Gadget Review - Stowaway BT Keyboard by ThinkOutSide

..and here's the happy family shot..my essentials as a modern day uRoadWarrior. The picture also shows the Stowaway keyboard closed..it takes 2-3 seconds to unfold..another 3-4 secs to reconnect to the mini..so you're in business in under 10 secs!

The Fongster's long awaited review..here it goes!

Pros
- Slim, compact and good quality. Everything is "tight" and snaps in/out in a very reassuring manner! It's almost classed as a gadget designed by Q for James Bond..it flicks open with a "fffschik"..press another button that goes click and unfold to reveal a glorious looking keyboard. :)
- Keyboard is very ergonomic. Standard key sizes..The feel of the key "bounce" is perfect for touch typist! But..check out the Cons below as well..:)
- PocketPC shortcuts..all work perfectly! Love to be able to do Ctrl-B and Ctrl-U just like the real deal..:)
- Quick release. No fumbling. A 3 step open and 3 step close procedure. 2-3 secs each.
- simple program (comes in cdrom for ppc and symbian) installation and "brainless" on the o2 xda mini
- pairs easily with o2 xda mini. Reconnects immediately upon next use.
- Great battery life (apparently!) 300 hours on 2 AAA batteries. Can't wait that long below writing this review..:)
- LED indicator for operational status.
- It works very well with windows XP (need SP2 which contains BT stack that provides HID profile). XP detects this as a HID device.
- Works well when other BT devices are in use. I was able to receive a call from my mobile BT headset and continue typing away with no loss of BT connection.

Cons
- expensive. You pay premium prices..:)
- For compactness, only 3 rows of keys..no dedicated number row. No big deal to me however.
- The rightmost key on the keyboard is the delete key. This can be a nuisance to touch typist like me who are used to "feeling" the last key thinking that it is a right arrow only to hit delete instead.
- Due to the light weightness of the keyboard..hitting Alt-tab can cause the keyboard to topple to one side! :) But acceptable..
- No Insert key.
- No track ball/nipple. Yep..I'm asking too much for such a keyboard..:)
- Linux fans will be somewhat complaining...|, {,}, & keys are accessed by pressing the Fn then corresponding keys...:(

The Fongster's verdict of the Stowaway BT keyboard? --> Thumbs UP!