home | media info | archive | supplier guide | registration | jobfinder | events | about us | contact
OUR WEB SITES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May/June 2004
Bluetooth keyboard that works with smartphones
A fold-up keyboard for PDAs is nothing new, but the latest version of the Stowaway from its US-based originator, Think Outside, is said to be the world's first portable Bluetooth keyboard. More to the point, it works with Symbian-based smartphones as well as Pocket PC-based PDAs. The company says compatible phones include models by Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Orange, O2, Panasonic, Sendo, Siemens and Sony Ericsson. The launch is just one more piece of evidence underlining the steady expansion of smartphones into markets previously regarded as the preserve of PDAs. Think Outside draws reassurance from projections by analysts such as IDC and Dataquest, who reckon smartphone sales this year will be twice those of 2003 sales. It says sales could continue to double until at least 2007. The latest keyboard has 51 full-sized keys with a vertical travel of 3mm (similar to that of notebook keyboards), yet it folds down to 139mm by 99mm by 13mm when closed. It should be available in Britain by now, and has a suggested retail price in the US of $150.
|