GoType

If you’re a Palm-equipped road warrior, chances are there are times when you’d love to have a keyboard for fast text entry. LandWare’s GoType is a compelling solution, as long as you’re willing to live with a few quirks.

Unlike the Palm keyboard, which has PowerBook-size keys and folds into a case the size of a wallet, the GoType is a miniaturized keyboard, with a folding lid. Its keys are very small and close together, so touch typing is difficult, particularly if you have large hands. Also, the pitch of the number keys is incorrect — the keys are positioned directly above the top row of letters, rather than slightly to the left.

It’s also missing one subtle but helpful feature: When your Palm goes to sleep and you resume typing on Palm’s keyboard, the Palm wakes up automatically, and the first key you press is acknowledged. Not so with GoType — you must first turn on the Palm with the power key before you can resume typing.

The GoType keyboard offers a compelling feature of its own, however: You can also use it as a HotSync cradle, which saves you the hassle of carrying both a keyboard and a cradle when you travel. The Palm V version also allows you to connect the Palm’s AC adapter, so you can charge the Palm while it’s sitting in the GoType.

The GoType provides six function keys, which are customizable, and it also allows a cluster of letter keys to double as a number pad. Like the Palm keyboard, it has places to hold your stylus on either the right or left side of the keyboard.

LandWare also bundles in TakeNote, a word processor; and WordSleuth, a thesaurus. If you need to write rather than just take notes, you’ll come to love these two applications.