Compatibility Issues - Adesso Tru-Form USB Keyboard for Macintosh
Written: Mar 01 '03 (Updated Apr 23 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ergonomic design. Appearance
Cons: USB ports poorly placed/manufactured. OS X compatibility issues
The Bottom Line: I would not recommend this for new iMac/OS X users. I think it might be fine for older OS's or iMac/PowerMac users.
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| pilotpat's Full Review: Adesso Tru-Form (EKB-2100) Keyboard |
I purchased this from e-cost for a very reasonable cost - $51. Shipping was "free" - but there was a $6.95 "handling fee" which is about what I'd expect to pay for shipping. But it was the best price I could find on the net or elsewhere.
Out of the box, the design is very pleasing to the eye. The USB cord is definitely long enough - much longer than the Apple Pro keyboard that came with my iMac G4. However, it appears to be less than sturdy where it enters the keyboard.
The USB ports are in the center of the back of the keyboard, not nearly as convenient as the end ports on the stock keyboard. The top port was poorly manufactured, and was nearly impossible to plug devices into (and once I worked my mouse into it, I couldn't get enough purchase on the plug to pull it out).
The plastic that the keyboard base is made of is of similar quality to other keyboards in this price range, but not on par with the polycarbonate-style hard plastic of the ApplePro and other slightly higher-priced boards.
Once plugged in, the keyboard appeared to function well, and the optical mouse received power, but would not communicate with the computer. Other USB devices (such as a Palm cradle) functioned normally. I later discovered that Adesso's website says that there are some compatibility issues with OS X that they are working on.
The only true technical support available was during business hrs M-F. When I called on Friday night, the rep who answered took down all the information on my OS, model number, etc, read the info off their support webpage, and then told me that he couldn't help me and that I should call back Monday. Calling back on Monday, I spoke to "Michael" and described the problem. He said that "there is a known issue with the ApplePro mouse circuitry that only allows it to work with the ApplePro keyboard." "Any other USB mouse will work properly with the keyboard, or you can run your mouse through a separate USB port." I have boxed the keyboard for return, so I cannot check if this is true.
Functionally, there is a power button on the top right corner that is somewhat nice, but unnecessary. Missing are the volume, mute, and CD eject buttons from the ApplePro keyboard. There are workarounds for this, but they are not ideal. F12 evidently works to eject the CD, and you can make hot key short-cuts for the volume or use onscreen commands instead, which will not work in most games.
The keyboard itself is well laid out and the key feel is nice. I like the split space bar idea better than the huge combined spacebar on the Microsoft Natural keyboards.
The connectivity problem, combined with the missing buttons and some questionable manufacture issues, was enough to convince me to send it back.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 51
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Epinions.com ID:
pilotpat
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Member: Pat
Location: World Traveler
Reviews written: 96
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"Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now."
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