To Keyboard or Not to Keyboard

People ask me all the time whether they should get a PDA with a keyboard. Many PDAs including the Blackberry use a small integrated keyboard for data entry. The biggest factor in making that decision is based on the length of your fingernails. People with long fingernails typically have more trouble using a small keyboard. The keys are very small and short and are difficult to press easily if your fingernails are too long. How long is perfect? The ideal range is between 1/32nd and 1/16th of an inch. That’s pretty short. I find I need to clip my thumbnails about once a week to keep them at an ideal length.

Another factor is the size of your thumbs. The wider your thumbs, the more difficult it is to press a key precisely. Your thumb will spread over multiple keys and you may press the wrong key by mistake. Of course, you have the same issues with a standard cell phone. Thank goodness for speed dial. Smartphones also have speed dial capability.

Your other option is to use handwriting recognition. You may want to try out the handwriting recognition capabilities of Palm PDAs and Pocket PC PDAs (based on Windows Mobile) before you make your decision. They each have strengths and weaknesses. In addition, you can also use the small onscreen keyboard for selecting certain characters. It can be useful at times.

You can attach an external keyboard to some PDAs for serious data entry. And, finally, save the heavy data entry for your computer and then just synchronize with your PDA.