Any long-time user of a Palm device (or a Pocket PC for that matter) has had the internal, and sometimes external, debate about the features of Blackberry handhelds with their tiny integrated keyboard. Having owned a number of PDAs running the Palm OS, I have been a pretty steadfast proponent of that platform, although I must admit, when using Blackberries that some of my colleagues carry, it's great feeling the rush that quickly tapping out detailed e-mail messages can provide.

I have stuck with my Palm though, as the vastly superior software library tilts the scales clearly in its favor. However, as more and more manufacturers introduced small, detachable keyboards that mimicked the functionability of the Blackberry keyboard, I grew increasingly anxious to get my hands on one and give it a try.

I got my first chance when the ThumBoard from Seiko arrived and I attached it to my Palm V series device. The package was quite straightforward, containing only the keyboard, a diskette with the driver and the manual. The keyboard itself fits over the bottom of the handheld, covering the buttons and the Graffiti area. When the keyboard is attached, the serial port is also covered (the keyboard actually uses the serial port to connect to the PDA) so it is not possible to Hotsync without removing the device from the keyboard.

Installing the driver software was very simple, requiring nothing more than adding it to the Install Tool and completing a HotSync. Once the drivers are loaded onto the PDA, sliding the keyboard onto the device activates it.

The keyboard consists of 55 buttons, layed out in the same sequence as a standard QWERTY keyboard. There are also buttons that immediately launch the standard Palm applications (such as the Address Book and Memo Pad). Most keys can also be paired with a Function button to perform specified operations (such as insert a new record) or display symbols and special characters. The buttons have a nice tactile feel to them and I was surprised by how easy it was to use, and how few mistakes I made (the keyboard is larger than that of a Blackberry, which seemed to help, allowing keys to be slightly bigger and spaced further apart).

Attaching the keyboard to my device did add a fair amount to it in terms of size, so I likely wouldn't leave it always connected, but when using it, the combined package did fit well in my hands and felt quite comfortable.

After using the ThumBoard for awhile, I did find a few things that I could see as areas for improvement. The most notable was that the keyboard couldn't do a certain number of the functions that I would have found useful, requiring instead that I used both the keyboard and the stylus. For example, with the ThumBoard, you can go directly to the address book and type in a few letters to locate an entry. However, once you get to a screen with the entry on it, there is no way to scroll up and down the names on the list to the one you want and select it to see more details. There are a few other cases like this, and while they weren't frustrating to the point I gave up on the ThumBoard, they were annoying.

Another, more functional complaint I found was the limitation connecting the device to the serial port caused. One of the best features of the Blackberry is the ability to receive and respond to mail quickly and easily. However with the ThumBoard, while I was able to write responses to emails faster, and with more detail that I otherwise would with Graffiti, because the keyboard and my modem both use the serial port, I was constantly disconnecting one to connect the other so I could either load new email messages, or send messages that I had written. For Handspring users I suspect this would not be a problem as the Springboard slot can be used for the modem, while the serial port was used for the ThumBoard.

The last thing that caused a little complication is interference between the driver for the ThumBoard and the driver for the Palm Portable Keyboard. Only one of these drivers can be active at a time, so if you have both keyboards and want to use them both, you have to set the drivers each time you switch. Granted, this is likely not a problem the vast majority of people will come across, so I almost hesitated to mention it. But for me, having both keyboards handy, I found myself switching to the Palm Portable Keyboard when I wanted to write anything lengthy, and using the ThumBoard for short writings like email.

Overall, I was quite pleased with the ThumBoard. It did add a sufficient level of additional functionality to my device for its rather minimal cost. The combination of the handheld and the keyboard certainly did not replicate the convenience of the BlackBerry for managing email, but it is a step forward in the right direction. I could certainly see using this keyboard with the next series of Palm devices with built-in wireless (when they finally do hit the market) as that would allow for more real-time email management. For Seiko's first entry into the handheld market, I have to give them credit for doing a lot of things right. I do hope however, that they take the experiences learned so far and turn them into even more improvements in future versions.

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