Review: Magnify the Size of Your PDA's On-Screen Keyboard with Phraze-It
Tired of the tiny on-screen keys on your Windows Mobile-based PDA or Pocket PC? We test drive Phraze-It Keyboard 2.0, a new app that turns those keys from Lilliputian to large--but at a cost.
With my Dell Axim X50v (Windows Mobile 5 device), I found that I could type words and sentences faster with the standard Windows Mobile keyboard and a stylus than with Phraze-It's enlarged keyboard. I used the software for several days; perhaps you could speed up your typing with repeated use. Finger or thumb typing was faster using Phraze-It than the standard on-screen keyboard because the standard keys are so tiny.
Final complaint: I found it difficult to edit documents without a stylus, because the text field isn't enlarged like the keys. The edges of the touch screen display proved less responsive than other areas, and this made it tough to use fingers or thumbs to position the scroll bars found in many Windows Mobile apps.
If you want a more computer-keyboard-like typing experience but don't necessarily need to type rapidly, you will find a friend in the Phraze-It Keyboard 2.0 software. Folks who prefer finger or thumb typing instead of using a stylus may also want to check out Phraze-It because its larger buttons can reduce typing errors and strain. But if typing speed is of the essence, look elsewhere.
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Everything BlackBerry with tips, news and reviews from our mobility expert Al Sacco.
