Wireless keyboards and mice on test
WIRES WILL SOON BE A THING OF THE PAST. REDUCE THE CLUTTER ON YOUR DESK NOW WITH THESE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL WIRELESS MOUSE-AND-KEYBOARD COMBO SETS.
WHETHER IT’S THE cords connecting your computer to the internet router, your headphones to your music player, or your smartphone to its charger, advances on the wireless front will soon see an end to these irritating wires. In fact, we’re already well on our way to a completely cable-free existence.
Wireless keyboards and mice were one of the first gadgets to cut the cord, and the technology has been around long enough that you’re really not paying a premium over the traditional wired versions — particularly if you’re looking at the more common wireless combos that use a USB receiver to create the wireless connection.
There are pros and cons for the two main types of wireless keyboards and mice. The ones with USB receivers are a lot cheaper, and typically offer longer range and are less prone to interference than their Bluetooth counterparts. Bluetooth combos, on the other hand, don’t take up a valuable USB port (which can be an important consideration for laptops), but are more expensive and can be fiddly to set up. However, the latest Bluetooth devices typically come with a USB receiver as well, enabling you to choose the wireless connection type that suits you best.
Logitech MK545 A GREAT EXPERIENCE THROUGH AND THROUGH.
IF YOU’RE AFTER something that just gets out of the way and does the job, the MK545 is the product you want. Logitech has got the mix just right, crafting a well-built workhorse that offers all the features you need without being flashy or ostentatious.
The typing action is smooth and comfortable, the wrist rest has an anti-slip texture that feels great against your palms, and the dimpled rubber grip along the mouse’s contoured sides give your thumb and ring finger a secure hold. Moreover, there’s no funny business with the hotkeys at the top of the keyboard like there is with its equally-priced Rapoo counterpart (right). The dedicated playback controls and volume buttons are the old-fashioned ‘always-there’ kind that you can access without having to first tap against the touchbar to activate them.
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make an impression, and the fact that the batteries for the keyboard and mouse were preloaded in the relevant compartments (with a plastic tab against the connectors to prevent inadvertent use) was another tick in the MK545’s favour.
Rapoo X8900P Advanced Wireless Mouse and Keyboard Combo
THE X8900P IS proof that Chinese brands can go toe-to-toe with the market leaders. Both peripherals are as stylish as they come, with the keyboard boasting a fancy stainless steel base and a brushed metal coating, and the mouse adopting the sharply-sculpted design reminiscent of flagship mice from the likes of Logitech and Microsoft. The X8900P offers a few features that aren’t found in the other keyboard and mouse combos we tested, including a row of touch-sensitive media buttons at the top, a wireless connection that utilises the lesser-used 5GHz spectrum, and the ability to switch between 800 and 1,600dpi sensitivity on the mouse.
Rapoo claims that the touch-sensitive buttons automatically turn on when your finger hovers near the bar, but we couldn’t replicate that. Instead, a hard tap on the bar reveals the shortcuts. You can reprogram these to almost anything you like using the Rapoo software, and if you don’t have a DVD drive on your computer to pop the supplied disc into (how archaic!), the driver can be downloaded easily enough from the Rapoo website.
Dell KM714 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse A GREAT BUY.
THE DELL KM714 sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. As an upgrade over the keyboard and mouse typically bundled with a desktop computer, it has plenty to recommend it, between the seamless plug-andplay operation of the 2.4GHz wireless USB receiver, the modern chiclet-style keys on the keyboard (ideal for minimising the accumulation of crumbs and other detritus between the keys), and a mouse wheel that can scroll up, down, left and right.
The keyboard isn’t as long as you’d expect with a dedicated number pad — a feat that Dell has managed by squeezing keys that would normally have their own section (such as the arrow keys, page up, page down and home) into the main button area. Unlike its KM717 big brother (right), it doesn’t have dedicated multimedia playback and volume keys — you’ll need to revert to the function keys on top to access these functions.
Still, while it lacks the good looks of the pricier desktop combos, both peripherals are ergonomically sound and delightful to use.
Dell KM717 Premier Wireless Keyboard and Mouse A WIRELESS WINNER.
DELL HAS DONE a great job of trimming the fat off the KM717. Despite offering a full-sized button layout and number pad, the keyboard is incredibly compact, eschewing the wrist rest and all of the dead space around the keys to minimise the overall footprint. Even the mouse has had a whole bunch of unnecessary plastic scooped out from underneath, with an interesting curve arc design that moulds nicely to the palm of your hand.
But there’s no sense of anything missing from these two peripherals. The KM717 is one of the few combos that works with both a 2.4GHz wireless USB receiver and Bluetooth, the former enabling effortless plug-and-play operation mere seconds after you connect it to the USB port. A slider on the top right of the keyboard makes it easy to switch between the 2.4GHz connection and two computers paired via Bluetooth.
The soft-touch coating on the keyboard buttons and mouse make both peripherals a pleasure to use. Touch typers will appreciate the generous keyboard layout and comfortable key travel.
Microsoft Desktop 850 A CHEAP AND CHEERFUL COMBO.
MICROSOFT IS HIGHLY regarded in the PC peripherals space, and with good reason. But if you can’t quite plump for one of the most expensive combos, the Microsoft Desktop 850 is a reasonably-priced entry-level model that gets you that coveted wireless desktop experience.
Wireless connectivity is catered for using the standard 2.4GHz wireless link, but it’s odd that it’s only rated for a five-metre range — which is about half what the other combos promise. Still, it’s nice to see that Microsoft has encrypted the keystrokes between the USB receiver and the keyboard with 128-bit AES encryption. This isn’t a feature we’ve seen advertised on other peripherals, and yet, it’s something that should be standard given how easy it is for hackers to steal information that is openly transmitted over a wireless network (think account details and credit card numbers).
The keyboard is a tad larger than some, measuring 45.6 x 15.8 x 3.5cm, but it includes most of the extras you need for a good typing experience, including a dedicated number pad and a range of Windows- and media-focused shortcut keys.
HP Pavilion Wireless Keyboard and Mouse 600 THE QUIET ACHIEVER.
THERE ARE NO fancy parlour tricks or design flourishes with the keyboard or mouse in this Pavilion desktop combo. It focuses on getting the basic functionality down pat, and in that respect, it’s hard to fault — although it’s priced a little higher than expected.
Setup is much as it is with other wireless combos, using a small wireless receiver that plugs neatly into a USB port. The ‘connect’ buttons on the underside of both the keyboard and mouse had us thinking we’d need to do a bit of fiddling to get everything connected, but both peripherals were recognised immediately after the drivers installed from the USB receiver.
The keyboard has everything where you’d expect it to be, and the buttons are pleasant to type on, with a quiet yet decisive typing action. There are no extra buttons on the mouse, either — just a standard scrollwheel and left and right mouse buttons. The symmetrical shape of the mouse, while not much to look at, also means it works equally well for rightand left-handed users.
Logitech Illuminated LivingRoom Keyboard K830 PERFECT FOR COUCH POTATOES.
THE K830 IS one of the rare breed of peripherals that combines a keyboard and mouse (or in this case, a touchpad) in one device. The convenience factor can’t be denied, but how good is it to use in practice?
When employed for its designated purpose — the living room — the K830 shines. Quite literally, actually, with its backlit keys. If you’ve got your laptop connected to the TV, you can use the K830 to type in search terms, seamlessly navigate through options and even access playback and volume controls.
But it’s not so good as a productivity device. The priority for the K830 was for something that you could easily balance on your lap for short bursts of text and on-screen navigation, and that means Logitech had to reduce the keyboard footprint — so much so that typing feels noticeably cramped.
The touchpad, while convenient for couch surfing, isn’t as quick or precise as using a dedicated mouse, and we never could quite get used to the placement of the two mouse buttons (for some reason, our muscle memory insisted on wanting to click below the actual keys).
Rapoo 8200P Wireless Optical Mouse & Keyboard BIG ON SHORTCUTS.
LITTLE-KNOWN CHINESE COMPANY Rapoo has a worthy contender for bargain hunters with its 8200P-BK combo. Its main claim to fame, apart from offering wireless connectivity at an affordable pricetag, is the handy strip of hot keys at the top of the keyboard that offers volume controls, browser navigation buttons, app shortcuts and a play/pause button.
Make no mistake: we love having this dedicated strip of keys. Given those controls are usually embedded in the function keys, it can save a bit of time and keyboard wrangling. But having been spoilt with this feature in the first place, we can’t help but wish it was just a little bit better.
While there’s a play/pause button, there’s no repeat or skip buttons for music navigation. There are shortcuts for the default Mail, Calendar and Music apps, but oddly no browser shortcut. This is despite there being ample room for at least five more buttons. The ability to reprogram the app shortcut buttons — to switch from the standard Music app to Spotify, for instance — would also have been ideal. Alas...
Logitech MK850 Performance Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo THE CRUMB CATCHER.
IF TRADITIONAL DESIGNS are more to your preference, the MK850 will be a sight for sore eyes. The generously-proportioned keyboard opts for the old school mechanical keys — the ones apt to get food scraps stuck between them — and there’s a cushioned wrist rest that adds significantly to its overall footprint. For the most part, the wrist rest combined with the curved key frame makes it comfortable to type on for extended periods. But the buttons aren’t as satisfying to press as on other keyboards, with spongy tactile feedback. If you’re used to typing on a more modern chiclet-style keyboard, where each button is physically separate, you’ll need to adapt your typing style.
Otherwise, the MK850 performs admirably. You can connect it via 2.4GHz wireless using the bundled USB receiver, or via Bluetooth, and there are dedicated buttons for switching the wireless connection between computers. The mouse can also be programmed to perform various gestures such as switching desktops and viewing all open applications — although it has an annoying tendency to drift when scrolling through webpages.
Rapoo X1900 Wireless Optical Mouse & Keyboard A MYSTERY WRAPPED IN A RIDDLE.
HERE’S THE THING about the user documentation that comes with products from lesser-known brands: it usually sucks. The Rapoo X1900 is no exception, and it’s an issue that came to the fore when we needed to put the supplied AA battery into the mouse. While most mice have a top part that slides off or a battery door that pops open from underneath, the mouse in this combo was as mysterious as a Chinese puzzle box. The supplied documentation provided no enlightenment, and it was only after physically prying open the top left side, then the right side and then applying pressure to open the bottom half — a movement we were half convinced would break the flimsy plastic altogether — that we were able to get it open.
The rest of our experience with the X1900 was uneventful. Both the keyboard and the mouse are completely frill-free, and while the ergonomics of the former are sound, the keys are quite loud when they strike the base — a problem that will rear its ugly head if you’re a fast touch-typer.