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?

Comments

Laptop and RDC or VNC

[Raindance]

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

Re:Laptop and RDC or VNC

[svanstrom]

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".

Monkey

[Anonymous Coward]

Get a trained monkey. You know you want to.

Gyration

[Alowishus]

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.

Re:Gyration

[Relifram]

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

Not Bluetooth but radio-wireless

[WyrdOne]

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

So what about: Voice?

[Anonymous Coward]

The scenario:

A small dark room in the lower level of a house (read: "parent's basement").

An lcd screen on the wall hooked up to a Slackware box.

A replica Captain's Chair from the USS Enterprise (for obvious reasons only a single chair is needed).

The computer is voice activated and responds to the name, "Sulu".

Act 1:
Me: "Mr. Sulu, set course for http://www.slashdot.org."

Computer: "Aye, captain".

Me: "Engage!"

I'm seriously drooling just thinking about it. That, my friends, would truly be living.

"Warp speed!," my fellow slashdotter!

Re:Security?

[GeorgeH]

What are you typing into a home theater pc that you are afraid might get out?

Play CPE-1704-TKS^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Friends. "Christ, I almost had it play the launch code for the nukes!"