Weighing less than a couple of chocolate bars and rolling up to fit neatly into a briefcase, portable keyboards certainly live up to their name…

Weighing less than a couple of chocolate bars and rolling up to fit neatly into a briefcase, portable keyboards certainly live up to their name. The keyboard from Eleksen Group, for example, has the traditional QWERTY layout, is Bluetooth enabled and compatible with devices from BlackBerry, Nokia, Palm and Microsoft, among others. The makers claim it offers an ‘ergonomically superior input alternative’ to small keypads, which suggests it will make doing anything more complex than simple messaging a great deal easier.

‘Smartphones and mobile applications are a real growth area for enterprises who want their employees out with their customers as much as they can be,’ explains Andrew Newman, the keyboard’s product manager. ‘The keyboard works for either sophisticated smartphone users or novices because it combines the familiar functionality and layout one expects in a traditional keyboard with a greater degree of portability to ensure it can be used in any location.’

The keyboard is available to corporate customers for around £40 and Eleksen extols the added bonus that it has ‘no mechanical parts, with a wipe-clean finish that is extremely durable and won’t get damaged by coffee spillages or cake crumbs’. Messy eaters rejoice.