Everything now a days is going wireless. It is just so much more convenitent than being tied down with unnecessary wires. This wireless keyboard and integrated touchpad is a new offering by KeySonic that provides a very small and handy solution for anyone needing to control their computer while not at a desk. It runs on the 2.4GHz wireless frequency, and contains all they keys that you would expect to find (minus any media keys). But how well does it perform? We take a look

The box is very colourful and strong enough to ensure nothing inside will get damaged.

The back of the box has some details and specifications about the keyboard in six languages. Inside the box you find the keyboard itself, Energizer batteries, the usb reciever, some simple instructions and a “declaration of conformity”.

The first thing I noticed when getting it out of the box is just how small it really is. Here are the supplied specifications:

• Product Description: Keysonic ACK-540 RF – keyboard , touchpad
• Device Type: Keyboard
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 30 cm x 21 cm x 2.1 cm
• Connectivity Technology: Wireless – RF
• Wireless Receiver: USB wireless receiver
• Buttons Qty: 12
• Pointing Device / Manipulator: Touchpad
• Battery: AAA type
• OS Required: Microsoft Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP

It is also very light to pick up however thanks to some rubber feet, on a desk it won’t be sliding around the place.

It was nice to see when I opened the box that Keysonic hadn’t tried to cut costs by putting in a non major brand set of batteries (as said, they provided Energizer ones).

Installing the keyboard is very simple. It requires no drivers (tested on Xp professional, however it claims in its instructions that “All state-of-the-art operating systems with Plug & Play support will recognize your keyboard automatically and lead the required drivers” and should work on any Windows system from 98SE onwards), just plug the USB reciever in, press its tiny button, and press the FN key on the keyboard and it worked first time.

Once I had started using it (for this review, actually), I started to realise how annoying the Fn keys placement is. It is in the exact place that CTRL normally would be (and has pushed CTRL one place to the right) – which when using shortcuts means typos being made. Over time I am sure you would get used to it, however I only intend to use this keyboard occasionally (for home theatre PC purposes) and have no intention of doing much typing on it.

However when typing on it the keys are very easy to push on, very much like most laptop keyboards.

The touchpad is very responsive, however i have found the scrolling part too responsive for my liking (it seems to scroll far too fast, however I’ve just left everything on default settings as I plan to use my normal keyboard/mouse for 99% of the time anyway)

If you are getting this for occasional use (such as for a home cinema pc set up) I would highly recommend it. However I do not think it is suitable for those who expect to write a novel in Word using this. Overall rating: 8/10

Prices: Amazon.co.uk who sell it for £25.99. I have been told that there is a chance Play.com may be getting some in soon, so you may want to check them out.