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Wireless mouse+keyboard+gamepad
A reader wrote to us about a press release from Intel regarding wireless mouse/keyboards/gamepad stuff that they are doing -- I've been trying out wireless keyboard/mice/gamepads for a number of years now, and haven't been all that impressed by them. These new releases look better, but has anyone used anything out there they've been /really/ impressed by?
...is this stuff done using BlueTooth. It feels like Yet Another Wireless Solution, but specialized for mice and keyboards and (I'm guessing) proprietary to Intel, isn't a very cool thing. On the other hand, my knowledge of BlueTooth isn't (yet) in-depth enough to know if it would be suitable to handle real-time stuff like mouse movements. You don't want to get the guys over at FiringSquad to b*tch over latency in your mouse tech. ;^)
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Got a Logitech Cordless Desktop Pro, a single-reciever keyboard and mouse combo. Both are wireless via RF, I stuck the reciver behind my printer out of the way (close to the monitor, in fact, and I have a 22" monitor!) and the keyboard and mouse work perfectly. Responsive, great feel. Both are ergonomic (basically what the pro is for, the plain cordless desktop is not ergonomic) and the keyboard has Internet keys (which I barely use) and CD/volume controls (which I use constantly). The CD player controls are compatible with most popular players, just get the newest drivers every so often to improve compatibiliy with more and more apps. No linux yet though :(
I seriously wouldn't know this was wireless if I hadn't checked for the cable. :) No problems at all. You DO have to replace the batteries every so often, but changes are few and far between an the software alerts you when the batteries are on their last legs. I think I've replaced the mouse batteries 5 or 6 times in the last year, and I use the mouse A LOT. I think I've only replaced the keyboard 2 or 3 times. Use renewable alkaline batteries (the best batteries for a PDA anyway) and you spend about $10 a year on power.
Range is good, fresh batteries can get as much as 15 feet from the reciever (but that's pushing it.) Weak batteries can still pull 5 feet with no problems.
Cool mouse software, depending on your preferences. Thumb button, mouse wheel acts as a third button. Excellent feel with the buttons, unlike the M$ laser mouse you don't hit the thumb button by simply holding the mouse :)
The keyboard's feel is PERFECT. Doesn't have the flimsy feel of the MS Natural keyboards (or the rest of their hardware, for that matter) the keys have just the right amount of resistance, feedback, and they don't feel squishy at the end of a stroke the way some do. Quiet, yet you still here a nice click. It took me about an hour to make the transition from an old generic Compaq keyboard and I can't stand to use most other keyboards now.
I recommend this to anyone who can afford it (cost me $110, but I haven't looked back.) I tend to splurge on stuff that I know wil last a long time, and this product sure as hell will.
Our company was throwing out some old hardware. I fished out something that looked like a remote control with an RF reciever. Found info on the web, but the driver software was really old (flaky in 98, didn't work at all in 2k), but it just went in the com port, so I wrote my own little "driver" in VB. Now my All-inwonder card is much coooler. My app controls three different progs: My tv viewer, my mp3 player, or my DVD player. The buttons do different things (volume control, pause, etc) based on which prog is running. All those things have key shortcuts, so a simple little SENDKEYS api call works just fine (after doing another api call to get the running apps, figuring out if one of my three is running, and getting the handle, of course).
:)
Oh I forgot, VB is a toy language, so I guess I can't do that. Never mind
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DO NOT DISTURB THE SE
I've always found wireless keyboards to be horrendous ergonomically. In order to be in the correct position for typing, you need to be sitting at a desk or table. If you're going to be sitting at a desk to use the keyboard, then what's the big benefit of having the keyboard wireless?
Nah, I'll be sticking to my regular 'fully tethered' input devices for the time being.
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The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
The one I fell in love with was the logitech itouch keyboard and mouse. They work of FM radio waves not the IR type which mean line of sigh is not an issue nore how far I choose to locate my computer from my desktop. The only limitation I have found with it is using more than one of them can become a hastle as they can interfear with each other at close range. This is the one issue I have yet to see anyone with a solution for. But as for my use of it I find it to work out great batteries last for months at a time and it is not that difficult to spot when they are going dead.
I just switched to the Logitech cordless desktop pro and love it, especially the mouse. Not having to drag the cord around is great! Now if I could just get the extened keyboard keys working under Linux and X. I've found some info on how to do this but it is not concise and complete. Pointers anyone?
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
I've used a wireless keyboard and mouse from logitech. IIRC, it wasn't infrared, but radio, so you didn't have to have line-of-sight to use it. It had a pretty good range, prolly 15-20 feet, but it would skip letters every now and then. It's extremely annoying to be typing and have random letters just not show up, it's like having a sticky key or something.
The mouse was very cool because you could put it just about anywhere and not worry about the cord. I don't mind keyboard cords as much as I mind mouse cords, they get in the way more because the device has to be moved around, unlike the stationary keyboard.
Both of the devices would sometimes "loose" their signal or frequency, and you'd have to reset it (re-handshake, i suppose) by pressing a button on the base. All in all, it was pretty neat, but I'd really like to have a wireless radio optical mouse that worked flawlessly.
Mike
"I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer."