Ticonderoga

After reading the very informative comparison between ThinkOutside's and PalmOne's keyboard I thought I might as well do a comparison between the two keyboards I have on hand--namely Belkin's and Targus' Universal IR--to finish off the wrap-up. There is an existing review done over one year ago so I would be focusing on WM5 issues. Currently neither keyboards has WM5 specific drivers so I am using the newest (rev. 2 and 1.36 repsectively) WM2003SE drivers for both keyboards.

Belkin Universal IR Keyboard
-----------------------------
Pros:
-Small and light (~8 ounces)
-number keys
-Silvery outer appearance
-Shortcut buttons correspond to your Axim's app launching buttons so programmable (but [Fn] + shortcuts are not).

:realmad: Cons:
-Flimsy stand
-No position lock for keyboard
-Uses a mirror to reflect the IR beam
-Small keys
-No home, end and esc keys


(Possibly) WM5 Specific:
-WM2003SE driver does not seem to work on x51v although WM2002 does; both versions works on mine x50v with WM5
-Porgrammable application launching keys ([Cmd] + #) does not work
-WBA 2: Pressing enter does not launch application with cascading start menu; arrow keys immediately direct you to subdirectories


Targus Universal IR Keyboard
-----------------------------
Pros:
-Big keys
-Very stable stand
-Uses an arm for the IR emitter so no mirror is needed
-Keyboard position lock
-Esc key
-Number keys
-Reprogrammable application shortcuts ([Alt] + #)
-Thankpad keyboard appearance
-An eight-way pointer "mouse" (does not seem to work in WM5 though)

:realmad: Cons:
-Bulky and heavy (>1 pound)
-Very small number keys
-No home and end keys
-No way to reprogram shortcut buttons
-Driver launcher must be running in order for the keyboard to work

(Possibly) WM5 Specific:
-Works with my x50v with WM5 but might not work at all with x51v
-Driver launcher automatically rotates screen if launched in landscape mode
-Mouse cursor does not show up. The mouse itself does work--you can move and click on stuff but you just cannot see the pointer on screen