It doesn’t get any more "hands on" than an actual keyboard review, now does it? I passed along a great deal on the new Think Outside Sierra Bluetooth keyboard last week (just $98 at Amazon) right after I ordered it. Lo and behold, Mr. FedEx dropped off a box only 2 business days later! Now my mobile office is completely wireless and can be carried in one hand.
I’ll cut to the chase right now and begin with the end: when asked how this keyboard works, here was my response after using it for just one hour:
"If I close my eyes and start typing, I can’t tell the difference between this portable keyboard and a notebook keyboard." OK, I gave you the summary first because of all the pictures after the jump. For all of the eye-candy pics and first impressions, read on….
Right out of the box, I was impressed. The outside of the keyboard is a shiny metal, that doubles as a mirror. Of course, if you’re vain like me and have to check your hair gel every hour, you’ll soon see fingerprints all over the outside can get a little annoying. However, there is a microfiber cloth included that cleans up the keyboard in a jif. From a size perspective, the Sierra takes up roughly the same folded footprint as my older "Sonoma" model:
The larger keyboard of the Sierra however, does require the device to be thicker than its predecessor. Keep in mind the older Sonoma model folds in half; the new Sierra folds into quarters, so the thickness is to be expected. Here you can see the Sierra in the middle, the Sonoma to the left, an XV6700 to the right and Sammy in the background to compare the thickness:
I’m not finding the extra thickness to be an issue. It’s a small price to pay for the additional functionality and productivity. To open the Sierra, there’s a solid slide-button on the side. Simply slide the button down and the keyboard unfolds. Here’s a sequence of the keyboard opening to give you a complete picture (or 5) of the innovative unfolding mechanism:
Open the sides and you’re halfway there.
Now unfolded, you can see gaps in the keys for the hinging. Don’t worry.
There’s a long red handle on the left and right side. Use these to slide the keys together and…
Speaking of work: how does it work? After just one hour of typing, I knew I’d never go back to the Sonoma model. Here are a number of reasons why:
- The extra row of keys for numbers and Function keys saves a few seconds each time I need to type a number. Those seconds add up.
- The entire keyboard is just like a notebook keyboard; there aren’t any compromises.
- This version is flatter on the workspace and is much more stable; there isn’t any balancing or rocking problems.
- There are extra hot-keys that really come in handy for a mobile device; one-touch for Contacts, Calendar, Mail and Internet.
- The device uses a single AAA battery, not two AAA’s like the Sonoma.
- No drivers were needed in XP; simply pair the devices and XP does the rest.
Here’s a quick pic of the above mentioned hot-keys, just to give you an idea:
I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing anything on this keyboard. I have all of the keys I need in a fold-able package. The overall footprint of the Sierra is larger than the Sonoma, but that’s a compromise I’m more than willing to make. Speaking of the footprint, let’s give you an idea of the difference between the two keyboards:
Those dedicated number keys on the top make all the difference in the world!
Oh, I almost forgot about the included device stand! On the Sonoma model, the device stand was attached so that you could place a smartphone or handheld right on the keyboard. I removed mine; you can see the two attachment holes in the pic above. On the Sierra, you won’t see a device stand…but it’s there, nonetheless!
If you flip the keyboard over, you can see that the device stand is removable and is inserted against the keyboard for storage. Great idea!
The thin stand is on the back. Just remove it and unfold it.
Now you have a stand for your mobile device!
The Sierra is roughly double the thickness and double the weight of the Sonoma, but it has already become a permanent fixture in my mobile gadget bag. Remember that this keyboard will work with over 500 Bluetooth devices, per the included product documentation. This one keyboard can be used for multiple devices if you have them, so it can easily be extended to a Smartphone, Palm, etc….making it well worth the purchase.
For more info, check out the product page. If you have any specific questions, just leave ‘em in the comments and I’ll use "Sierra" to whip up a response!
[Edit: I originally called the older model the "Shasta", but James pointed out that the Shasta was the Blackberry model; all references to Shasta were corrected to the "Sonoma" model.]






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