68kMLA Classic Interface
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| Click here to select a new forum. | | 1400 owners input - Keyboard - How is it? | Posted by: KnobsNSwitches on 2017-12-13 06:46:57
This is a silly question, but I've never used a 1400. I have a PowerBook Duo 280 for my vintage PowerBook-ing, but I really don't like the keyboard. (I owned a 280c about 20 years ago, and I guess I forgot how far mobile keyboards have come.)
Is the 1400 keyboard that much better than a duo?
Also for ease of file moving having PCMCIA slots sounds appealing.
Sounds like 1400 batteries are reasonably easy to re-cell as well.
| Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2017-12-13 09:00:00
Night and day! Best of the PowerBook KBDs according to many. I like it a little better than my PDQ's and Pismo's, but not by a whole lot. Definitely better than my 12" G4.
Early Duo KBDs were not good to say the least, later revs were a bit more stiff in frame, and even a bit less mooshy of key, but from a size/portability tradeoff standpoint, it was the only the shadowy part of a sterling silver lined cirrus cloud. A brand new PB100 was my first portable. Loved its sub-notebook form factor, found the smaller KBD perfectly usable. So Notebook/Laptop size KBD size wasn't an issue. The 230 KBD wasn't either because it came used with a Dock and was a delight in the field. 2300c's KBD was much better, which isn't really saying much to anyone collecting PBs without having actually used them when they were current. They've no referent for actually using a nineties era PowerBook KBD on the road.
Point of the story: setting up a used/maxed out 1400c as a wardriver was my first introduction to a full size PowerBook and its KBD was heavenly for that. However it never replaced the 2300c as my daily driver when I needed one. Ultralight, ultra-small, ultra-expandable dockable goodness of the Duo System while in real world service remains unsurpassed unless Thunderbolt has become workable.
After I closed up shop, portability was no longer an overriding factor. The 1400c/466MHz G3/WiFi/heavenly keyboarded wardriver ruled, until the entry of HP-Mini. You'll love the 1400. 😉
| Posted by: KnobsNSwitches on 2017-12-13 09:51:15
Now that is a thorough reply. Thanks! You've sold me.
| Posted by: Byrd on 2017-12-13 13:52:51
The PB Duo keyboard verged on making what is a good computer terrible, even when new. Any other Apple portable keyboard is pretty good.
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