Good niche keyboard
Written: Oct 12 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works well
Cons: 10 Key pad shared with alpha keys
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| stevelarrison's Full Review: Surf Mate 3000 |
First of all, lets examine why someone would want to purchase a wireless keyboard as opposed to a conventional keyboard. Two reasons come to mind - Inaccessability of the computer from a preferred typing spot, or home entertainment. Face it, although the technology works well ( I am typing this epinion a Surfmate 3000 ), it does have disadvantages to a conventional keyboard.
I will rate this keyboard on 2 aspects, useability, and effectiveness of the wireless technology.
I have mixed emotions on useability. The touch of the keyboard is very nice. Keys feel properly firm, and spacing is correct. (Note: These are important issues to me. I am a touch typist, and I have very large hands. ) It is possible to use this as an effective data entry tool AS LONG AS 10 KEY PAD IS NOT IMPORTANT. In order to save space, various keys are dual-mapped. For example, the number 4 on the 10 key pad appears on the letter "U". The num lock key toggles the 10 key pad area from alpha to numeric. This would be unacceptable for "head-down" data entry where both alpha keys, and 10 key pad are used, however it does not prove to be inconvenient for me in software development.
The other aspect this keyboard should be rated on is effectiveness of the technology. The keyboard uses 4 AA batteries. Although I haven't tracked it closely, you do get a resonable life out of a set of batteries. (Replace every 2 or 3 months with heavy computer usage.) For the most part, the wireless technology works very well. There is a tranceiver that plugs into the serial port and keyboard port of your PC. It uses line-of-sight technology, so the transceiver must be placed within direct sight of the transceiver. The only problem I experience is if I am working at my desk, drinking a diet coke, and I set the can down between the keyboard and the transceiver. If I set it in the wrong spot, occassionally, it interfers with proper function of the keyboard.
All in all, I would say that if you have a need for wireless keyboard technology, I would recommend this product
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 69
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Epinions.com ID:
stevelarrison
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Member: Steve Larrison
Location: Scottsdale, Az. USA
Reviews written: 171
Trusted by: 198 members
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Beer, the answer to, and the cause of all life's problems.
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