I have been searching for some time for the ideal text and data input solution for the Pocket PC.  This search has taken me through several stops, including: TypeText, Resco Keyboard (which I have not reviewed yet) PhatWare Calligrapher, external keyboards, and more.  With this background in mind, I reached the latest stop on my quest: Spb Full Screen Keyboard.

Installation and Registration: Spb Full Screen Keyboard follows the standard Spb installation procedure.  Simply download the setup file to your computer and install it via ActiveSync.  You can try it for 30 days before you will need to register.

Overview: Full Screen Keyboard.  The name says it all.  Spb recognized that one of the primary complaints of Pocket PC users is entering text with  the included on-screen keyboard.  The keys are too small and even for a hunt-and-peck typist like me, hunt-and-peck typing with a stylus is extremely difficult to do.  Spb’s alternative uses your whole screen to create a thumb-keyboard which you can use to enter text.  I liked this alternative, because it gives you a functioning keyboard which is close to the same size as that included with a Blackberry, Dash, Blackjack, and other smartphones, yet does not require an external peripheral for you to carry in your gadget bag and try to sync via Bluetooth every time you want to input text or data.

Full Screen Layout: The main viewing mode for the Spb Full Screen Keyboard is, obviously, in full screen.  Here, your entire screen is replaced with a fully functioning, skinnable keyboard.  By default, the keyboard will be displayed in landscape layout, which I found to be the most effective display.  In addition, however, Full Screen Keyboard will support square screen and portrait layouts (both shown above).  In addition to landscape layout, I did test portrait layout and found that the keys were far too squished to be useful.  As such, I primarily used it only in landscape mode. 

A screen at the top of the keyboard shows the text you are typing, including carriage instructions (bonus points to anyone who knows what carriage instructions are…or for that matter what a typewriter carriage is.)  I think I liked this view because it reminds me a lot of the old Brother electric typewriter I had when I was in high school (in the dark ages before a computer on every desktop became a reality). 

Obviously, unless your screen is quite a bit larger than mine, this solution would not be an ideal option for a touch typists.  The screen is far too small to fit all of your fingers in the home position.  Nonetheless, if you are a thumb typist or are familiar with thumb keyboards, this is an extremely easy alternative to learn and use.

When you are done typing, simply tap the close button and Full Screen Keyboard will close, returning you to your document.  Anything you typed in Full Screen Keyboard mode will be inputted on the screen, including any carriage instructions. 

Standard Keyboard Layout: One of the things I really liked about Full Screen Keyboard was the ability to not use it if you have only a small amount of text to input.  You can integrate Full Screen Keyboard with any other Soft Input Panel (SIP) on your device.  By doing so, a Full Screen Keyboard toggle button will simply be added to the upper left corner of the SIP.  Use any other SIP such as Resco Keyboard or PhatWare Calligrapher, or even the standard on-screen keyboard which comes with your device, and you can just tap the toggle button at any time to enter Full Screen Keyboard.  This is exactly the kind of flexibility and integration which I have come to expect and appreciate from Spb Software House.  It means that I have the flexibility to combine any SIP on my device with Full Screen Keyboard and switch between them quickly in order to facilitate the best possible method for entering text and data. 

Skins: I really like the look and feel of Spb’s Full Screen Keyboard, however, you may not.  You might feel it is too dark, too utilitarian, too…whatever.  For people like that, I am happy to report that Spb Full Screen Keyboard is completely skinnable. 

You can download a number of skins from the Spb Full Screen Keyboard website.  Additionally, if you are more adventurous than I am, you can download the Photoshop Skin Template and make your own skins in Adobe Photoshop.

In addition to skinning the look and feel of your device, however, Spb also offers a number of skins which remap the keys completely.  This is extremely helpful if you are need to input data in a language other than standard English.  National keymaps are available in:

• German 
• French
• Italian
• Russian
• Spanish
• Swedish
• Danish
• Hungarian

Customization:  One of the biggest complaints I hear about Pocket PC keyboards are their lack of tactile feedback.  In other words, without the resistance of a standard keyboard, it is difficult to know exactly when you have correctly tapped the keys.  In order to counter this complaint, Spb Full Screen Keyboard offers customizable keytap sounds and visualizations.  These go a long way toward overcoming this perceived weakness. 

Spb Full Screen Keyboard offers a variety of fully customizable keytap sounds.  This means you can utilize a myriad of sounds to represent any keytap or action.

 Additionally, you can change the visualization to highlight the key which has just been pushed.  You can even add a target which will appear and show you exactly where your finger touched the key.  I found this target was a fantastic tool for learning to use Spb Full Screen Keyboard. 

Word Completion: One of my favorite features in any SIP is a word completion dictionary.  Let’s be honest, entering text into the Pocket PC, even with the best tools, is not an easy task.  So, anything that makes it a little quicker and more intuitive is a welcome addition for me.  The word completion tool in Spb Full Screen Keyboard will begin suggesting words (the completion is highlighted in blue) after as few as 2 letters.  Once the word you are typing appears, simply tap it to complete the word.  It will even throw a space at the end so you will be ready to start the next word.

In addition to completing your words, Spb Full Screen Keyboard also includes a powerful word correction algorithm which will correct your spelling as you type.  You can select the level of sensitivity for the word correction filters.  The higher the sensitivity, the more variants will be checked in attempting to correct your mistakes.  Finally, this program can also be set to capitalize the first word of a sentence and the pronoun "I".  This is a fantastic feature for people like me who never quite seem to reach the shift key in sync with the letter I am typing.  Now, capitalization is automatic.

Conclusion: Let’s be honest.  Entering text into a PDA is a difficult endeavor.  Regardless of which method you choose, there are significant limitations.  Of all of the methods I have tried thus far, however, the Spb Full Screen Keyboard made entering data the least painful.  I really liked the on-screen equivalent of a thumb keyboard.  By using the whole screen instead of just the typical SIP area, the keys are large enough to be useful for typing with something other than a stylus.  To be fair, however, this keyboard is not for everyone. Users who are accustomed to touch typing will probably have a difficult time adjusting to this manner of input.  If you prefer a hunt-and-peck or (even better) thumb style of typing, then this is probably the best option available for you.  Nonetheless, there are still plenty of keyboards and SIPs which I have yet to try, so my quest will continue.  However, Full Screen Keyboard will prove a mighty hard act to follow.

Vital Statistics:

Name: Full Screen Keyboard

Version: 3.01

Platform: WM 2003 SE

Also Available: Pocket PC 2002, WM5. 

Developer: Spb Software House

Price:          $9.95

Available From: Spb Software House

                           JAMM Store

Technorati Tags: Spb Software House – Full Screen Keyboard – SIP – justanothermobilemonday

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