Keyboard Reviews

This is a nice, solid-feeling keyboard with a light touch but
definite click on engagement of the keys. I spend at least eight hours a day at my keyboard and this one is very comfortable to use, even for prolonged periods of time.

Quick warning: This product doesn't include all the cables needed. The reason is simple, it could require either PS/2 cabling or older AT style cables. To save you some time the part numbers for PS/2 mouse/keyboard (modern cables, both are round with 6 pins, usually color code) is A3X982 and for AT Cables is A3X939 (serial mouse (9 pins), larger round keyboard connector) both kits include a 15 pin connector for the monitor.

There are other cable part numbers too (in case you have something that doesn't match this) all listed in the docs that come with this switch box itself.

The box itself works well for a small number of computers (this model is 2 out of the box but you can daisy chain multiple OmniView boxes) though there are better solutions for computer racks with very high numbers of CPUs. You have both a button on the switch box itself and keyboard hotkeys that will let you change from one CPU to another.

I do think this box is probably a little overpriced for a home user who only intends to run 2 computers off this box, but for anyone needing some ability for future expansion this is a wonderful choice.

I have found this keyboard to be exellent. At first, I felt it to be rather large, and most certainly not worth carrying around. However, after getting tired of using the various methods of entering information into my Toshiba E355 (including using the USB host adapter and a full keyboard at work), I decided to try carrying it with me. Since then, I have never left it at home. It does work with the e355, although, it is not fully functional. The function and arrow keys do not work, however on my brother's e335 it works fully. I consider this to be an invaluable tool for those who regularly have to enter alot of information into their e330/335/740's. I can say that it is somewhat frustrating that so much of the functionality of the keyboard is lost on the e355, which is essentually a e335 updated. Overall, I can recommend this product to those of us who want a nice compact keyboard to carry on the go.

Belkin's a good name. Their stuff is reliable and cost effective. But this keyboard isn't as compact as some competitors. You may want to shop around a bit more.

This is the Belkin - Mini-Wireless Optical Mouse that you can see more about on Belkin's site. I tried three wireless mice so far, all of which I bought from Amazon at about the same time (March 2003); they are: the Kensington StudioMouse Wireless, the IOGear Phaser, and this one, the Belkin Mini-Wireless Optical Mouse. You can read my reviews of them on Amazon. I end with this one because, although it can use improvements, it is by far the best product of the three. First off it features USB connectivity, a small wireless receiver that juts out of your laptop's USB port, and it comes with a cable if you're using a desktop and you need to bring the wireless receiver closer to where you're using the mouse. It does not ship with a USB->PS2 port (wise because notebooks now seldom ship with a PS2 port and because USB is hot plug-able & Mac & Windows compatible).

In my testing the mouse works at two feet away from the receiver comfortably. At the advertised three feet, you get patchy and jittery results, beyond that, nothing. Since it is symmetrical, it is the same for left or right handed use. It's rubberized sides and rear and wheel feel good.

Most notably, it really is "mini". It is probably 2/3 the size of an average mouse. This takes getting used to and I'm not yet sure if it's ergonomically straining. I do notice that I switch between left to right hand more than I used to, but that may be because I'm getting used to my new Powerbook's keyboard. The small size is likely going to be the main subject of debate about this mouse - at first, you may not like it, but given time, I'm surprised how monstrous my ordinary mice feel.

When the silver region in the center (which says "BELKIN") is depressed, the rear pops off so you can change the batteries. That feature is a brilliant way to solve the battery changing problem. It ships with two AAA alkaline batteries. For the first two-three days, rechargeable batteries work great. When they start to run down, you'll see the performance of the mouse degrade. This is a feature of rechargeable batteries, not the mouse; at that point, just leave the batteries in the mouse overnight, and it will run them down to nothing so you can recharge them from 0%. Normally though, you'll want to shut off the mouse when not in use for long periods - you do this by shifting a small digit from one side to the other on the bottom of the mouse. It is hard to get your fingernail into this little groove.

It scrolls well, but the scroll wheel makes a clicking noise - I think it should be silent. Same with the two side buttons - they do as expected but make noises - they too should be silent (if I click I click, if I scroll I scroll and it all happens on screen - I don't need the sound effects to reinforce what I just did). It's optical tracking runs at 800 DPI. Overall, this is a fine mouse. I looks really good. People are impressed with it and want to play with it. It's the perfect weight - a little on the heavy side but I like that because it feels like I'm moving something more substantive than a light-as-a-feather mouse.

Additional ways this mouse could improve: 1. Bluetooth - so that you can use it without a wireless receiver if you have the capability (ie, my PowerBook G4 17" features a built in Bluetooth card). 2. Belkin could incorporate a flexible digit that lets you angle the receiver out of the way (so it's not jutting two inches off the side of your notebook). Kensington did a good job on this for it's Pocketmouse Pro Wireless. 3. If I had my way, I would increase the size of the mouse. It is a bit too mini to me. I suspect that not too many people are going to want to feel that as they travel, they are using something which cramps the hands a little.

This CTK keyboard by Casio is easily the best in its price range. It features, among other things, modifiable sounds (letting you tweak with parameters such as attack, release, pitch, etc), 61 full size keys, and a 6-track onbaord digital recorder. It also is MIDI compatible, so it's easy to operate alongside your PC.

Let's discuss the sounds: there are over 200 tones, among the best being the piano, strings, and several of the synthesizer waveforms. It also has 32 slots for user-programmed tones, which you can use to store your edited sounds.

I don't particulary care for most of the drum patterns, but there are still a few good ones, which come complete with fill, intro and outs. This keyboard also has a diskdrive for easy storage of your performances.

There are drum pads also, which can be cumbersome at first, but are still fun to learn and use.

Overall, it's a good keyboard for those who want more than the basics, but would rather not blow $1000 on a Roland or Korg. Like I said, best value for the money- and with a very nice piano section.

Very good keyboard for instant play ability. Even my six year old enjoyed being able to produce pleasurable music easily by following the lighted keys. Many popular songs are programed into the keyboard to bring the sounds of live musical instruments into your home. Great for the casual enthusiast!

This is a real cool concept and a very useful tool for a basic personal studio setup. However, it's a very frustrating computer keyboard layout. A number of the keys are located in unusual places (just one example is that the escape key is the round button you can see at the very top left -- well away from the main keyset). If you use the entire keyboard like I do (especially during music production), the unconventional layout can be VERY frustrating.

Other problem items for me are that the Internet hot keys are mapped to Creative/Prodikey pages and the only way to change this is to edit your registry directly, and the keyboard is just plain bigger than it needs to be (check the size specs before buying if you plan to use it in a keyboard drawer).

There's also this totally unexplained panel that opens on the top of the right side. I asked what this was for since it takes up so much room and Creative never responded. I'm assuming they meant to offer an optional pointing device that would fit in this spot.

Apparently, Creative listened to me and probably many others complain about all these issues, because they fixed every one in the new model (the DM). Unfortunately, I already blew $100 on this older model!

I first purchased this pen from it's original manufacture over 2 1/2 years ago, and have never gone back to using a plain PDA stylus since. On the plus side, it's slim and perfect for older general Palm III's (III, IIIx, IIIxe, original PalmPilot). You can get refill pen cartridges at office supply stores (they're actually standard ink cartridges for regular pens). It's not a lot of $ either.
On the down side, it takes some dexterity on your part to take it apart and put it back together when you put in a new cartridge. It's not for the V, VX or m500, m505 series.
Still, I've saved many a shirt pocket by no longer having an ink pen in it (a bit geeky, I know), and putting my Palm IIIx there with this slim pen-stylus instead (O.K., defintely geeky).

I'm actually typing this on a frogpad while I eat my lunch with the other hand( an unexpected ....bonus?). I bought the Frogpad to help fend off wrist trouble brought on by typing on laptops held stable with wrist strength. The Frogpad is very easy to travel with and allows me to have my shoulders much more open and my typing hand at any angle to the screen. The keys themselves have excellent travel and click.

I've only been using the Frog for a week or so, so I can't answer the all important questions of speed and learning time. I'm about 13wpm right now, down from 78ish on a qwerty. Learning is MUCH faster than the handykey twiddler (I gave up after a month without breaking 10wpm.) The strength of the Frogpad's frequency based chords really shines through. I'll be fumbling for the "z" one second, then I'll rip out an optimised word like "neither" at qwerty speed. The Frog is different enough that my hand gets tired, but some of that is probably me tensing up when I don't need to.

There are some bugs and gotchas: the first Frogpad I bought didn't work on OS X (It was fine on xp and linux). A new model has that fixed.
Most Unix commands are set up for qwerty and require more effort. "#!/bin/sh" or regex is possible on the Frog, but not as free as English. And the Frog is right hand only. I would love to flip a switch and mirror the keys for left hand use.