Customer Reviews

Adesso WKB-3000UB Wireless Mini Keyboard

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(78)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

I use this as the keyboard for my living room entertainment center. Although I have the USB RF receiver in the front USB port, I am able to type and mouse as if it were a wired keyboard/mouse even from my kitchen 25 feet away. This is the best purchase I've made for my entertainment center. I love the trackball on the right and the scrollwheel under the left trigger spot. My only complaint is that the RF times out after a short while (5m perhaps), but it comes on with any keystroke (and it still registers that keystroke). When I need to use the mouse, I just hit the shift key and it functions again. This is probably a good feature because it should be saving battery life. I've been using the same batteries for three months and have not had to re-register the keyboard to the USB receiver.

I LOVE!!!!! the design of this keyboard. The rounded corners, built in track wheel and (not seen in pc) scroll wheel at your left middle finger, the second right mouse button for your right middle finger... by far the most functional placmement of any trackball keyboard I have seen. There's even slight indents on the under side so it sits right over your upper thighs while in a lounge chair. A++++ on form factor!

For those considering this keyboard, it is not just for a media center as my primary use is the office. No more sore shoulder on my mouse side and I now sit comfortably with my shoulders square to the monitor so it encourages much better posture than a mouse. This has probably even saved me from carpel tunnel syndrome!

Although I haven't tested the range to it's maximum, I have had no issue in small to medium sized conference rooms while straying 20-30 feet from the receiver and many people have commented how cool it was I could move around the room and face the projection screen, instead of with my head buried in my laptop. Much more interactive. The receiver too is a very friendly USB stick about the size of a flash thumb drive.

The reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is the build quality. Although I have gotten used to it, it would probably feel a bit cramped for some who like a full size keyboard and the size dictates the number keys are less important. But this is no differnet really than a lap top keyboard and it is not a big nuisance for me personally. It is more the 'cheap' keystroke feel that disappoints and it is a bit louder than a really high quality keyboard. But keep in mind when I say 'high' quality, I am talking about the likes of a Logitech DiNovo which is twice the price.

Also, there are two rubber feet on the underside which peel off fairly easily and once one gets lost (and one eventually will in the portable settings for which it is intended), you have to pull off the other as it will not site right on a desk. Luckily, it's heavy enough that it doesn't slide around a desk without them.

Still, for the price, and for the form factor, these nits are easily overlooked. This is such a handy keyboard I am even considering a second one, just in case they decide to stop making it. I have not seen any other form factor that makes deskless mousing and scrolling so effortless. I'd have a hard time living without it now.

For the 2 months that it worked, it was better than other mini keyboard/trackball combos that I've tried (but that is not saying much at all, since they are almost all terrible). One thing I liked most about this over others was that it rarely needed to be resynched. The trackball worked pretty well for being so tiny, and the mouse buttons/scroll wheel were nice.

But today, after using the keyboard for probably only 5-15 minutes per week over the last couple of months, it has gone haywire. Pressing most keys on the keyboard now results in the keyboard sending multiple keystrokes to the computer. For example, the "g" key sends "gv". I'm past the Amazon 30-day guarantee, so I'll have to try to deal with the manufacturer Adesso.

My first one - I am very excited to get one that works properly. Its a nice design and has a good feel. The one I received works best at 5 feet or closer, and even at that, I frequently have to hit a key 10 times until it registers. I'm within my 30 days so it's going back and I'll replace it with the same one. I'll be happy to follow up with a better review.

I have now had my 2nd one for over a month. It's as big of a piece of junk as the first one. If it were not for the shipping policy that I have to pay to return defective items, then I would be sending this one back as well. I would give this zero stars for the shipping policy if I could. I guess I'll have to wait until I can find a fun and creative way to blow this up.

Two tries - both defective for similar reasons. If you just want to get on the computer and play cheesy games or watch movies online then this may work. If you need to type emails or do anything that require more than 10 consecutive keystrokes, then look to buy something else.

Like other reviewers, I purchased this keyboard for use with a home theater system. Surprised that Sony doesn't offer a Bluetooth keyboard to go with the PlayStation3 (yet), I did some research and settled on this RF unit as the best stopgap solution.

Unlike the other reviewers, though, I have had no problem with the RF signal fading in and out. Admittedly, I don't use the keyboard all that much, but whenever I do I am always impressed by how well it functions. It reliably wakes from sleep and functions as advertised with only occasional missed keystrokes. The integrated trackball is a big plus -- no separate mouse to clutter up your living room coffeetable just for scrolling/navigating.

Your mileage may vary, but at 12-15 feet away from the PS3/TV my unit works like a champ.

While its design is nowhere near as nice as that of the new ultra-thin aluminum Apple keyboard -- and its appearance is not very impressive (hey, its a keyboard!) -- at least it is ergonomic and comfortable to use. The rounded corners are nice, and the keys have a decent tactile quality.

All in all, I'm surprised to be this pleased with it, given the knocks it has taken from other reviewers. Not a bad deal.

I don't know how this keyboard gets as many good reviews as it got. If you do the math its 3.8 stars (Amazon pads the reviews by rounding up). This keyboard frequently skips characters wile typing making using it a chore. I have tried 2 different USB ports with no change and the receiver is only 3.5 feet away. Also the track ball is unusable due to skipping around probably due to the same issue that make it skip characters. I have fixed about 15 errors in this review due to the problem - maddening!!!

This keyboard is the absolute worst. I received this keyboard with low expectations, but when i oped the box it became a lot worse...
When i first opened the box i was excited (because now i can sit on the couch and surf my computer!) but was quickly reminded that quality comes with a price. When i first hooked it up the trackball was a little skippy (aka. not registering movement) and was very hard to click on anything due to not being smooth. The trackball doesn't come out of the board, so i couldn't try to clean the (if it has?) rollers, god forbid they still use those, / or clean the optical so it would actually see when i was moving the trackball.

This wasn't the end of it, i tried typing something in and only half of the keys actually worked. This made typing ANYTHING a problem due to having to go back and fix all of the mistakes left behind by the keyboard not registering what i was hitting.

After using this keyboard for about 3 hours i sent it back. Do yourself a favor and skip this. Nobody needs this crappy of a keyboard or the hassle this has caused.

I bought it for my 42in. pc theater hopeing it would work 17ft. away from my easy chair. It works perfectly. NOW I tested it's range.
Kitchen wall 28ft. away direct line of sight worked flawlesy. I opened garage/kitchen door went to far end of garage a total of 52ft from the pc theater it still worked even though I could not see the screen that well at 52ft. I typed this 52ft away from screen really!

Good:
Second keyboard I bought works flawlessly. Relieves repetitive stress pain from using a regular mouse for hours each day.

Bad:
This is why I give this keyboard 4 starts instead of 5 - I had to buy the keyboard twice and return the first one, which had a malfunctioning trackball. The second keyboard that works properly IS a 5-star keyboard.

Details:
I deleted my original 3-star review and I'm replacing it with this review.

The first time I bought this keyboard, the trackball would not work smoothly, if at all. I emailed Adesso support and they responded quickly, asking me to change batteries and to test the keyboard on another system - which I did with identical results. They also asked me to check for a red light under the track ball, which tells me they sent me a stock reply or the rep was clueless about this model. The trackball is enclosed, there is no red light.

I liked using this keyboard with my laptop, which I use for hours each day, so I ordered another keyboard in hopes that it would work given the good reviews of this product. The second keyboard works perfectly! The trackball works smoothly and does not intermittently stop working altogether as the trackball on the first keyboard did.

I write for a web site and I use a mouse as often as I type. This keyboard is fantastic for the hours I use my laptop nearly every day for work. I love the size of this keyboard (I have small hands), and having the mouse buttons, scroll wheel and trackball right on the keyboard relieves the repetitive stress pain in my wrist and a couple of fingers. I use the trackball with any finger or the palm of my hand to avoid over-working joints.

Having to return the first keyboard is a disappointing inconvenience and expense. But, the physical comfort the second, properly functioning keyboard provides is worth it for me. Unfortunately, I think sometimes a "clunker" is shipped.

This wireless keyboard is 90% great and 10% horrible. I did read other reviews that warned of "choppy" connection with 2.4 Ghz RF transmitters and bought this anyway because it was cheaper than the blue-tooth models I was looking at. I now regret that decision and have all but stopped using the keyboard. I don't know what it is, but even when mousing it just "skips" around. I had hoped for better.

On the plus side - the design of this keyboard is great. The design is ergonomic, the scroll wheel and mouse keys are in just the right places, and the shape is almost perfect for sitting on the couch and typing or surfing the web (I hooked my netbook to my TV - hence the need for this style of keyboard). If this exact same style of keyboard is available with a better connection type (I can't personally vouch for blue-tooth, but a friend told me it was better) then I would recommend trying that. I love the design and layout, just can't live with the RF.