FIGURE A

The GoType keyboard connects directly via the docking port. Click picture for a larger image.

The only downside is the small size of its keys, if you're accustomed to a full-size keyboard. The GoType works with Palm III and Palm VII devices. There's also a GoType Pro available for the Palm V and Handspring Visor, also featuring the capability of synchronizing the handheld with a computer directly from the keyboard. You can read my article on GoType Pro in the November 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199911/gotype001.html. For more information, see Fredlet's review of the GoType keyboard in the December 1998 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199812/gotype001.html.

Palm Portable Keyboard
The newcomer to the field is the Palm Portable Keyboard at http://www.thinkoutside.com/palm.html. It's the only Palm device accessory I carry that consistently elicits "oohs" and "ahhs" from people. It also includes Palm unit-specific features like programmable function keys and shortcut keys, but the kicker is that it's a full-size keyboard that folds up to roughly the size of the Palm organizer itself. It's pictured in Figure B.

FIGURE B

This full-size keyboard folds up for easy carrying. Click picture for a larger image.

Palm, Inc. licensed the design from a company called Think Outside and sells the $99 keyboard for its line of organizers. For Visor users, there's a version of the keyboard available from Targus at http://www.targus.com/default_product.asp?sku=PA800U.

Keeping in touch
Unless I'm on a bona fide vacation, I need access to my email and the Web. It's easier to stay connected now than with earlier Palm device models, but your mileage will definitely vary.

Modem connection
On the hardware front, you'll need a modem. Palm makes a series of clip-on modems for Palm devices, and Handspring offers a modem that plugs into the Visor's Springboard slot. Depending on your location, you can also look into wireless offerings such as the Palm VII or the OmniSky modem. With Palm and Handspring's modems, you use a normal phone line to connect to your ISP; the wireless devices require that you sign up with their respective wireless access plans, which can range between $30 and $45 per month. You can read Jason Perlow's article on OmniSky in the February 2000 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200002/omnisky001.html.

Email software
Both simple and sophisticated email software is available for Palm devices. Using a program like Top Gun Postman (at http://www.isaac.cs.berkeley.edu/pilot/TGpostman/), you can dial into your ISP and grab your email messages that appear in the built-in Mail application.

However, Mail is a bare-bones mail client with minimal filtering that truncates messages larger than 32K. Also, there's no built-in support for synchronizing mail with a Macintosh. As a solution, you can purchase MultiMail's HotSync conduit, which synchronizes In and Out box messages with Eudora, Outlook Express, or Emailer. It's available at http://www.actualsoft.com/prod_macconduit_details.htm.