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Charles F.

Charles F.

Joined on 09/08/01

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Product Reviews
product reviews
  • 5
Most Favorable Review

Nice, but British keyboard?!?

ASUS Desktop PC VivoMini VC66-B016Z Intel Core i7-7700 16GB DDR4 512GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 630 Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
ASUS Desktop PC VivoMini VC66-B016Z Intel Core i7-7700 16GB DDR4 512GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 630 Windows 10 Home 64-Bit

Pros: Compact. Quiet. Lots of USB ports. Drives 2 monitors nicely.

Cons: Keyboard is British format, not US. Left-Shift key is *WAY* over to one side and is a bit of a reach. I invariably miss it when first typing. I have to make mental note of its location. '@' and '#' symbols not present. I may replace the keyboard with another. Also, kind of pricey.

Most Critical Review

Good Points & Bad Points

ADESSO WKB-3200UB Black 103 Normal Keys 2.4 GHz RF Wireless Multimedia/MCE Keyboard with Optical Trackball
ADESSO WKB-3200UB Black 103 Normal Keys 2.4 GHz RF Wireless Multimedia/MCE Keyboard with Optical Trackball

Pros: Probably the least expensive media center wireless keyboard with trackball that you can find that has complete set of media center control buttons. Works as advertised. Range OK. Trackball OK. Scroll wheel OK.

Cons: Doesn't take much abuse. My kids have broke the battery compartment cover and broken off 9 keys on the right side, all by dropping onto a hardwood floor. Finding keys on the floor is annoying. I am buying a replacement unit since the original is losing keys fast. Kids are older now, hopefully it will last longer.

Overall Review: I have tried a number of wireless keyboard/pointing devices with my media center and this is the best. That doesn't mean its great, it just means the others have more issues. Trackball is way better than gesture mice, touchpads, or joysticks. I have used multiple models of all of them. My closet is full of abandoned keyboards for this computer. I also have an SMK mini keyboard. It's OK for thumb-typing short queries in Google or something but other than that it is a glorified remote control. The joystick works but is not as precise as a trackball. Others have mentioned the annoying location of the sync button. I have accidently hit it a time or two. You get used to it. It would be nice if it were more rugged.

Drained my Car Battery Twice

Kensington K38053RR 70 Watt DC Power Adapter for Netbooks
Kensington K38053RR 70 Watt DC Power Adapter for Netbooks

Pros: Powers my netbook. I expected it to get quite warm and was pleasantly surprised that it stayed cool at all times.

Cons: Evidently, this unit consumes 70W even when no load attached. On two occasions I left the unit plugged into accessory jack of my truck and had to jump-start the truck in the morning. Nothing was attached to the output. The unit came with 2 connector adapters, neither of which fit my Acer netbook snugly. One fit well enough to work but would lose connection if wiggled. Cable from accessory jack is not a very snug fit. During the course of a 2-week road trip, it came unplugged several times. Accessory jack connection is not very secure. You have to shove it in pretty hard. Engagement length is short. If it slips out just a little, unit gets no power.

Don't Buy

DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-40 Plus 2009
DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-40 Plus 2009

Pros: The GPS receiver was compact and seemed to work well. Lots of software whistles and bells. Probably a good tool sales ppl planning to canvass a neighborhood.

Cons: Frustrating. You cannot remap keyboard shortcuts easily. It requires use of multiple keys for most commands. Not good when driving. Screen layout poor. Lots of real-estate wasted. Current GPS location is in center of laptop screen, not in center of viewing pane. Bottom 1/4 of screen is nav pane. When driving south and in 2D mode you get very little view of what's ahead of you and lots of view of where you have been. Really poor GUI design. If you are heading south in 3D mode all map legends are upside down. Database horribly out of date. I tried to find a pharmacy in one town. It said none within 20 miles. There was a pharmacy across the street. It looked like it had been there forever. Same thing happened looking for motels and road-side parks. Google Maps had no problem finding any of this. GPS unit has suction cup on cable, not on unit itself. You stick it to your windshield and GPS dangles at end of the cable.

Overall Review: Newegg's return policy treats this product as software, even though it includes a GPS unit. That means I can't return it even though I have had it less than 30 days. I should have read the fine print before I bought.

Worked fine until joystick broke

BTC 9049URF III 2-Tone 87 Normal Keys 16 Function Keys 2.4 GHz RF Mini Inter-Media Wireless Keyboard with Pointing Device
BTC 9049URF III 2-Tone 87 Normal Keys 16 Function Keys 2.4 GHz RF Mini Inter-Media Wireless Keyboard with Pointing Device

Pros: Worked as advertised. Easy to install. Range was good in my living room. Worked with Vista Media Center PC, no problems.

Cons: Joystick broke after about 1 yr of light use. I rarely use the keyboard in my home theater. Mostly I use an IR remote. There is no good reason for it to have broken. It is not repairable so I am out approx. $30.

Overall Review: Until the joystick broke, I was very happy with this product.

12/27/2008