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Home Theater Keyboards?
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?
Gyration is CRAP! I seem to recall posting this before, but here goes:
I have the unfortunate pleasure of having about 20 of keyboard/mouse units at work. In the year that we've had them I've had to send back a full half of them for warranty work. We have two problems repeatedly: The keyboards simply stop working (everything looks ok, but no transmission) and the batteries in the mice refuse to hold a charge longer than about 20 minutes after about 2 months of use. (yea, we do the whole drain 'em till their dead before recharging them)
Just my $.02
I have one of these and am very happy with it. I don't use the mouse much but it works fine. Its small enough to sit reasonably unobtrusively in my living room (with the IR repeated via Xantech IR repeaters down to where the equipment is racked).
Only issue I've had is it sends lengthy IR codes when you use the mouse that were crashing an IRTrans infrared decoder/receiver -- the guy that makes them has a fix in the works though.
I saw these at Comdex a couple of years ago (from a taiwanese company), then recently set up a MythTV box and found a guy in the UK selling them on ebay. I looked a bit in the US but lost patience trying to find a distributor and ended up ordering from the UK guy for about $80 including shipping.
i use a wireless microsoft natural keyboard and an ati all in wonder remote.
the ati is as good of a mouse as i need, and i rarely have to use the keyboard but when i do, it is handy.
i dont see how bluetooth is needed, any wireless kb should work as long as it is comfy for you to use.
another option for the mouse is a gyration (i think that is how it is spelled). they are pretty slick, let you wave your hand through the air to move the mouse. i would get the ati remote as well though, then you have a nice remote to control the playback functionality and a basic mouse, and the gyration for any advanced stuff you want to do.