Rapoo 9900M

Odd couple

Keyboard/mouse set presses most of the right buttons

There are keyboards and mice with amazing features that cost a fortune, but for most of us the idea of spending serious money on these necessary accessories won’t hold much appeal. Which doesn’t make a lot of sense, considering they’re going to be under your fingers all the time you’re using your PC, and if they don’t work reliably they’ll annoy you just as much as a slow processor or full hard drive.

This keyboard and mouse set is reassuringly basic at first glance, with its budget price tag, meaningless model number and obscure brand name that probably sounded a lot better to someone without English as a first language. On closer inspection, though, it’s more interesting than average.

Both devices are multi-input, so you can pair three PCS, tablets or other gizmos via Bluetooth plus another with the supplied USB radio receiver and flip between them with a switch (placed handily on top of the mouse and much less handily on the underside of the keyboard). The latter, which comes with two AA batteries, has an impressively thin yet rigid aluminium chassis, but basic flat plastic keys with no lighting.

The mouse, which is rechargeable, in no way matches, but we found it comfortable to use (for right-handers), with a chunky shape and sensible matt finish. Besides the usual vertical scroll wheel, there’s a separate wheel for horizontal scrolling. This is placed under your thumb, which means the extra third and fourth buttons aren’t, instead sitting under your index finger.