Media Centre keyboard recommendations

[WannaNiceCar]

I've tried numerous keyboard solutions in the past, all of which have been lacking in some respect or other, so I am continuing my search for the 'Holy Grail' of media centre keyboards and was hoping that someone might have some good suggestions.

My requirements are as follows:
1. Must be small enough to hold in one hand comfortably (Roughly the size of a TV remote control)
2. Have a good range - All keyboards tried previously with no 'extended range' claims have meant having to sit on the very edge of the sofa to get them to work
3. Would prefer the keyboard to have a touchpad rather than a trackball
4. Must be wireless (Just in case anyone suggested putting a wired keyboard in! :-) )

I have tried a couple of cheap keyboards and as mentioned above the signal strength just isn't quite enough. The only one that has got the range so far is my Logitech Dinovo Edge, which is a really good keyboard but is too heavy / bulky for everyday use.

I have tried a couple of the Rii wireless keyboards http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rii-2-4GHz-Wireless-Keyboa... and love the size of them and the fact that you can get ones that will do a few IR commands as well, but these have always let me down on the range.

The nearest one to my requirements that I can find at the moment is the Logitech K400 http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/product/wireless-tou... but that one seems to get very mixed reviews.

Any suggestions?

[WannaNiceCar]

Many thanks some great suggestions & info.

All 3 seem to be great for the range issue, it's just a shame that all 3 are a little bit on the large side. I'm not bothered by the useability of the keys as long as I can do minimal typing (website URL's and passwords etc. is about all the small keyboard would be used for, the Logi can be used for any lengthy typing tasks)

Oh well, It looks like I'll just have to keep banging the coconuts together and carry on searching unless anyone has any more suggestions.

[WannaNiceCar]

Thanks for reminding me about the Dinovo Mini - I had initially discounted it due to it being discontinued with no apparent replacement, but I'm now wondering if it's worth picking one up while there is still some around.

[WannaNiceCar]

mike9009 said:

If you have a Windows Phone there is a free app called PC Remote. I haven't used it.

There maybe other alternatives for IOS/ Google devices??

Mike

Thanks for that suggestion Mike, unfortunately I have tried numerous phone apps and have found that they are nowhere near as good as a physical keyboard for a few reasons:

1. Apps are no use for guests (unless I install the app onto everyone's phones - imagine the chaos that would ensue when everyone's had a few drinks!)

2. I use a combination of Windows Media Centre, VLC and Plex - Plex only works with cursor keys (None of the phone apps I've tried seem to offer cursor keys when they have the mouse function in them) and VLC and Media Centre are hard to control if the app doesn't give a very smooth and accurate mouse control, unless the remote control app has specific functions for these programs.

3. Slow to gain control - E.G. the phone will have locked itself since it's last use and if you've been into any other apps you have to fire up the remote app and let it connect to the server before you can actually run any controls. (Once connected everything is great)

4. If your mobile is ringing, then you can't quickly pause the playback or mute the sound before answering the call.

[WannaNiceCar]

tenohfive said:

It's bigger than everything else you've posted, but I've got the silver/slightly older version of this for my HTPC:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Keysonic-ACK-540RF-Touch...

It's not light enough to hold in one hand (whilst typing with the other) for short durations but is of a decent size to rest on your knees when you're on the sofa (small keyboards I find can be a bit tricky for this.) The trackpad is spot on and typing is comfortable. I can't comment on range but I've yet to be out of it.

No special media keys etc but I don't need them, 90% of stuff I use the trackpad for anyway. I've dropped it from a great height a few times and lost a couple of keys in the process, so I'll be replacing it with the same again.

Thanks for that, but the size is an important factor - I already have the Logitech Dinovo Edge installed and in use for any lengthy typing requirements but I really need a keyboard that is as small as possible for the daily HTPC useage.

I think that the Dinovo mini (discussed earlier) is still too big for my preference but seems to be the best compromise so far.

[WannaNiceCar]

tenohfive said:

Spotted these yesterday when looking into replacement options, may be worth a nosy - I dismissed them due to the small size but it sounds like it'd be ideal for you:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/iPazzPort-Wireless-Keyboar...
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prod...

The iPazzPort keyboard is the same as the Rii one's that I already have, so I know that is no good for my needs but...
The Xebec listed on overclockers looks very promising and it is a very nice price, but the only thing is that the dimensions listed (163mm x 121mm) don't seem to match the photo of someone holding the keyboard (Unless that person has very small hands!) - Does anyone happen to know anything about using these in the real world?

[WannaNiceCar]

tenohfive said:

So what did you end up with?

Since posting a few more drops have killed my Viewsonic keyboard, so I need a replacement. I'm hoping a smaller keyboard will result in it being knocked off the edge of the sofa a bit more.

Sorry for the late reply - I haven't actually bought anything just yet but I suspect that I will get the Dinovo Mini as that still seems the best compromise to me and if the range of the Egde that I already have is anything to go by, then range certainly won't be a problem. The others mentioned in the thread either have very mixed reviews on different sites or are just too large for my preferences.

If you are less than 10ft away from the receiver or can route a USB extention close enough, then I would recommend trying the Rii keyboards (Sold under several different brand names) as they are super cheap and very good when in range. They do not have any dedicated media buttons (Symbols are printed for Fn+keys) and I never actually got them to work but then again, I did only try for about two minutes as I wasn't really bothered for them personally!

HTH

[WannaNiceCar]

Thought I would resurrect this topic and post a mini review of the K400 since others seemed to be interested in the outcome.

Due to an incident with the DiNovo Edge that resulted in several keys being broken off the keyboard and the tiny plastic clips that hold them in place disappearing, the keyboard needed replacing. NB This was not a fault in the manufacturing or quality of the keyboard but instead a fault of the wife's for letting a 4 year old play with the keyboard!

I was lucky enough to spot the Logitech K400 for £17 on Amazon's Black Friday deals a couple of days after the Edge was broken and have been using the K400 since then.

The K400 is physically larger than I would have preferred but is still smaller than a standard keyboard and for my use at least, contains almost all the media keys that I need for operating both Windows Media Centre and Plex - although one media key that I would have liked (a stop button) is absent but by no means a problem. A big advantage of the K400 over the edge is that you do not need to hold down any keys to use the media keys.

The range of this keyboard is perfect for my use when using the (supplied) range extender USB adapter. For anyone considering this keyboard, it is worth being aware that the range extender makes the USB receiver stick out a couple of inches from the PC, although it is very handy to only have to use the 'nano receiver' if using the keyboard with a laptop as range wouldn't really be an issue in that instance.

The only downsides that I have found with this one when compared to the Edge is that the K400 feels very 'plasticy' and needs 2 AA batteries to operate (Instead of a built in rechargeable battery that can be constantly topped up) but as the batteries are still strong I don't know yet how it will react when they start to get too weak. I also wouldn't like to do any serious typing on this keyboard but obviously that wasn't what it was purchased for.

Hope this helps.