Switched On: Stowaway from the PDA era
By Ross Rubin 
posted May 18th 2010 8:19PM
posted May 18th 2010 8:19PM
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Their screens lacked color and their apps lacked Internet access, but one thing the PDAs of yore had in common with the smartphones of today was text input that couldn't compare to a full-sized keyboard. The challenge, of course, is that full-sized keyboards generally aren't very good traveling companions for pocket-sized devices. In 2000, a startup called ThinkOutside addressed the issue with the first Stowaway keyboard, an ingeniously designed folding keyboard that used the dock connector of Palm PDAs to create a touch-typing experience that fit in your pocket. (Stowaway designer Phil Baker is the author of the book From Concept to Consumer, which explains how ideas become products that get built overseas and ultimately sold back here).
ThinkOutside went on to create versions for PocketPCs, infrared (to accommodate incompatible dock connector standards) connections, and then finally Bluetooth. The company was eventually purchased by accessory maker Mobility Electronics, which renamed itself iGo after its flagship power adapter product, and eventually cancelled the Stowaway. At the time, PDA sales were sinking and relatively few handsets supported Bluetooth; most of those that did supported only the profiles needed for headsets and speakerphones, not keyboard input.
A mechanical marvel, reviews consistently cited the Stowaway as one of the best -- and certainly most compact, due in part to its lack of a numbers row -- folding keyboards. Today, there are many Bluetooth keyboards on the market, but few folding ones. One being actively developed, the Freedom Pro, folds in half rather than the Stowaway's four parts, creating a thinner but longer folded form. But in a testament to the power of both iGo's shortsightedness and the power of standards, the product has found a new life now that Apple has enabled Bluetooth support in the iPad and iPhone OS 4.0. Its integrated stand can even hold the iPad horizontally, although the support is not as confidence-inspiring as that of the Apple's keyboard dock's rigid back.
And so, the Bluetooth Stowaway keyboards have become a rare commodity. Although it was cancelled years ago, a few new ones are still available, mostly from smaller merchants. At the time of this writing, Amazon had three new ones via its third party marketplace. But, perhaps discouraged by higher prices, only a third -- an atypically low portion -- of those who have viewed the item on Amazon's page have purchased it versus other alternatives.
With the next iPhone almost certainly joining other handsets that support Bluetooth keyboard input, we'll no doubt see new portable Bluetooth keyboards enter the fold, so to speak. But for now, the Stowaway -- despite some of its dated features -- still remains one of the best. If you can't wait for the next wave, you may want to scoop one up before they're gone. And if you're planning to introduce a portable Bluetooth keyboard, you can rest a little easier. A company that would have provided some serious competition thought it lacked the keys to success.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
ThinkOutside went on to create versions for PocketPCs, infrared (to accommodate incompatible dock connector standards) connections, and then finally Bluetooth. The company was eventually purchased by accessory maker Mobility Electronics, which renamed itself iGo after its flagship power adapter product, and eventually cancelled the Stowaway. At the time, PDA sales were sinking and relatively few handsets supported Bluetooth; most of those that did supported only the profiles needed for headsets and speakerphones, not keyboard input.
A mechanical marvel, reviews consistently cited the Stowaway as one of the best -- and certainly most compact, due in part to its lack of a numbers row -- folding keyboards. Today, there are many Bluetooth keyboards on the market, but few folding ones. One being actively developed, the Freedom Pro, folds in half rather than the Stowaway's four parts, creating a thinner but longer folded form. But in a testament to the power of both iGo's shortsightedness and the power of standards, the product has found a new life now that Apple has enabled Bluetooth support in the iPad and iPhone OS 4.0. Its integrated stand can even hold the iPad horizontally, although the support is not as confidence-inspiring as that of the Apple's keyboard dock's rigid back.
"A mechanical marvel, reviews consistently cited the Stowaway as one of the best, most compact folding keyboards." |
And so, the Bluetooth Stowaway keyboards have become a rare commodity. Although it was cancelled years ago, a few new ones are still available, mostly from smaller merchants. At the time of this writing, Amazon had three new ones via its third party marketplace. But, perhaps discouraged by higher prices, only a third -- an atypically low portion -- of those who have viewed the item on Amazon's page have purchased it versus other alternatives.
With the next iPhone almost certainly joining other handsets that support Bluetooth keyboard input, we'll no doubt see new portable Bluetooth keyboards enter the fold, so to speak. But for now, the Stowaway -- despite some of its dated features -- still remains one of the best. If you can't wait for the next wave, you may want to scoop one up before they're gone. And if you're planning to introduce a portable Bluetooth keyboard, you can rest a little easier. A company that would have provided some serious competition thought it lacked the keys to success.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
Heh, I have one of these sitting on my desk right now. I used to use it for my Nokia N800. Wanted to use it for my Droid, but Droid doesn't do bluetooth HID.......
@barry99705
I have one in a box in a closet...expensive devil, but a damn fine keyboard.
@barry99705
i used this for my dell axim a few years back. i got a droid too but i can't find the keyboard. i want to use it for the ps3
@barry99705
i can say, that this was one of the best smartphone/pda accessories that i've ever purchased in the last 4 or 5 years. For me its prooved more useful that portable chargers, bluetooth headsets, and i would say even rivals the usefulness of y 16GB sandisk card. I'm a college student right now, going into my last year as a double business major, and there's a lot of people in my classes that take laptops to school. I've never been too keen on the idea of lugging around the extra weight, so this always worked wonders for me. Small, portable, light...and ALWAYS impressed people that sat around me "OMG, you're taking notes on your phone...w/ what? OMG...microsoft word, thats crazy". Especially when i was working for my old employer and had to travel, this was VERY useful. And considering that i found mine brand new for $35 on amazon a few years ago, i know i walked away w/ a steal. I just wish i could get a 2nd one for the price, being that it works seamlessly w/ my ps3 as well.
@barry99705
anyone else besides me have the keyboard and mouse? it was great using my pda as a mini computer with both
I'd trade more Rubin for less Garterberg any day of the week. Thank you, Mr. Rubin, for allowing yourself a sense of dignity and keeping a less-is-more approach to your articles, as well as not including a childish "introductory bagel". You let your work speak your trade, and no need for a tacky introduction.
@barry99705 : I also have one, used it with my Samsung Q1 Ultra.
@barry99705 "A mechanical marvel, reviews consistently cited the Stowaway as one of the best, most compact folding keyboards." -- speaking of the foldable keyboards, we have a foldable laptop as well. http://bit.ly/transformer-laptop-for-the-win
@barry99705
check out BlueInput on the android market. Droid might...
@InBedlam Doesn't work right.
@phillypharm
I got one for sale on ebay if anyone wants to get one of these.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250635559440&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
I have one of these...got it cheap off Woot a while back. Hoped it'd work with my old Palm TX, but it never did. Still hoping it'll work with a smartphone of the future...perhaps fruitlessly (ha!).
I got one of the same design for my Dell WinMo 2003 PDA a couple of years ago. It was awesome before I got a portable laptop - I could write reasonable-length responses to e-mails while on the go and I've used it for gaming even with my laptop connected to my TV. I'm almost disappointed now that I don't have a real use for it anymore.
@Beltonius
Why can't you use it for you phone, or still use it for your laptop when its connected to your TV?
Seems like it'd make more sense with the IPad than a smartphone. I think one of the reasons things like this went away is that cheap, portable laptops have become so much cheaper in the last 6-7 years. In the early 2000s lightweight laptops were expensive, and this was probably a large factor in driving pda + keyboard combo. Most people now can just use a smartphone + netbook/ultraportable, but for those who prefer the IPad to an ultraportable (I'm certainly not one, but to each his own) this would be great
@billobob I'd rather have an iPhone 4G + this than an iPad + this, or a laptop for on the go computing.
@billobob
I had one of these back in the day with my Handspring and it was great. But you're absolutely right about the fact that netbooks and ultra portables have reduced the need for a folding keyboard.
Even though it was small the PDA+Keyboard was still not quite pocketable. Especially if you have some keys and a wallet, unless you like putting weights in your cargo pant pockets; so a carrying case was necessary.
A 9" netbook takes roughly the same space as the PDA+keyboard, in one easy to carry piece, with comparable battery life, and you get a full OS.
I think they're cool, and if you're planning on sitting down and banging a book on your phone, it is definitely a must, but I'd prefer a thumb board (or whatever you want to call them).
If you have some sort of accessory that could snap onto the back of a phone like the Nexus One or the iPhone and contained a slide out keyboard that connected via Bluetooth, I think I would find that far more useful.
YMMV
@BigJayDogg3
It would be a niche product for sure. Most people that feel the need for a thumb keyboard just buy a phone with one. And besides all smartphone OS's (except for the iPhones) have at least a form factor that includes a thumb-able keyboard.
That being said, a thumb keyboard does not in any way shape or form compete speed wise with a real keyboard.
@Luxury Guy
There's no Snapdragon powered Android slider. Or one with a physical keyboard. The closest thing I know of is the Droid when its overclocked. I'm not moving to Verizon, and the Milestone can't flash ROMs. If it could, I'd get one.
@BigJayDogg3
Well you didn't say you needed Snapdragon too! A search on www.PDAdb.net for Android devices with keyboards shows that the Samsung Galaxy S Pro would be right up your alley... Snapdragon, sliding keyboard and all.
I like these "historical context" articles from Ross... the predictive articles, however, not so much
I still have my Stowaway for my HP Jornada...still have the Jornada too.
@vtblom
I have a Jornada too!
Hey Apple, notice that even this puny keyboard has both a Backspace AND Delete key?
Embarrassing.
@Information Central
Fn + delete, Mr. Info central, Fn + delete.
A. Using two hands to delete a character is asinine. Every other keyboard manufacturer recognizes the importance of a Delete key, to the extent of sacrificing other keys to have it when necessary. Apple doesn't even need to make that sacrifice, and yet it's still missing. Meanwhile, they have a dedicated, single-purpose key to eject seldom-used optical media. Idiotic.
B. It's unacceptable to rely on a secret hotkey to work around the lack of a basic keyboard function. The two-handed BS is bad enough, but moreover the function isn't indicated anywhere on the keyboard. Therefore, it might as well not exist. Apple has no problem putting dual glyphs on other keys; WTF is up with leaving out one of the most important?
I have one of those from ThinkOutside in the bluetooth form and used it on my Palms, then on my Nokia's and look forward to using it on an iPhone and/or iPad. I have one of the originals that folded in fourths around here as well and was part of a group that showed off the prototype back in 1996 (or was it '98? can;t remember at this point), but the proto was this scary fragile accordion type device with all the keys moving independently when it folded up. I swear I was going to break the thing as I open and closed it. Amazing devices and I am sad to hear that they are gone. Might have to snag a bluetooth one just to have a spare when this one dies.
Several companies, including Brando sell small Blue Tooth keyboards in the same spirit.
I've got one of the original ones that fold up into fourths for a Handspring Visor. I wore cargo pants to accommodate carrying my wallet, cell phone, Visor Pro, and the Stowaway. I use to take notes on it when I went to college. It was quite funny since everyone was using pencil and paper and I was the only one taking notes on something electronic.
I really wish it could do BT though. Maybe there's a module that''ll connect on to the Handspring dock connector and transform it into a bulky BT model. Sure it's not the more compact redesign, but I spent some hard earned cash on my toys and I'd like to get some mileage out of them.
I have the Visor one too, and did a quick search for the pinout for the connector. I found that Think Outside had published a detailed PDF showing not only the pinout, but describing everything you need to know to make an interface and driver for this thing:
www.splorp.com/pdf/stowawayhwref.pdf
Sad that a company with such ingenious products and a policy of sharing technical information with users has essentially disappeared. I'm mystified that they haven't revived the Bluetooth version.
@Information Central
Cool. Thanks for the link. Maybe something can be put together one day.
Yes, I agree; it's a shame that such an innovative company ended up shutting down.
Stowaway keyboards?
Voice input (a la Android) is where it's at!
@Johnny Rockets a keyboard is what even a 33MHz dragonball (not snapdragon) could handle. aaahhh
@Johnny Rockets: Clearly you don't have to actually do work on your device.
I still have my infra red version that I used to use with my Toshiba e800. It got a lot of use for Instant messenger at my desk (via bluetooth connection with my original HTC Orange phone) without stepping onto the company network :)
Unfortunately the Apple IPad Keyboard Doc does NOT support the IPhone...its does not Fit(it's too thick, and ruubs against the back of the dock). Perhaps the Iphone 4G will be thin enough?
Could be a few years for the 4G, though. The first phone wasn't 3G, and that was well after 3G was becoming widely available.
@Information Central Apples naming conventions are pretty messed up. I'm pretty sure he meant the 4th Generation iPhone, not an actual 4G iPhone.
We had the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and unless we get like a 3GX, the next one will be the 4G. Just my guess tho.
Little known fact, as far as I know Think Outside was founded by ex-Apple employees, as they invented the Stowaway keyboard.
I found the link between those while browsing Apple patents on some site that does cross-references between patent inventors. And when you think about it, the name of the company "Think Outside" was more than likely a pun on "Think Different" which was Apple's slogan at the time.
@casiotone
Maybe I shouldn't have stated it as a fact, as I can't find the link anymore and maybe I made a mistake along the way. Anyone can shed some light on this? Was Think Outside founded by Ex-Apple employees?
I have had two of these, first the old accordion style (which was awesome, complete with number row), and the one pictured above. I used them back in the day with my ipaq, and now it works with my iPhone and iPad! iGo has to re-release these babys!
@theseep
When does the HP cease and desist letter come citing the iPad to close a name to iPaq which could mislead customers?
Oh, never mind that's Apple tactic
I have a hard dock stowaway keyboard for an HP Jornada. It was perfect for hammering out reports in elementary school while away from home. Wish I could use one with my Android phone for notes in college.
I not only have a stowaway but am very happily using it for this message. I was just searching for another for a friend. Hope they bring back the model Sierra which I have used for Nokia phones, and Sansung Q1 Ultra.
@pmarrero
I have one of these for sale on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250635559440&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
This keyboard and a Dell Axim x51v got me through my first year of college. They worked together flawlessly. One of the chicks I sat next to ended up buying one midway through the semester because it was a hell of a lot better than lugging a 10lb notebook around Maryland's campus.
I'd love to see these make a resurgence alongside all of the tablets that are coming out now. In fact, I think I still have mine in storage somewhere. Let the search begin.
I have my old one for my Palm on my desk man I loved using it for taking long dictations, dont get me wrong I loved 'graphitti' still do even but man my had would cramp on long note taking sessions
http://mobilitysite.com/blogimages/Cook/iGowithSierraaNEWgenerationofbluetoothke_A301/b1374863.jpg
still have this guy... but mine was the physical connection to my HP Jordana
Just bought Phil Baker's book off amazon.