Interacting with HTPCs: IOGEAR and SIIG Options Reviewed
by Ganesh T S on March 2, 2014 1:00 PM ESTSIIG JK-WR0412-S1 - Features & Usage Impressions
The SIIG JK-WR0412-S1 is a wireless mini multimedia trackball keyboard. Using 2x AA batteries, it operates in the 2.4 GHz range and has an advertised range of 33 ft. The trackball is on the top right. In truly ergonomic fashion, there is a left click button on the top side of the frame which makes it easy to move the trackball and perform a left click operation simultaneously with a single hand. For the 'typical' living room scenario usage with both hands, there are left and right click buttons on the top left (similar to the IOGEAR keyboard covered in the previous section). However, unlike the IOGEAR keyboard, the scroll wheel is not on the top panel, but on top side of the frame (on the left side, right above the two mouse buttons).
The trackball resolution is set to 800 dpi and is not configurable. The 2.4 GHz spectrum is pretty crowded, and, in order to prevent interference, the unit is capable of frequency hopping (with operation in 1 of 80 distinct channels). The unit has rubber soles for slip resistance. Unlike the IOGEAR unit, there is no explicit power switch (which is a drawback if you have a toddler active in your living room). However, for power saving purposes, the keyboard enters a sleep state after 8 minutes of inactivity. Only a keypress or mouse button click can bring it out of the sleep state. This is a bit frustrating in living room scenarios, where users tend to move the trackball first. The trackball itself is flimsier than the one on the IOGEAR unit. They main keys are also smaller than the standard size that we encountered on the other units. This might make fast typing difficult for those used to standard keyboards, though that is probably not the primary use case for this keyboard.
In terms of keyboard layout, the Fn key and Ctrl key on the bottom left are switched from the usual, which may result in the user inadvertently mistyping key combinations. Another unfortunate aspect of the keyboard layout is the fact that a numeric keypad is embedded in the main keypad, and it is controlled by the NumLock key. Most computers boot with the NumLock key turned on, resulting in the users typing in numbers instead of the intended letters. In case of passwords, the user might not even realize the mistake. It would be nice to have an indicator on the device for this purpose. That said, PCs usually have a BIOS setting to turn off this feature. The problem turned out to be bad enough for SIIG to issue an addendum [PDF] to the user manual [PDF].
The trackball has a red glow underneath when the unit is in the active state. This provides an easy way to identify whether a keypress or mouse click needs to be made, but might also be disconcerting in a dark room (a frequent HTPC usage scenario). The ergonomics and intuitiveness of the keyboard and the mouse buttons / scroll wheel layout, as well as the larger number of special keys, are the positives for the device.
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owan - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I own a k400r. I wouldn't touch any of the rest of these garbage kb's with a 10 foot pole. Its the smallest (total footprint), lightest, and cheapest, while still having a good layout and integrated touch pad. The only knock on it (in this article) was that its not good for the occasional extended typing session? Who uses their HTPC for even an occasional extended typing session? And even then, why is it a concern when you can just move over a decent full size keyboard?andymcca - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I love my IOGear GKM681R. I believe I bought it for $25Similarly priced to the lenovo link above, my batteries last months (>a year?) with auto on/off, it has different mouse buttons for holding it in different positions. It has a track ball, which I find much more ergonomic than touch pads or those awful laptop pencil erasers.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
rickon66 - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
The K400 is often on sale for $19.99.donebu - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I'm just using a cheap usb keyboard for my Windows 8.1 HTPC. I'm trying to decide between these keyboards and would like to see them reviewed:Logitech Wireless All-In-One Keyboard TK820 with Built-In Touchpad
Rapoo Blade E9180P 5GHz Wireless Compact Ultra-slim Keyboard w/Touchpad
zlandar - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I would test and verify the range of each unit.What a manufacturer advertises and what is reality are not the same thing.
Death666Angel - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
What would be the point? The only information you can take away from it is that it has a range of x in the reviewers quarters. There is no way to translate that information to your own home.kchilaka - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I use a logitech K400 myself and it works fine except for the position of the shift key and lack of dedicated home and end keys. Two keyboards for extended HTPC I would like to see reviewed are the Logitech TK820 and the Rapo E9180P which has 5GHZ support..drainplugofideas - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I've used the Logitech K400 for a couple years and I LOVE it. I had fooled around with other products such as a usb media center remote control, but the keyboard is by far the most useful part. I briefly thought about buying a smaller, thumb controlled keyboard, but I'm glad I did not because the typing experience on a full sized(ish) keyboard is far superior. IIn the future, I'd pay more money for a model that had a backlight, better keys, and it would be amazing to include support for a smart hub (something logitech already makes) so it could turn on my TV and switch the input.
peterfares - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I really like my Logitech TK820 for my HTPC. To make it perfect it would be backlit and the trackpad drivers would be a little better. As it is I have to disable most of the gestures because they don't work right but they're not really necessary anyways.CSMR - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
What do keyboards have to do with HTPCs?What HTPC interface makes use of a keyboard?