Belkin Wireless Keyboard and Ergo Optical Mouse - The Keyboard
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The keyboard (shown below) is fairly sleek in styling and has a few things going for it but also a few things holding it back.
(as compared to the Logitech Elite Keyboard)
One thing holding it back a bit is that the Belkin is a bit thicker and longer than the popular Logitech Elite Keyboard, but not so much so that it ruins the overall design. The lines I have drawn in are measuring the keyboard only and not the attached wrist rests on both boards. When typing you'll notice that it's not as quiet as the Elite either but that's not a terrible setback for most users, since it certainly is not as loud as some cheaper boards on the market either.
In the top picture you can see one of the things the Belkin has going for it is the fold away wrist rest, which flips snugly under the keyboard rather than detaching like the Logitech. This is both a boon and a burden. It's a boon because it offers you the convenience of having a wrist rest suitably placed if you should want one. It's a burden because if you should not want one you not only lose the wrist support, but the front of the keyboard gets raised about a half inch, thus causing your wrists to arch that much more. It should be noted, though, that with a little finagling, the wrist rest can be removed -- but I'm pretty sure that's not what Belkin intended.
On the top right corner of the keyboard you may have noticed the large knob. This, of course, is Belkin's solution to volume control. To me it seems a bit garish but it does what it's supposed to, namely raise and lower your system's main volume. By pushing down on it like a button, you can also mute the main volume. The hot keys along the top of the keyboard are as convenient as any newer keyboard's hot keys, providing one-touch access to your Internet homepage, your My Documents folder, your email program and others items. In addition, by using the included software you are able to program the hot keys to perform any function (spell check, copy, paste, etc.), and open any program, folder, or Web page that you choose.
The keyboard lacks your basic "reminder" lights that most if not all wired keyboards have: Caps Lock, Number Lock, Scroll Lock, and on some the F Lock. Belkin tries to makes up for this by including a notification system in the software.
As you can see above, it's up to you which notifications you'd like to see, and for how long you'd like them to be shown. The notification appears as a small unobtrusive window in the lower right corner of your screen. I found this to be a great in all situations -- except when I'm playing games that use the Caps Lock button, because the game will temporarily stutter, and you can see the little window flashing through the game screen. It will only last for the length of time for which you have it set, and you can always turn off the Caps Lock notification. Still, since the Caps Lock is the most used of the "Lock" keys, it's kind of a pain in the butt to be constantly turning on and off.
Finishing up with the keyboard's software, we come to the Battery Power tab.
Not a whole lot to look at here, but that's not a bad thing really. It has what you need, and that's simply the current status of the battery. The amount of blue in the little battery is your remaining power. As of this review I have been using the mouse and keyboard for approximately one week straight and the keyboard still shows up as a full battery.
Next: The Mouse >>
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