The black keyboard is standard PS/2 fare, with a row of multimedia function buttons across the top, but more on those in a minute. The presentation of the keyboard is your basic 101 button format, offering the standard 'qwerty' layout, 'F' keys 1-12, a numeric keypad, arrow keys and basic page navigation keys.

The keyboard is a little on the small size for my hands, and I find that I cramp up after prolonged use. (Like while writing this review.)

The multimedia buttons include: refresh, favorites, search, WWW, play/pause, volume up/down and mute. They are handy, but these buttons simply use Windows own presets for these functions, and unfortunately they are not programmable for anything else. The down side to this is that you are forced to use Windows search engine, and cannot customize it to the search engine of your choice and the email button opens whatever program you have set as your default mail client. Like I said, they are handy but limited.

The mouse is a basic 3-button wheel mouse. Surprisingly it is a ball-type mouse.

Ball mice don't work so well on any surface other than a mouse pad, optical will work on nearly any flat surface. To have freedom from the desktop, yet be confined to a mouse pad doesn't make sense in this age of optical technology. It seems that if you are designing a wireless mouse, you would allow the user to navigate from whatever surface they choose rather than restrict them to a mouse pad. Aside from being the ball-type, the mouse is well designed and feels solid with sensitive buttons and a rubberized scroll wheel. Since the drivers simply add the status indicators to your tray, the mouse shows up in the properties screen as a standard 3-button scroll mouse with Windows basic settings available.

The 27 MHz RF receiver is narrow, about an inch and a half wide, so it fits comfortably on your desktop. However, being RF, it does not have to have line of sight with the keyboard or mouse, so you are free to place it wherever you like. I tested the range, and it was about 6 feet, even through doors and walls, so placement is entirely up to you. The range is sufficient to reach across the room, good for say, controlling your PC to watch DVDs from bed, or net surfing from the couch.

For once, batteries are included. The Mouse and keyboard are each powered by two AAA batteries. Belkin claims that they will last a month at 5 hours of use per day. Not bad, but one thing to be aware of before you throw out your old keyboard. Make sure you have a spare set in your desk.. I know that my proffessors would not accept the excuse… "Really, my keyboard had dead batteries…" So make like a boyscout and be prepared.

Conclusion:

Average PC user:

As far as typing documents or surfing the internet goes, the wireless keyboard and mouse from Belkin work as good as any standard set. There is a slight stuttering motion to the cursor, as the report rates are not as fast as a wired set, but it does not affect performance for these instances. If you are a student, business person, or just use your PC for working with documents, email and surfing the internet then the freedom from cables is a big plus. Your desk will be neater and you can put the keyboard in your lap, or move to the sofa if you can see the monitor from there and wish to surf the net or control WinDVD from bed. For the average PC user this set up is a great idea, and I can gladly recommend Belkin's solution here, it is solid feeling and works well for basic computing.

Gamers:

Gaming is another story; this set was definitely not designed with us in mind, as the slow report rate does affect the overall smoothness of an FPS. I played UT2K3 for several hours combined, and two things became evident: First I found that even at 70+ frames per second, the slow report from the mouse to the receiver was noticeable in SLIGHTLY reduced reaction times. And second, the keys seem to stick. They do not physically get stuck down, but the game will continue in certain directions even after you release the key and keep moving until you press the key again to 'unstick' it. My best guess is that the receiver has a hard time realizing that the key has been released if it has been held down for any length of time, or gets confused with the rapid succession of commands from fast paced gaming. This is terribly frustrating, and as a gamer myself I cannot comfortably recommend this set to other gamers.

To sum it up, Belkin has a good idea here, but a move towards optical, and a faster report would solve one half of the problem, while a more stable, high speed interface would solve the other half. Perhaps a pro version in the future...

I have to give this a 60/100 averaging my varied opinions, however, if you fit in the first catagory of PC user, I think this is a great solution.

3DVelocity would like to thank Belkin, especially Melody, for providing this sample for review.

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