Bakker Elkhuizen Ultraboard 940
For travelling types
It’s a good thing we have internet shopping now, because – given its name – we wouldn’t fancy trying to order this over the phone. The Dutch manufacturer specialises in practical work accessories, and while this portable Bluetooth keyboard has a conventional design it’s certainly very useful. Connected to a PC or Mac via USB, it works as you’d expect, but it can also be paired wirelessly with up to five Apple or Android phones or tablets.
The keys, though low-profile, have some of the three-dimensional shape and tight spacing of a traditional mechanical keyboard. Underneath are scissor switches like those used in most laptops. They feel reasonably crisp when pressed, giving an audible click without being too irritating, and we had no trouble typing at speed. The single-deck Enter key is easy to miss at first, as is the tiddly Backspace, but there’s a full set of function keys that provide the usual options across the various operating systems, plus a set of buttons at the top left for Home, Mail, Printscreen and Numlock. The latter turns the keys below 7, 8 and 9 into a virtual number pad, because a separate one wouldn’t fit in the compact format. Fold-out legs let you angle the keyboard, although they are somewhat flimsy.
The instructions could be clearer, but after a bit of fumbling we soon got our devices connected. You can then assign a number key to each one, making it easy to switch between them. A slight annoyance is that you have to unplug the
USB cable before re tthe Ultraboard will resprespondspon to Bluetooth devices, but at le least the USB connection also charges the kekeyboard’s battery, so if you cable it to youyourou PC while at home it’ll always be ready to take out with your mobile device. Alternatively, you can connect it wirelessly to any Mac or Bluetooth-ready PC.
It’s not as cheap as some, but the Ultraboard is easily portable while still feeling like a proper keyboard that you could use every day.
VERDICT: The unusual key design should suit a wide range of typing tastes, and the multi-device connectivity makes switching simple
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE: Logitech K480 £45 This Bluetooth-only keyboardey papairs with three devices and is good value, but twice as heavy and quite noisy
A portable, practical keyboard for devices at home or away