrogance) and that he would transfer me back there. And every time if gives me a different passkey. And it was. So, I called the useless people at Palm's useless tech support. She transferred me to the Palm store where they were to make the replacement.
Except they were the biggest bunch of unhelpful, pompous, smug-at-their-unhelpfulness people I have ever had the misfortune to talk to. And the hard reboot (and everything else she tried) didn't work. My brother had an unopened, identical bluetooth keyboard that he purchased from the Palm store and he gave it to me. Golly gee. Do not buy this. For more proof, go to the discussion thread about them at the Palm web site. I'm on my second Palm bluetooth keyboard for my Treo 700wx.
I have never been so angry in all my life. Even though I use no other bluetooth devices just in the hopes that this keyboard will work, it frequently says that there is another bluetooth device using the phone and it won't connect. I said it was under warranty and that Palm had made it, so that Palm should replace it. I told her that if Palm was having so many problems with these phones they shouldn't have sold it to me then, and that since they had, she had three choices: either make it work, replace it or refund my money. Every time I go to use it I have to uninstall it, do a soft-reboot and re-install it. I said nosirree he wouldn't. The other kind of error I would get was that I had the wrong passcode. She said that it should be replaced since it was under warranty.
So after I stuck pins in my voodoo doll (just kidding) of this arrogant so-and-so I contacted Amazon and had no trouble returning the first keyboard for a refund (which I haven't received yet but I have faith is coming). They are JUNK. I did have the calendar and contacts on my computer, so I was able to restore that, but I'm still trying to get things back like I had them.
It gave me two kinds of errors: one was that another bluetooth device was using the bluetooth connection (it wasn't) and to turn it off and try again. These are people who enjoyed not being helpful. The problem came when I tried to use it again.
So I have to do a soft reboot and re-install. Do you think I got to speak to the president of Palm. There is a good reason that the unhelpful person at Palm's unhelpful tech support said that Palm is no longer making these.
I was on the phone for an hour with this woman who told me that this problem was one of the reasons Palm has quit making this keyboard/piece of junk.
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