THE most portable keyboard on the planet.
Written: Nov 01 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Compact, light, durable, great key response good key layout.
Cons: May not be suitable for heavy gaming usage or big fingers.
The Bottom Line: Portable? Extremely. Comfortable? Very. Perfect? Not for everyone. If you want it, it's well worth the money. And that's what matters.
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| captainslug's Full Review: Fellowes Stowaway Universal Sniversal Bus/USB Blac... |
The LOVE
I simply can't resist being the first person to review this awesome keyboard. If you long for a fully functional keyboard that you can stick in your pocket to free up an extra hand or simply to avoid touchy the dirty keyboards in school computer labs, this is the one for you. This keyboard have survived a lot over the past year and worked more reliably and comfortably than any other full size keyboard I've owned. This keyboard has been to LAN parties, conventions, to and from college, has survived being in the rain, snow, in the bottom of my backpack, beaten up inside luggage at the airport, and a years worth of typing and game playing. The only problem I'm having now was some finicky response from the Shift key, but considering that's the only problem I've had in the past year I can't speak highly enough of this keyboard. In fact I bought a spare just in case this one was inadvertently stolen or trampled on for some reason.
The Facts.
When compacted, this keyboard is the size of a small day planner or wallet and will fit in larger jean or cargo-pant pockets along with its cord dongle. The outer shell is made of black powder coated aluminum, the keys are made from Black high-impact PVC, and the inner frame is bare aluminum. The key layout is the second reason I bought this keyboard. For some strange unknown reason mini keyboards tend to have the FuNction key where the ConTRoL key is supposed to be, and this makes using software that relies on shortcut key combinations very cumbersome otherwise. I have had no such problems with this keyboard. Also, if you don't want to stow the dongle, you can leave it connected to the PC. Even if you do not attach the dongle to the keyboard itself, your computer will still recognize it as a full keyboard. This makes cleaning the keys easier since you do not have to unplug the keyboard from the computer. Simply disconnect the dongle from the keyboard at any time whether plugged in or not and it won't matter which keys are pressed. I think this might be a useful feature for those of you that have pets that like to sleep on keyboards when you're not looking.
This keyboard is not without its shortcomings though, but they're fairly understandable.
1. The dongle cord is very short and measures only two feet. This was no big deal for me since my computer is on-top of my desk so the keyboard is connected to a front USB header. For standard size PCs or ones with USB access in the rear only you will need to purchase an extension cable.
2. The F1 to F12 and a few other functionary keys can only be accessed by holding down the Fn key. This makes some key combinations awkward or impossible, but it hasn't affected me much since I can still use the Windows shortcuts easily after adapting to the need to hold it down whenever I need to use certain keys. Having this feature also makes the keyboard that much smaller when folded, so it's a bit of a trade-off.
3. It's expensive. But most portable keyboards are anyways and I would argue that this keyboard is constructed far sturdier than the others I've tried.
Portable? Extremely. Comfortable? Very. Perfect? Not for everyone. If you want it, it's well worth the money. And that's what matters.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $55.00
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Epinions.com ID:
captainslug
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Location: Sterling, VA, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Self-Educated computer hardware pundit and resident mad scientist.
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