To use the keyboard, all you have to do is activate the driver, place the handheld on the stand, align the keyboard infrared port with the reflective surface in the stand adapter, and start typing. Aligning the keyboard can be a little tricky, so once you find the right position, try to memorize it for the next time you start using the keyboard.

If you don't want to use the stand, you can use a nice feature (also available in the driver) that will let you invert the handheld screen to the left, to the right, or even reversing it completely (upside-down). You can then lay down the handheld vertically or horizontally in front of the keyboard infrared port as shown in Figure F.

FIGURE F


You can type without the stand by aligning both infrared ports on a flat surface. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to rotate the screen of some handhelds, such as on some Clie models, for example. A complete compatibility list is available at: http://www.pocketop.net/comp_list.shtml. I've been searching the Internet for an alternative to reverse the Clie screen, but I had no success. I could only find FlipHack (at http://www.byteswapped.com/palm/) from Douglas Anderson, a very nice Hack that was already available in January of 2000, before the Pocketop Keyboard existed. But it looks like the Pocketop software works just like the hack; everything one can do, the other does.

In the beginning, I thought Clie high-resolution was the problem, but I found out that some Palm Doc readers like CspotRun (at http://www.32768.com/bill/palmos/cspotrun/), for example, can revert the Clie high-resolution screen. Unfortunately, CSpotRun is just a reader. So, if you're a developer or a Clie user that figured out a way to rotate the handheld screen to use it with the Pocketop keyboard, please let me know.

If you use a handheld that is able to rotate the screen, you'll enjoy integrating your handheld to the keyboard. The first option is to use the stand as a protection for your handheld screen, instead of the original flip cover. If you choose to do this, all you have to do to work with the keyboard is turn the new cover flip to the back of the handheld and open the reflective surface and the base to covert the flip into a stand, as you can see in Figure G.

FIGURE G

The Pocketop Keyboard stand double function: cover flip and stand.

The second option is to connect the closed keyboard to the handheld by turning the keyboard itself into a new flip cover. Of course, this will add a lot of bulk to the handheld and is recommended for those that use the keyboard all the time. The good news about this option is the fact that you can leave the stand at home. As you can see in Figure H, all you have to do is slide the handheld to the center of the opened keyboard and revert the screen using the driver.

FIGURE H


The Pocketop Keyboard connects to the Palm handheld. Roll over picture for a larger image.

A special stylus (also included) can be used to hold the back of the handheld against the table.

If you use anything other than a Palm handheld, you won't be able to enjoy this kind of integration, but the stand and the keyboard will work very well. I've tested it with several handhelds, such as the Palm m505, Palm Vx, Palm III, Clie T-415, Clie NR70V, and an iPaq. In fact, the Clie NR70V rotation feature is perfect for the Pocketop Keyboard. You can open the handheld in such a manner that one part of the handheld will be facing the table, while the screen will be facing you. And since its infrared port will be pointing directly to the keyboard's infrared port, everything will work fine.