Just
about a year ago I reviewed Vidabox’s Premium Wireless Keyboard with Optical
Trackball and came to a pretty simple conclusion; great inexpensive
wireless keyboard that didn’t have a Green Button for Media Center use. The fact that it didn’t include a Green
Button came as a downer to me as it is the central way to navigate the Media
Center experience. The lack of a Green Button has been on Vidabox’s radar and
they recently released
a newer model using a laser trackball.
The Vidabox Premium Wireless HTPC Media Center Keyboard with
Laser Trackball includes a 2000dpi laser trackball, a Green Button hotkey at
the top of the keyboard, improved battery life (6+ months), and redesigned
internals to help with better reception via RF.
Throughout my testing I found that the quoted 30-foot wireless range
held up pretty well without any major drops that can become frustrating.
Back when I reviewed the optical version my big complaints
where the lack of a Green Button and a trackball that moved with the slightest
touch (kills batteries over the long haul and puts a mouse pointer on your
screen). Both of these issues have been
fixed with the laser trackball version and it is still a solid keyboard that I
would recommend highly.
Buy
here
Included in the box:
Premium Wireless Keyboard with Optical Trackball
Three AA batteries
USB Receiver
Pros:
Inexpensive ($69.99)
Designed for your lap
Laser Trackball/Mouse works very well
Cons:
Control takes getting use to
Photos (Click for
larger view)
Cross Posted from Chris Lanier's Blog at
http://msmvps.com/blogs/chrisl/