PDA accessories are always a tricky business -- you've really got to be in love with that particular model of PDA if you're going to start forking out for accessories that, chances are, won't fit your next organiser.
These accessories for the HP Jornada 560 series are a mixed bunch. First of all there's the pocket keyboard that clips in place over the front of the Jornada. The keyboard covers the entire section where the buttons are located, and there's a plastic flip-cover over the screen portion. Installation is a little clumsy—not only do you need to install drivers for the keyboard to work, but you need to run the drivers manually each time you attach the keyboard; the Jornada doesn't auto-detect. The driver lets you adjust settings such as the auto-repeat rate and delay.
The keyboard layout is a little weird with only three rows of keys; you can enter numbers and punctuation by holding down the “special” key. It takes some getting used to, particularly with the backspace key being where you'd expect the enter key to be. Typing is definitely a two-finger job, and we found only marginal improvements in speed compared with Pocket PC's handwriting recognition, although accuracy was much better.
The PC Card adaptor is also a little fiddly, but addresses one of the key frustrations with the Jornada 560, namely that the Type I CompactFlash (CF) slot won't accept any 802.11b wireless LAN cards (which are all Type II).
Assembling the PC Card adaptor is more complicated than you'd expect. It's a sled configuration similar to the Compaq iPAQ, but it's not just a matter of clipping it on the back. First you have to remove the battery and put in the chunky extended battery. This isn't such a bad idea considering how much power PC Cards can draw, but takes quite a while to charge up. And in case you were wondering why your Jornada's cradle has a little bit of removable plastic, it's so the Jornada can still fit into the cradle with the extended battery attached.
Once you've installed the battery, you remove the cover from the CF slot, and the sled slots into the CF slot and the extended battery. It comes with a spare stylus, since you won't be able to access the Jornada's stylus once the sled is on, but you will need to remove the sled to get to the reset button.
If you're just using the PC Card functionality, you won't need any drivers, but you will need drivers if you're going to use the MMC slot that's also included
The sled isn't all that heavy, but it adds considerably to the bulk of the device. The extended battery, sled, and a PC Card will about double the total weight from 172g to around 340g. The combined unit still fits comfortably in your hand, but not in your pocket (unless it's one of those enormous cargo pants pockets).
Overall, the keyboard is a worthwhile investment if you do a lot of data entry, or don't like the handwriting recognition. The PC Card adaptor is really useful it you need to add peripherals that you can't get in CF format.
Hewlett-Packard Jornada PC Card Adapter and Flip-lid Keyboard
Company: Hewlett-Packard Australia
Price: PC Card Adapter AU$369, Keyboard AU$199
Distributor: Selected Resellers
Phone: 13 13 47
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I am desperately wanting to buy a charger for my "Toshiba Satellite M30 System Unit". The charger (or AC Adaptor) has a DC of 15V output.
Please supply me with one or advise me on where I can purchase one from.
Cheers!
Dr Allan Marat