I’m not sure if comfortable blogging is what the guys at IOGEAR had in mind when they created the GKM581R 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard but, I can attest that I am in fact comfortable and well…
What I do know is IOGEAR has really put time into designing a truly ergonomic lap keyboard that makes controlling my media center, from across the room, surprisingly easy. You can almost feel the user testing and design decisions in your hand – it just works.
Setup, was a breeze (as it should be) and I was up and running in just a few minutes after plugging in the USB RF receiver, installing the necessary driver, and attaching the charging cable. It is recommended that the included NiMH batteries be charged for a full 24 hours the first time around so, prepared to be tethered, unless you have an extra set of AA’s laying around.
After just a few minutes the built in scroll wheel, two button mouse, and optical trackball make precision control seem like second nature. Which was a bit surprising since the somewhat average 3 star rating on Amazon seemed to stem from a lack of love for the tackball mechanism. Maybe it’s just years of gaming that has honed my freakishly good eye hand coordination or my general disdain for crappy trackpads but, this trackball definitely works for me.
The 2.4GHz wireless connection, works flawlessly with a good line of sight at 15 feet but, it should be noted that I do experience occasional drops when something like a pillow or a blanket gets in the way. IOGEAR says the bi-directional technology is good up to 33 feet but unfortunately, my living room is not that big.
As an added bonus, the keyboard can also be used with popular gaming consoles (where typing with a controller is typically a chore) such as the Wii, Xbox, and the PS3. Although, only the PS3 takes full advantage of the mouse-like click and scroll features.
All in all, for only $39 on sale at Amazon, I couldn’t be more happy. That old media center PC I had sitting in storage now has new life in my living room with the IOGEAR GKM581R.
