 Just over a week ago, I purchased this nifty gadget to use along with my desktop computer that I'd hooked up to my television to aid me in using the computer more effectively for my living room entertainment. (Short version: remote control) See, I had a wireless keyboard and mouse combo from Microsoft, but the range was so sort that it sometimes would skip a beat - using a mouse on a couch is awkward enough, but when it's got weak signal, it's near impossible.
Enter the GKM561R.
It comes with everything you need to get started. The keyboard/trackball, a USB dongle for the computer, and a set of batteries. The batteries are standard alkaline batteries, and are easily replaced via a cover on the bottom of the unit. I'd have preferred it if the battery door was hinged, to prevent the possibility of losing the cover at a later date, but it's certainly not the most important consideration.
Setup was a breeze. Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 recognize the keyboard without the need for drivers - in fact, IOGear makes no drivers available, either on CD or on the web, and relies on this fact. This is very nice, particularly considering that there's a whole bunch of special functionality keys on this keyboard, for functions such as opening up Media Center, TV tuner, DVD player, controlling DVD and Media Center playback, and volume controls. So far, it's all just worked.
The trackball takes a little getting used to. For some reason, the way I've been holding onto the thing, I keep wanting to hit the Ctrl key thinking it's going to be the mouse click. However, it is very responsive. There's two buttons and a scroll wheel on the upper-left of the keyboard, and the trackball is on the upper-right. The ball rolls very smoothly and seems fairly accurate. You can adjust the accuracy and speed of the rolling by changing the DPI setting of the trackball amongst 400, 800, and 1200 dpi settings.
Having the USB dongle plugged into a front USB port, I measured that I'm sitting about 12 feet from the receiver. There's no loss of signal that I've been able to perceive whatsoever. In fact, playing Robot Unicorn Attack on Adult Swim's website, I achieved a score about 200,000 points higher than I'd ever achieved playing on my notebook with a local keyboard - considering the nature of that game, I find it interesting that having a screen farther away and a wireless keyboard got me a better score.
All in all, this is an awesome piece of technology, and something I'd recommend for anyone considering embracing a PC as part of their home entertainment system. |
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