In the hot seat today is the XGene Imperial 2.4G Wireless Keyboard + Trackball, a chic little keyboard and mouse combo.
July 11, 2006 (Press Release) --
This item arrived in a brown cardboard box, and it's a good thing it did. The retail box is very thin; it probably wouldn't make it through shipping without a protective outer box. The front shows a picture of the product, as does the back. But the back also points out different features on the keyboard, as well as gives a list of other main features.
A Closer Look:
Now, since I'm new to multimedia keyboards, I get to learn what all these neat little buttons are for while I describe them to you. Right off the bat, the first thing that stands out is the keyboard's size. It's smaller than your typical keyboard - a perfect size for sitting on your lap. It has thick contours on the sides - all the better to grip it.
The upper left side has the mouse right and left keys, and the right side has the optical trackball, all accessible to your thumbs. On the top edge of the keyboard, the index fingers can easily access the scroll wheel on the left, and left mouse key located on the right. Sounds strange, but it's actually similar to how you would use one hand to operate a regular trackball mouse. This certainly should be excellent for accessing a HTPC without much of a fuss.
Across the top are several Internet and Multimedia keys, starting with an ID button at the left. The rest of the board is a standard setup. Some of the lesser-used keys are smaller than usual, but it goes without saying why that is. The keys themselves seem to have a comfortable feel to them. This looks like it could be fun to use. Let's check it out further....
Installation and Testing:
There's practically nothing to the installation procedure. I used ol' Slugdey's new laptop to try this baby out. First, put in the 4 included AA batteries and plug in the USB receiver dongle. Push the ID button on the dongle, and look for the LED on it to start flashing. Then push the ID button on the keyboard. When the LED on the dongle stops flashing, the connection has been established. In my case, Windows XP found and installed the recommended drivers automatically (I'm not sure about other operating systems, though.) And that's pretty much it for setup.
As for the testing, what can I say? It's a keyboard. The built in contours keep it sitting in your lap comfortably. The keys are solid and have a nice, tactile feel to them. The trackball and mouse keys definitely were fun to use. It's convenient to be able to use the mouse without having to let go of or put down the keyboard.
The range of the receiver was tested as well. The company claims it to work up to 15 m, or a little over 49 ft. I was only able to get the keyboard to function up to just over 29 ft. Some users may not be satisfied with that. As for me, I'm lucky if I can even see my TV or monitor from that distance, so IMHO the range is fine.
A Closer Look:
Now, since I'm new to multimedia keyboards, I get to learn what all these neat little buttons are for while I describe them to you. Right off the bat, the first thing that stands out is the keyboard's size. It's smaller than your typical keyboard - a perfect size for sitting on your lap. It has thick contours on the sides - all the better to grip it.
The upper left side has the mouse right and left keys, and the right side has the optical trackball, all accessible to your thumbs. On the top edge of the keyboard, the index fingers can easily access the scroll wheel on the left, and left mouse key located on the right. Sounds strange, but it's actually similar to how you would use one hand to operate a regular trackball mouse. This certainly should be excellent for accessing a HTPC without much of a fuss.
Across the top are several Internet and Multimedia keys, starting with an ID button at the left. The rest of the board is a standard setup. Some of the lesser-used keys are smaller than usual, but it goes without saying why that is. The keys themselves seem to have a comfortable feel to them. This looks like it could be fun to use. Let's check it out further....
Installation and Testing:
There's practically nothing to the installation procedure. I used ol' Slugdey's new laptop to try this baby out. First, put in the 4 included AA batteries and plug in the USB receiver dongle. Push the ID button on the dongle, and look for the LED on it to start flashing. Then push the ID button on the keyboard. When the LED on the dongle stops flashing, the connection has been established. In my case, Windows XP found and installed the recommended drivers automatically (I'm not sure about other operating systems, though.) And that's pretty much it for setup.
As for the testing, what can I say? It's a keyboard. The built in contours keep it sitting in your lap comfortably. The keys are solid and have a nice, tactile feel to them. The trackball and mouse keys definitely were fun to use. It's convenient to be able to use the mouse without having to let go of or put down the keyboard.
The range of the receiver was tested as well. The company claims it to work up to 15 m, or a little over 49 ft. I was only able to get the keyboard to function up to just over 29 ft. Some users may not be satisfied with that. As for me, I'm lucky if I can even see my TV or monitor from that distance, so IMHO the range is fine.
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