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Explore GizmagThanko's full-size USB keyboard folds to fit your pocket
By Rick Martin
22:21 April 25, 2010
Thanko's full-size USB keyboard folds to fit your pocket
Image Gallery (5 images)Here's another USB gem from Japanese gadget giant Thanko. Its full-size USB keyboard is broken into four connected quarter segments, allowing it to be folded over into a pocket-size rectangular shape. With the growing popularity of portable notebooks and tablets with smaller, cramped keyboards, having a full-size keyboard like this to tote around in your pocket might be a nice complement.
Thanko's keyboard is indeed full-size. The key pitch (distance from the middle of one key to the next) is 19mm, and the body dimensions measure 13.8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches (350 x 129 x 10mm). Compare this to its diminutive size when folded, which is 3.6 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches (91 x 129 x 20mm). It's fairly lightweight as well, weighing in at just over 8 ounces. The keyboard works with standard Windows and Mac operating systems.
To see exactly how the keyboard folds, check out Thanko's promo video below. When it's initially unfolded the keyboard does have some gaps between the segments, but they ingeniously slide into place thanks to some clever design.
Thanko's keyboard combined with an iPad could make for an intriguing combo to take on a plane, provided that you have the necessary USB adaptor of course. Throw in this retro phone handset and you would be the most annoying seat-mate ever!
For now, Thanko's keyboard can be purchased via the product page, but stay tuned to novelty sites like ThinkGeek as likely resellers of this device.
Didn't Targus make one almost exactly like this? I seem to remember having and using one with my Treo 300 way back when.
David Donovan
- April 26, 2010 @ 06:34 am PDT
No USB adapter on the iPad. So unless they have a built in connector, this is a nog for the iPad.
Farokh Monajem
- April 26, 2010 @ 06:34 am PDT
yeah here it is. The Targus Stowaway: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h-NF-aTz-9o/Sq6P9eA_GXI/AAAAAAAAAuA/KKPGP15IFIc/s400/419798SV02L.jpg
David Donovan
- April 26, 2010 @ 06:36 am PDT
This is the old stowaway wireless ir/bluetooth keyboard with a USB cable port. I use one and it works very well. Why they never had a USB cabled version might be a good question.
Arthur Hu
- April 26, 2010 @ 09:13 am PDT
I have one of these at home. It's at least 5 years old. From the days before the ubiquitous usb port, anyway--the connection on it is to a PDA that has long since died. I'm glad someone put a usb port on this! Anyway, if it really is identical to mine, it's a nice little unit. Now to go buy one. (I doubt there's an adapter).
rogersgeorge
- April 26, 2010 @ 09:34 am PDT
This is a copy of the Palm Portable Keyboard! Even the application buttons on the right side!
Judge for yourself...
http://images.google.com/images?q=palm portable keyboard
http://www.ioffer.com/img/1082703600/_i/2842011/1.jpg
Whynot
- April 26, 2010 @ 01:39 pm PDT
Not at all new. That's the old Targus Stowaway Palm PDA keyboard with the interface changed to USB. The shape, the size, the way the ends slide are identical to the one I had years ago for my Handspring Visor Platinum.
See it here for the iPaq 3600 http://the-gadgeteer.com/2001/02/16/stowaway_portable_keyboard_review-2/
Facebook User
- April 26, 2010 @ 04:17 pm PDT
Before it was Targus Stowaway, Palm Portable, etc, it was actually designed and manufactured by a company called "ThinkOutside". I have one.
http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/03/09/think-outside_98TL6_58.jpg
Michael Husman
- April 28, 2010 @ 06:54 pm PDT
I think this keyboard no use, desktop computers do not have access, IPAD also do not need.
gps dvd
- April 28, 2010 @ 09:30 pm PDT
I have used this keyboard since the heydays of Casio's Cassipeia PDA!
Leon Aguilera Radford
- May 26, 2010 @ 08:37 am PDT
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This folding keyboard (and I mean EXACTLY this keyboard, maybe with different branding) can be bought all over the world for at least 10 years! I bought it 10 years ago in the Czech Republic and I saw it being sold in Germany, Hungary and Dubai - all of those more than 5 years ago.