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Home Theater Keyboards?

Posted by timothy on from the sound-of-cocoons-thickening dept.

Meeper writes "I've been commissioned to build a Home Theater Computer system, but there is a distinct lack of keyboards that are suitable. The keyboard needs to be equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, compact, and include a built-in mouse or touchpad. The keyboard will be used on couches, so a solution such as the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop is unsuitable due to the normal freestanding mouse. Have any Slashdot readers used a keyboard which fufills my requirements?" Or, on the other hand, what best-compromise solutions have you come up with for melding ease of use with sufficient control?

4 of 273 comments (clear)

  1. Laptop and RDC or VNC by Raindance · · Score: 5, Informative

    Depending on what I want to do with my HTPC, I access it wirelessly through either RDC or VNC with the tiny iBook I normally keep sleeping under the couch.

    Absolute control, and it's smaller than most wireless keyboards. The only real downsides are price (if you wouldn't buy a tiny laptop anyway) and that establishing control takes about 2-3 seconds.

    RD

    1. Re:Laptop and RDC or VNC by svanstrom · · Score: 5, Informative

      Add a cellphone and Salling Clicker to that, and you've got both a "complete" solution, as well as one that's small and always available; and no "2-3 seconds" for "establishing control".

      --
      perl -e'print$_{$_} for sort%_=`lynx -dump svanstrom.com/t`'
  2. Gyration by Alowishus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Gyration has the best solutions I've found. Their mouse can be waved in the air to move the pointer, and they have a compact keyboard + mouse set that's intended for HTPC type solutions. It's not cheap stuff, but it looks nice and works well.

  3. Not Bluetooth but radio-wireless by WyrdOne · · Score: 5, Informative

    I use the "FreeBoard model No. GL3001" (Also marked as an "iFree")

    It's a USB attached unit that uses RF wireless (900Mhz I think). Has built in Trackball and mappable mutli-function buttons. I can control my HTPC from two rooms over if necessary. And runs on standard AAA batteries.

    I bought it a year or so ago from Directron.com