Ask Engadget: Best wireless keyboard for living room?
By Darren Murph 
posted April 17th 2009 1:34AM
posted April 17th 2009 1:34AM
Unbeknown to you, you've just stumbled upon this week's Ask Engadget. If you want to get in on this action, feel free to drop us an inquiry at ask at engadget dawt com. Before you get those gears turning, we'd invite you to chime in on Mitch's question below:"With the upcoming release of Ion-based "nettops," I'll be in the market to buy one and I'll also be looking to buy a wireless keyboard and mouse for my living room. Some things I would like to see on the keyboard are prices below $100 and backlit if possible. Media buttons would be nice but aren't totally necessary. Thanks!"
Timely question, Mitch. Considering that the AspireRevo is just the first of many miniature PCs that'll undoubtedly be headed to dens across the globe, we figure you're not alone in wondering about the perfect keyboard to pair with it. So, readers -- whatcha got?
The Wii-board. I bought one for $35 on sale and the blue tooth is awesome. The size is perfect...
The only thing it is lacking is a touchpad (like the dinovo or thinkpad) but the price is right (if you can get it on sale!)
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/wii/devices/4564&cl=US,EN
This, then?
Logitech Dinovo Edge Bluetooth Rechargable Wireless Keyboard - pricey but well worth the $$$. Looks sexy as hell as well - perfect for the living room
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119977/show_product_overview
@GadGetGuru
I have a DiNovo Edge and I had to remove it from the living room (and move it to my office) because it's far to heavy and big for a living room and because it's charging base takes too much space.
Instead I bought the excellent "Microsoft wireless entertrainement keyboard 7000" which includes 2 different kinds of trackpads and it comes with the laser , rechargeable "wireless laser mouse 8000" for those moments in which you really want a mouse.
It's better looking than the diNovo, lighter, smaller, has a longer range, it's more precise, and far more versatile and easy to use .
I use it only with my HTPC set up , but I've had it for about 3 years and I still have to replace the batteries for the first time.
A bit pricey but worth every penny.
so what about Microsoft costly keyboards... are they not good or upto the mark
I really like the Dinovo Mini by Logitech.
There's another keyboard with a trackpad built in it, when I rememeber the name I'll post again. It's not a popular brand though...
I quite like my dinovo mini too; works great for the htpc
although it is a little pricey
The reason I picked the Mini for my setup is that I didn't want a standard sized keyboard in my living room. The dinovo works perfectly and typing on it feels pretty naturally....kind of like a really big smartphone. One of the things that hit it home for me (and that made me swallow the price) is that it's guaranteed to work at least software-wise for years to come, since Logitech releases drivers frequently.
Also, regarding the price - it can be picked up way cheaper than suggested retail if you don't mind buying them refurbed or used.
Definitely. Awesome little device.
The mini feels a little cheap for the $100+ pricetag, but if the kind of keyboard you want is the kind that hides well, this is by far the most functional and best option. Whenever my friends are over, they would say "huh, nice keyboard" about the Dinovo edge, but they'dd say "Wow! Thats a keyboard!?!?" about the mini. I think the cellphone-like form factor gives it a little bit of an "aha!" factor.
agreed .. love my dinovo mini. keyboard plus trackpad in nice remote-sized package.
I too love my Mini. If you're looking to do a decent amount of typing then it's not the logical choice, but for an HTPC setup it's beyond perfect. My girlfriend actually just commented last week that it's probably the best thing I've bought in quite some time. She loves it compared to the wireless mouse/keyboard that I had out in the living room previously.
Or a G1 with Gmote. Touchscreen is the trackpad mouse and keyboard is the uh... keyboard.
USB Wireless Slim Keyboard + Touch Pad
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00447
by MCSAITE.
Using a logitech denovo edge, and i must say, I'm pretty happy. Has media buttons, "parts" are lit (hold function and you get some lights), the touchpad mouse works really well and has seperate buttons, volume controls, a few programmable buttons, and is comfortable to hold in your lap but light enough to hold in one hand. Charging this thing once a month or less, it holds a charge for a LONG time.
If anyone else knows of a backlit wireless keyboard, i would like to see it.
Shintaro RF keyboard with built in trackball, ~$35
Cheap and it does what its meant to!
Backlit, buy a torch,
+ one, without doubt the best one, the trackball is a great feature
I found the products. They're from a company called Adesso. The 4100UB and 4000US look like pretty viable living room media center options.
I use Adessos in a production environment and these things get covered in sawdust, spilled on, dropped, and generally mishandled. They're built like a rock.
I have the Adesso WKB-3000UB per a friend's recommendation and have been very happy. Works well from a distance (25') unlike the logitech EX110 that I originally tried. The Adesso has been knocked off the table by two toddlers more times than I can count and it still works like a champ.
I have been using the WKB-4000US with my HTPC at home for 2 years and its fantastic, the batteries last for ages too.
Highly recommend
I love my Adesso WKB-4000US. It doesn't use real Bluetooth, but comes with a USB RF receiver that works perfectly well with my Mac mini that I'm using to drive my bedroom TV. Using a Windows-based keyboard with a Mac is just slightly strange, but once you realize that the Windows key is the command/open Apple key, you're golden. The trackpad scroll feature also works with the Mac (dragging your finger along the right edge of the pad).
The battery life, as noted by others, is exceptional, and the range is good. We use the keyboard from the bed which is perhaps 20 feet from the computer and receiver (which is inside a closet and thus behind a wall). Great response from the keyboard, and ideal to have a trackpad and keyboard all-in-one.
The Logitech Cordless MediaBoard Pro is great. It is a blue tooth keyboard that is made for the playstation 3, but I bought it for my HTPC, it has an integrated touchpad, only downside is it is missing a "Windows" key, but other than that it's great.
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/playstation_3/keyboards/devices/3616&cl=us,en
How secure are they? Is the geek in the flat below me recording everything I type because the encryption algorithms are a piece of pi55 to hack?
I personally use Apple's Bluetooth Aluminum keyboard. It has the volume, pause, play, rewind and forward on the top row. It works with both windows and OS X. It powered down when not using it, and the very second you hit any key it will turn back on as well as waking the computer up if it is asleep. Not to mention how stylish and thin it is. You don't ever realize how thin it is until you actually hold it. +1 for Apple Bluetooth keyboard.
If you're not using this as your main computer, my vote goes for the DiNovo Mini. I got a barely used one for $100, and you can find refurbs for the same price on eBay. I know it's a lot, but it's worth it
I use the Adesso 3000. I've tried many keyboards for the living room, and this one has been by far the best. It has a pretty good range at around 25ft. The track ball is a little jumpy at times, but decent enough for light-duty surfing activities. It's comfortable to hold and solid in the lap, but by far it's best feature is the built-in scroll wheel that located in the "trigger" position.
The iPhone.... running the WinRemote app... most likely the pc in living room hooked up to your TV is probably serving up your media versus being used for word processing/presentations so the WinRemote app for the iphone works great for this. You run a servlet app on your pc and the iphone connects to it... acts like an awesome touchpad and has the ability to toggle to a keyboard as well. You don't have to worry about distance... I had a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse and both would be very intermittent since I'm about 8 feet away from the TV while sitting on the couch. Since the iphone connects through your wifi network and communicates to your pc via ip, distance isn't an issue. In addition to this, if you run VNC on your computer, the iphone has a couple of great vnc viewers... my fav is Jaadu --- and if your pc supports wake on lan, there's an iphone app that allows you to send the magic packet to turn your pc on... and the best part is not needing to find a place to hide a physical keyboard when your not using your pc.... I'm not an apple fanboy by any means though I am sounding a bit like the apple iphone commercial...... there's an app for it......
Dedicated keyboard>any phone
Come here to check if every article gets some iphone tards. You just proved it.
Fuck, while you're at it, chain a whole string of iPhones together. One for the monitor, one to either side for stereo speakers, one for the keyboard, and one for the touch pad.
Right?
The iphone works great as a mouse/keyboard setup on a HTPC. I use air mouse from the app store, and it does EVERYTHING you need it to. The touch screen works great as a touchpad mouse, which is the main function I need at the HTPC. A htpc keyboard is not for typing novels, so it's perfect for this function.
To the person that says keyboard>any phone, if you're looking to do a lot of typing on your HTPC, you're not using it right!
Not to sound like a fanboy, but I'd recommend the Apple wireless keyboard to any mac user. I got one to use with my flatscreen. It's slim and the battery life is really great.
not just for mac users. i'm using an apple wired keyboard with my PC right now, if i were in the market for a wireless one i'd get another apple keyboard for sure.
Yeah, they're not bad, but you also need a wireless mouse, and unless you've got a hard armrest or a lap table, you're going to need a coffee table, I prefer to get a keyboard/touchpad combo.
I've had my eye on the apple wireless keyboard for a while, to use with my PC. It looks really nice and it's not too big.
Who needs a mouse to run a PC??
Though, I suppose my HUGE pinkie finger does deserve a break from hitting tab all goram day...
It would definately be a small (Lenovo) keyboard with trackpoint. I am just not sure if it exists wireless :)
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=080
MS Desktop 8000 keyboard (backlit) with laser mouse
I got a similar one but cheaper and less features: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109059
Whatever you do DON'T get and IR keyboard, go RF or blue tooth. I had the first Media Center Keyboard from Microsoft and it sucks as a keyboard, the key presses were spotty and I found myself press keys twice and checking after everykey press to make sure it typed right. IR can be very frustrating.
I second that, it's a great keyboard although it does look like something from the future. The backlighting is exceptional, the best I've seen on any keyboard and obviously a consideration when you're typing in the dark. It also has a trackpad built in and the powered charging dock doubles as a USB hub.
I've got the Logitech MediaBoard Pro which is not bad for the price. It certainly looks good: http://digitek.net.au/2008/10/logitech-mediaboard-pro-review-bluetooth-keyboard-with-touchpad/
It is advertised as a PS3 board but it works with PCs just fine.
I would recommend against bluetooth boards though, you can't use them in BIOS which has been a big pain for me.
Cordless MediaBoard Pro for PlayStation 3. Hands down my favorite HTPC MediaBoard.
Bluetooth / Some Media Controls / Touch pad and keyboard on the same board (lap friendly)
For those of you that don't know, Windows (Vista at least) does have the driver for this keyboard and mouse combo even though it doesn't come with the board. Just sync it :D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823110017
(If you can find one, of course)
I've had mine for 1.5 years or so, and it's built like a tank. Very basic and the mouse/joystick takes some getting used to, but I'm very happy with it. I've learned to use it in the dark. The keys are pretty easy to memorize.
Without a doubt the Logitech dinovo mini
If you have a Mac, the best would be the Logitech DiNovo Edge which includes a nice trackpad and direct controls for your Front Row... better yet when you load up Boxee or Plex and watch amazing internet videos and netflix instant watch on your HDTV.
Ok, for a computer in a den, it would be convenient to have trackpad/mouse with in the keyboard. So i would suggest Adesso SlimTouch Pro Keyboard with built-in Touchpad.
http://www.adesso.com/products_detail.asp?productid=326
I have an adesso wkb 4000. its got an integrated track pad which is nice, since you can use it in your lap or hold in front of you like a giant remote. No backlight, but they're well under 100$ at micro center.
the revo comes with a wireless keyboard included, no?