This product has been given to me as a review unit. It arrived about 3 days after it was sent from LaptopMate's warehouse. Took it out of the package, and I was presented with a nice looking green box, similar to Logitech's box design. The bottom of the box tells you about all the features of the keyboard. Upon opening the box, I was presented with the keyboard in its plastic bag, ready to be taken out and used. Under the pull-out tray, you get an instruction manual, and a mini USB cable for charging.The manual is well-written in English, with minor mistakes that shouldn't confuse too many people. The manual tells you the safety information, instructions on how to use the keyboard, and a small list of troubleshooting instructions in the back.
The keyboard is well-built; the body is sturdy, and doesn't feel like it will fall apart easily. It is lightweight, and feels like only half the weight of a TV remote. On the sides, it has a mini USB port, the laser and its button, the on/off switch, and a slot where the wireless receiver is stored. To use any functions of the keyboard, you must turn it on. I was glad that the keyboard had a built-in rechargeable battery, I'm not a fan of buying a bunch of AAA batteries to operate my gadgets. The laser isn't the strongest, but it fares well for presentation from about 50 feet away. The keyboard also has a white backlight; not too bright, not too dark, perfect for operating your computer in the dark.
Now, onto the top of the keyboard where most things are found. The letters are printed clearly, and the keyboard overall has a good tactile feedback; also, the keys are made of rubber, so it makes typing pretty comfortable. It has 4 LED lights on the top left corner; the first one indicates transmission activity, the second one indicates the battery charging, the third one indicates battery capacity, and the last one indicates caps lock. The top row of the keyboard consists of the F1-F8 keys (the rest are under the Fn of numbers 1-4), and the Backspace key. The Escape key is directly below the LED indicator lights, and the main keyboard pretty much begins from there. This is probably due to sacrifice for compact design, but the bottom row of the alphabets is moved over to the left a little, so you'll have to get used to it to avoid making mistakes. There's an Fn key on the bottom left, it can be used to access additional functions on the keyboard, such as PrtSc, volume and media control, and Ctrl+Alt+Del. The right side of the keyboard is reserved for the touchpad, mouse buttons, and the arrow keys.
I plugged the USB receiver into my laptop (Windows 7 64-bit), and the drivers installed immediately without any actions required. Turned the keyboard on, saw the lights come on, and I was ready to operate. I was surprised at how I could actually hold it in my hands while typing with ease. The touchpad works great for me, and is sensitive just like my laptop. The arrow keypad is a little odd, but I'm sure if I used it more I can get used to it. Pressing the keys is easy, it doesn't require any strength. The keyboard also has an auto sleep feature, where if it is inactive for a long period of time, it will go to sleep, saving a bit of battery (although it is recommended to turn off the keyboard when not in use).
This keyboard is perfect for work and home. It has a range of around 5 meters (~15 feet), so it's good for plugging your computer up to a TV and controlling it from somewhere cozier than your chair. For $30, this is a pretty neat little device. Give it a try! If it breaks, not to worry, LaptopMate has an 18-months warranty, and a good return policy.
PS. This is perfect for controlling my laptop on the TV, in my bed at night! Endless midnight entertainment, here I come! :D
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