This was a purchase made two weeks ago now that I can't decide if I regret or not. The keyboard does work and works well a good range (10 feet room is not big enough to try farther) from the computer. The media keys work very well, the install was simple and efficient, and the touch pad calculator is bar none awesome.However, not all the keys work consistently, I have a Logitech S 510 wireless desktop that I have had for two years and it never drops keys as far as I can tell. I do write quite a lot, thousands of pages a year not joking, so I am picky about my key board. I would never hold this item up to the same standard however dropping approximately one key in ten is not acceptable for typing more than a search into Google. There are days that the keyboard works better than others as well, which I just can't figure out.
I have no idea how fast it eats batteries, it still seems to work with the ones it came with two weeks later. Finding "home" on the key board is also rather difficult, for touch type'ers out there, as the razed points on the keys are rather weak all the keys feel the same. However in defense of this key board it is nice and compact feels sturdy and pushes keys together to make the whole contraption more ergonomic.
It also goes to sleep, wakes up with Esc key, which takes getting used to but might be saving batteries which I like.
Final verdict touch pad great, media buttons awesome, calculator key pad absolutely ingenious, and keyboard for "typing" sucks!
I have been using it for a while now and it has been, for the most part, reliable. I was noticing a lot of dropped keystrokes but I thought that I was too far away from the USB dongle or something was obstructing the path. It has gotten to be quite annoying, though. I have to type much slower in order to avoid having to go back and edit every couple of words.
A previous review mentioned that it was hard to find home on this board. I hadn't thought of it like that but I agree completely. It took quite a bit of use before I finally started being able to type comfortably with this keyboard. It's like riding a bicycle; once you finally get used to it, it isn't bad at all. It was upsetting, though. I've never had that much trouble adapting to a keyboard.
My latest issue with this keyboard has really caused a great deal of frustration. For some reason, I am now unable to drag and select the way I used to. I can still make selections but it'll stop as soon as I lift my finger off of the pad. This makes it nearly impossible to select large masses of text; I can only select whatever I can drag over in one sweep since I can't reposition my finger. This also makes it hard to move files from one folder to another. I can barely put up with it now. I've started using a USB mouse in place of the touch pad for those times that I have a lot of copying to do. The touchpad still works for regular tasks like browsing the web, folders, and using XBMC, though. I'm not sure if the issue is related to a setting or of the hardware is starting to go out. I've looked through the software control options, tried new batteries, and repositioned my USB dongle; nothing has helped fix the issue.
On a positive note, the keyboard and pad worked right after they're plugged in. To use the advanced Smart Pad settings, you'll need the drivers but that's fine. I had some trouble with the Windows 7 64 bit drivers. The drivers on the disc for Windows 7 did not work. After I installed them, the mouse stopped working completely. I tried the Vista x64 drivers and that crashed my system. Luckily, I found some real Windows 7 x64 drivers and that fixed the problem immediately.
If I had reviewed this product a week ago, I probably would have given it four or five stars. After struggling with the drag/select issue, I'd have a hard time giving it more than a 3/5.
I didn't really stress the positive aspects of this board so I'll offer a bit of a breakdown.
+ Affordable
+ Wireless USB with decent range (great for systems without Bluetooth or where wired keyboards aren't practical)
+ Touchpad -perfect for using where it'd be inconvenient to have to use a mouse.
+ Awesome keyboard for HTPC use
+ Easy to get it working; You may need to search for and download new Windows 7 drivers, though.
+ Touchpad doubles as a number pad
+ The media keys and shortcut keys work well; quite handy!
Adjusting to the keyboard may take a while
Slight Windows 7 drivers issue (for 64 bit, at least) -easily fixed by a driver update, though.
Unacceptable number of dropped keystrokes
I'm having a horrible time with dragging/selecting (see above).
This really is a nice keyboard for those that need an affordable board for a home theater PC. If you do a lot of typing, you could probably do much better. I haven't tried all of the features that it has to offer but everything that I've tried has worked well enough. Only a few of the Smart Pad gestures are useful to me but they work as advertised. The media keys also work.
I hate giving this board a poor score because it has a lot to offer. However, given the trouble that I've had, I would only recommend it to people that can't afford to spend more. Even then, I'd encourage that person to save a bit of money and find something with proven reliability. If you do buy one, you'll probably like it. Even with the trouble that I've had, the keyboard is still usable. I am starting to look for something to replace it, though.
Buy 2.4GHz RF Wireless Keyboard with Smart Touchpad Mouse for MCE Media Center Edition Now
For what it's worth, this product is in fact known as the Ortek WKB-2000; drivers are available at the manufacturer's website.I bought this 2 months back and it's so cool that the wireless keyboard comes with a smart touchpad. It's very easy to install. I connected my notebook to my LCD TV and it just works great for me sitting from the couch. The only issue I faced was after installing Win 7, the smart touchpad wasn't working with the scroll and other finger features. Other than that, I just like this for the money I paid.Want 2.4GHz RF Wireless Keyboard with Smart Touchpad Mouse for MCE Media Center Edition Discount?
After receiving the product I anxiously plugged it in and tried it out.. Windows 7 installed the driver software.. It was working great, then I put in the installation disc that came with it "not recommended" The device stopped working.. I tried re-installing several times and also completely uninstalling all software and drivers.. Still could not get it to work again.. I had to do a system restore before the point where I used the disc that came with it.. It started working again right after the system restore.. SO DON'T USE THE DISC... Win 7 will find it and install within seconds... Other than that, when the board initially boots, the numeric lock key will be engaged, you'll need to turn it off to type.. I'm using the board about 15ft. away from my pc.. there has been no connection problems from this distance.. I'm very happy with the purchase..
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