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Several third-party vendors offer portable Palm keyboards for occasions when entering text through the pen stylus is just too cumbersome. But a clever application originally written for the Apple Newton also works to let you enter, cut and paste text directly into the Palm through your PC keyboard under Windows 95 or 98. There are definite advantages to being able to enter text directly into a Palm through a PC keyboard. For one thing, it's a lot faster than pecking away with the Palm pen stylus. For another, you can transfer large blocks of text quickly into any Palm application using the Windows clipboard. Here's how.

1. Download the freeware Keyz application. We've got it waiting for you on FileWorld. Unzip the file and install the Keyz.prc application on your Palm. (If you're running Palm OS 3 or above, avoid using the Hackmaster version (Keyshack.prc), which is also included in the .zip file.)
   
   
2. Tap the Palm Application button, open the Preferences applet, and turn off "Beam Receive."
   
   
3. Make sure the Palm cradle is attached to your PC. If the Palm HotSync Manager is running in the Windows System Tray, right-click the icon and select Exit. Now open the HyperTerminal folder (Start, Programs, Accessories, Communication, HyperTerminal.) If HyperTerminal is not installed, you'll need to head for the Windows Setup tab of the Add/Remove Programs Control Panel to add it to your system.
   
   
4. From the HyperTerminal folder, double-click Hypertrm. In the Connection Description dialog box enter "Palm" as the name of your new connection profile. In the next dialog, open the "Connect using" dropdown list and choose "Direct to COMx" where "x" is serial port to which your Palm cradle is attached (usually 1 or 2). Click OK.
   
   
5. In the next dialog, set the connection speed to 9600, 8 data bits, No parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow control. Click OK to continue. When the terminal window opens, choose File, Properties and set Terminal Emulation to VT100. Click OK.
   
   
6. Now, before inserting your Palm device into the cradle, tap the Application button, open the Keyz applet and click the Options button on the Welcome screen. On the first options screen, click the dropdown arrow near the top and switch the communication mode from "Newton" to "PC Terminal." Click the Next button and click it again on the next screen to get to the third options screen.
   
   
7. This next part has to be done carefully, or the PC connection won't work. On the third options screen, click the dropdown arrow after the Start option and change the Launch event to "Upper left-hand corner." Tap the upper left corner of the Palm screen using the stylus pen and you should hear a beep that acknowledges Keyz has been switched on.
   
   
8. Now put the Palm in its cradle, tap the Application button and select an application for data entry, such as the Datebook, or any other program that accepts text entry. When you type into the HyperTerminal window, your keystrokes will be sent directly to your Palm device. You can transfer a block of text from Windows to the Palm by copying it to the Windows clipboard from any application and pasting it into the HyperTerminal window. You can also enter Escape code sequences in the HyperTerminal window to execute commands remotely on the Palm. (See the Readme.txt and Escapecodes.txt documents included in the Keyz package for instructions on this.)
   
   

When you need to HotSync through the cradle, launch HotSync manager and the Keyz application will turn itself off. To reactivate PC keyboard entry to the Palm, exit HotSync, lift the Palm off the cradle, open the Keyz application on the Palm and tap in the upper left-hand corner again. Then put the Palm back into its cradle and switch to or reopen your Palm HyperTerminal connection profile.