-- IceePC Folding Keyboard PS/2
-- Price: ~ $33.00
USD
-- 06.06.2002
-- By: GideonX
-- Page: 1
Back in college at the end of every semester, we had
to move all our stuff out of the rooms. Most of my belongings
included clothes, books, food and of course the computer. I
didn't mind packing away the system, the biggest pain I had was
packing away that keyboard. The monitor I packed away just
fine in the backseat of the car, tower was fine also in it's own
box. A mouse fit in a school bag, but the keyboard just stuck
out like a sore thumb. Try to put it in a bag, it sticks out
of it. Leave it out and there's a chance dirt or some other
harmful substance will get in between the keys.
So I kind of figured someone out there would invent
a foldable spill proof keyboard type of thing. Which we recently had
a chance to get from the folks at IceePC.
If you ever cracked open a normal keyboard,
you'll find that the keys are just pressing onto a sheet with
traces. This foldable model just takes the sheet and wraps it with
a sealed plastic and soft keys.
You have the normal Num, Cap and Scroll
lock LEDs in the upper right hand corner.
The standard 104/5 keys are there and some
additional custom keys too. You can map them to any command using
the included software. I installed the keyboard software onto a
WinXP Pro machine and it worked ok. The graphics are not exactly
top notch, but it does the job. Each button underneath the command
in the program lets you attach a key or application to it.
One nice thing about the keyboard aside
from the hot keys up top, is the gigantic enter key. I've been so
used to small enter keys, having a large one seems too easy.
The clear silver braided PS/2 cable.
Not really that important, but it meshes well with the clear look of the
keyboard.
Here's the test shot, with the keyboard
wrapped around. It springs right back to shape, so it has
enough strength to keep it's form after bending.
One issue I had with the unit is that
when typing, there's no noise. I'm always correcting myself by
looking down. I have also constantly typed the wrong letter
because the keys are so soft, I was always mashing down on the key
and hitting the adjacent one.
This item isn't for everyone, as some
people will definitely prefer the hard keys on a normal keyboard.
If you're constantly on the run, this is a god send. You will not
find a more portable full sized keyboard than this one. It does
take a bit to get used to how the keys feel, I didn't have a good time
with it my first time around, I guess it takes practice.
Thanks to IceePC
for sending over this interesting unit. They have other cool
products available, so give them a whirl.
Pros:
- Foldable
- Lightweight
- 3 Different Colors to choose from
Cons:
- PS/2 only
- Key presses are not always on target, tendency to hit
adjacent key
- No noise confirmation of key press
- Can be awkward if you don't have a hard surface to lay it on
- Not geared for fast key presses, might hinder gameplay in a
fast paced environment
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