I thought maybe it just needed broken in, but I've been using it for a few weeks now and it's no better than the day I bought it. On the upside, you can roll it up, fold it, submerge it in water, or deform it just about any way you want and it still works fine. Just don't fold it up while plugged in and using it; this can cause keys to stop working or generate random output. It's also the most portable type of keyboard ever made, and this particular make/model has a full set of keys, something many do not, including a numerical pad, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause, Page Up/Down, Home/End, Insert/Delete, a Windows key, and special buttons for Wake Up, Sleep, and Power. Now, if only it were more responsive and forgiving to typists.
For very limited or emergency use or for specific situations that a standard keyboard would never survive, this isn't a bad alternative; just know the shortcomings going in. It does no worse than the others of its ilk, but it can be a pain to use. The brief manual has a number of typos, grammatical, and mechanical errors I can only assume are translation problems (BudgetGadgets.com originates in China). Some more localization and clean-up would have been nice, but it's not terribly necessary since the keyboard is totally plug-and-play. No drivers are needed, and no software is included.
The other gizmo I'm looking at today is a car charger designed for devices that typically charge off a powered USB port. Many MP3 players can only be charged this way without a special adapter, and other devices have come to accept a USB charge over the years. The charger's rated for 12-24V DC input and 5.0V DC output, and current of 800MA. This should be compatible with a fairly wide range of devices; the ones I tested it with were an Apple iPod Nano, a Creative Zen Mozaic, and a Sony NV-U44 GPS unit.
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
I've never used one of these flexy keyboards, but somehow this doesn't surprise me. The big heavy clicky IBM keyboards are still my theoretical ideal, though I don't use one any more.
2 - Mark Buckingham
Sounds like the keyboards used for my typing class in high school. The firm and loud clicking feedback definitely let me know when the keypress registered.
I have non-flexy Logitech slim backlit keyboard I got around Christmas I've been meaning to review that I really like, despite its quietness and shallow key press depth.
3 - w I Got a Free iPhone With Free iPhone Apps
I was just now googling around about this when I came by your post. I'm simply stopping by to say that I very much liked seeing this post, it's very well written. Are you going to post more on this? It seems like there's more depth here for later posts.