Motorola, Nextel Unveil Cell Phone Keyboard

Nextel will market a full-size portable keyboard that can plug into your cell phone. The IBoard was designed by Think Outside for Motorola and will work on several Motorola phones.

The IBoard is designed for mobile workers and is comparable to the size and feel of a laptop keyboard, according to Motorola. It works with current Motorola I85 and I50sx phones and will be compatible with future versions of Motorola phones. Motorola suggests a retail price of $99, although Nextel will set the figure.

It is the first keyboard of its type for mobile phones, says Jonathan Eunice, principal analyst at Illuminata.

Keyboard Expands, Folds

Users can compose e-mail, surf the Web, and enter information into the date book or notepad functions on a keyboard that expands to 13.5 inches by 5 inches by 0.75 inches. The unit measures from 3.5 inches by 5 inches by 0.75 inches when collapsed. The keyboard will also have special function keys unique to Nextel services, so customers can access Nextel's Web services through their cell phones.

Mobile communication companies are "looking for the magical combination" of features and accessories, says analyst Eunice. The new IBoard represents an important step in the development of mobile technologies, as users will now have to consider whether they should own both a cell phone and a personal digital assistant, he said.

Add-on keyboards for cell phones are also available from L.M. Ericsson and Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry pager, Eunice notes. Also, larger plug-in keyboards are available for personal digital assistants--which may also have phone capabilities. But he says no one else has developed a full-size keyboard for ease of typing.