Illuminated Rollup Keyboard
Reviewed by Robert Pritchett
Tianyu Technology 24B, Block 3, Yangguang Mansion, No 6017, Shennan Road, Shenzhen, 518050, China 86-755-82047945 Fax: 86- 755- 82047945 http://www.tianyutek.com/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=781 http://www.usbgeek.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=0618 $27 USD, £30 GBP, € 46 Euro. Comes With: Flexible 109-key keyboard, USB to PS/2 adapter. And the User Manual. |
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Strengths: It rolls up and can handle chemical spills. Waterproof and dustproof. Weaknesses: It puts out an irritating electronic noise. The keys require extra pushing to make contact. Not for ”touch-typists”. Other Reviews: http://www.lanaddict.com/rev/155/1/ http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20060922/bendi-light-up-keyboard/ |
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Introduction
Do you remember Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the flexible piano keyboard (Lessons episode of The Next Generation)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lessons_%28TNG_episode%29
Well, how about using a computer keyboard that rolls up?
Sapphire Blue EL Illumination on Keys Water resistant and virtually indestructible keyboard. No poisonous and evil smell. Roll it up and bring it everywhere.
Features & Specification:
111 keys in a standard QWERTY layout.- Sapphire Blue EL Illumination on Keys.
- Flexible/foldable, soft without any sound while typing.
- Made by high-quality silicone.
- Water resistant and dust-proof
- Acid and alkaline-proof.
- Washable and hygienic.
- Soft-touch, quick tactile key action, more comfortable than traditional hard plastic keyboards.
- Fits easily in your briefcase, backpack or notebook carrying bag and you don't have to worry about any sharp edges.
- Choose from PS/2 only or both USB & PS/2 connectivity.
- EL Illumination ON/OFF
- Support: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
- Weight: 333gm
- Size: 49.5 x 14cm
Getting Started
This
arrived rolled up in a bubblepack envelope in the mail from Hong Kong. It
out-gassed for about a day due to the silicon rubber and finally dissipated.
(No poisonous gas, but it sure smelled!)
I plugged it into the USB port and the computer asked to identify it and it did successfully.
The keyboard is designed for a PC and not a Mac, but it works.
There
are a few warning statements and pictures in the tri-fold brochure or handout,
requesting that we not use anything sharp on it, keep away from oils or
organics like acetone or Toulon, not to press it when rolled (which was funny
because it came “pressed” in the mail and it took quite a while to lay flat
with parts of it refusing to go flat), not to put anything heavy on it, or to
be used in an oven or “putted on the fire to teast”, or to be twisted or
pulled.
Using the Hardware
This is not a light-touch keyboard, You have to get “manly” with it, meaning you have to get tough with the keys, because they are tough to push. Depending on how you “touch” the keys, they may or may not register. They have to be touched in the middle and not on the corners. This is an issue with the Enter and Space keys. And for some unknown reason, there are a few blank “placebo” keys onboard. Two next to the Spacebar have no function whatsoever and there are three more up on the right side.
The keyboard made this high whine that never went away. Now if I were in a factory environment, the noise would be hidden, but next to my iMac, this was one noisy keyboard!
When it was plugged into the iMac, it lit up with the underlayment being blue. The magic is in that rectangle to the right (transformer, etc.) where there are also 3 LEDs as indicators.
Conclusion
Bottom line? If you need a flexible chemical resistant lighted keyboard for low-light environments, you might try this one.
Just remember that it does not have any “Macintosh keyboard” keys. Let the silicon rubber cure before using when you first get one of these keyboards. And who knows? Perhaps the one you get won’t send out any electrical/audible noises from the transformer.
