When I first wrote about the Adesso WKB-3100 Mini Keyboard [ article here ], Adesso had just announced it and I was on the lookout for a keyboard that wouldn’t exactly crush my lap or be used as a weapon since it was going to be used in the living room. Nothing like watching football, forgetting that you have a keyboard in your lap, jump for joy and have a keyboard flung through a window, the television or across the skull of the nearest person or thing.

Well, the kind folks from Adesso sent along their mini keyboard with the trackball for me to destroy review and honestly… I really liked it. Let me tell you why.

The placement of the trackball is perfect. My right thumb instinctively went to a resting place on it while my left hand could click on the two supplied buttons for the right and left click.

The USB dongle that is used with the keyboard is a magnetic little affair that just pops in, stays there. Even stayed in while I swung it about like a mad man. That in itself is a cool addition to this little mini keyboard that will now reside in the living room. I can just slot it in, hear that little “click” that it’s in place, leave it and forget it. And unlike other systems where plastic might get worn down or some tab might come up missing after wear and tear, this system works – I still have magnetic snaps on jackets that I’ve had for years still work.

Effective range on the keyboard is 30 feet. I was in clear sight of the USB dongle and the PC and I walked down one hall in my house and that’s about 45 feet at the very end and it still worked. So if you have a McMansion and can still see your TV from that far… you’re good.

This keyboard is a rather light. I mean, in a “mid-celebration of the Bills-Patriot game, I almost forgot that it was there and almost threw it at my friends sitting across from me” kind of light. However, any heavier I would feel like it would have been a bother. It is made out of quality plastic that doesn’t bend and flex easily.

The installation bit is quite easy too. Plug in the USB dongle, Microsoft Windows notices that new hardware has been installed, an USB HID device pops up as being “installed” and it’s ready to use in mere moments. The trackball, I had to dial down the sensitivity a bit though. It would fly across the screen at the slightest touch; however once adjusted it was a blast to use.

If there’s any bad part to the Adesso Mini Trackball Keyboard, it would have to be that it did disconnect once. To be fully honest, I don’t know what set it off, but it did it once. All of my phones in my house are DECT 6.0 compliant and not 2.4ghz like the USB dongle – as not to disrupt my wireless network – and my machines all use 802.11g if not 802.11n. It was a brief hiccup but it reconnected without any input or adjustment from me. I didn’t have to get up and bang on stuff Fred G. Sanford style.

I’ve been using this keyboard for the last month almost and it’s a keeper. I’ve yet to try this on my Mac, but despite explicit lack of support of Apple Mac OS X, I’m almost sure it will work. I will try that in a bit and report on that if its requested.

Priced at $79.99, it’s not exactly a bad piece of kit. Does what it says it will do and does it in a well thought out package that works well with two hands on the sides controlling the trackball and mouse buttons (right and left hand) and despite having a small form factor and I have big hands, I was able to use both hands during typing.

A good addition to any living room computer setup. I’d rank the Adesso WKB-3100 Mini Trackball Keyboard: 4 out of 5 (Recommended)

[ Adesso ] [ Adesso WKB-3100 ]