Customer Reviews

Celluon LaserKey CL850 Projection Keyboard

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was excited when I got my Celluon CL-850 BT keyboard in the mail, and after a bit of setup, am very happy with it - with caveats. I run it on my Blackberry 8320 (curve), and it works great. I'm a college student and I take all my notes on my phone now. Just be aware that Blackberry devices by default are a bit tricky to get working with a keyboard - that's RIM's fault, not Celluon.
I don't like that this device requires its own software for handhelds, and the company has NO customer support (they ignore email). I was never able to get this running on my WM5 HP IPAQ pda (what i originally intended to use this with, so I could draw in hand-written notes) - whenever I select this as the input the software insta-crashes. If Celluon ever goes under, the device will no longer support new OS's, and since it's really meant for mobile devices that's a bad thing. It works with my latop, but there's no real reason to use this on a device with a better keyboard built in. Also, given that I paid $150 for this thing when I got it I'm pretty well tied down to my phone, since there's not many devices I KNOW this will work with.
Keyboard functions reasonably well. You may have to adjust to not having any tactile response to typing, as there are no actual keys being depressed. Also be aware that accuracy is important and calibrating the sensitivity for different surfaces/lighting conditions is required, but easy. Start tapping your fingers on the desk if you wanna know what it feels like typing on this thing. By the way, it's a laugh riot seeing first time users push down harder on the "keys" trying to get it to work. It reflects infrared light off your fingers to a sensor to identify keystrokes, therefore reflective/shiny surfaces (read: high gloss wood desks) have trouble with it sometimes, but a white sheet of paper fixes that. Also, given the way it works, you have to keep your fingers higher than you expect to and certain keystrokes are impossible, as you have an infrared shadow blocking the lower fingers. This also can cause issues when typing fast as one finger may not be out of the way of the next when moving quickly - overall it's more "hunt and peck" friendly as opposed to 150 wpm typing. I've also noticed that people with long fingernails have a lot of trouble getting it to work properly, since nails are glossy, but trying to use fingertips may set off the key above your intended target. Also note that since it uses infrared reflectivity, the laser guide is just that - a guide. If you place the device on top of a 4" book and the laser guide appears larger, it will NOT increase the size of the "actual" keyboard - you'll just have an invisible sensitive area floating 4" above the table with no finger stop. It has to be used on a flat surface, but it doesn't have to be level - I even had to get someone's password at work once and held it against a wall and had them type it in. Also, while I can silence the phone's keystroke sounds, I have not found a way to silence the clicking speaker on the device itself. It's very quiet (quieter than my laptop keyboard and some people writing with pencils), and I've asked neighbors if it bothered them and they said no, but I feel you should be aware in case absolute silence is required. I probably wouldn't turn it off even if I could, since the light sound is the only verification you have that it's seeing your fingers if you aren't watching your screen. The only other major warning is that it takes up a decent amount of desk space that must be absolutely flat, which can be trouble for college students trying to use this and a book at the same time.
While I don't like the fact that it REQUIRES its own software for handhelds (works on windows just fine w/o software or additional drivers if you have version with USB as well as bluetooth), the software has some nice features. It lets you adjust the brightness of the keys, whether or not keys repeat when held down, whether or not the device makes sounds (turn the sound off, people), sensitivity (you'll find that different surfaces/environments require you to adjust this - it's easy though) and standby/auto-off functions.
Overall, I'm very happy with this device. It works as advertised and is more than just a sci-fi gadget. That being said, make sure it will work with your device and don't expect it to be as quick as a tactile keyboard. Also, this thing will draw a crowd first time you use it somewhere new, as people flock to the sheer coolness of it (if you're in witness protection or something I'd say avoid this). I'm glad I have it and hope you find this review helpful.

Update - I forgot to mention that battery life is a problem. 90 minutes on the outside for me, which is an issue when using it for class. Since the CL 850 has a USB mini port on it(older models of the keyboard do not, and require a wall adapter), I plan on getting an external cell-phone charging battery. Most new phones use this same power supply and voltage, so that should be easy to find.

After purchasing the new version of the projection keyboard, CL850, I noticed the new USB features are amazing. I can plug the projection keyboard into my desktop's and my laptop's USB slot; both recognized the keyboard right away and needed no installation of drivers. Also, CL850 has a built in mouse sensor that allows me to keep my hands in the general area at all times! It's an amazing product!

This product works great!!!!im actually using it now!i was afraid to get it at first because of the review i read by O. Graupman..he had stated that the blue tooth didn't work with vista.. However, vista(32-bit) IS COMPLETELY compatible with the celluon cl850 (including bluetooth). I am not all sure on whether or not it works for the vista 64-bit system (on the site it only has the setup for the 32-bit systems, so my guess is no). For vista, you need to go to the site (under support download) and download the setup because it its not on the cd. initially, it didnt connect right away, but all you have to do is change the serial port in the settings (i changed mine to com 40 and it worked right away). Thus, those running vista 32-bit systems, do not be afraid to by this awesome gizmo! :)

Hope this helped!

P.S. O. Graupman, if you are reading this.. try to look on the celluon website under support downloads. You might be able to find your phone setup there because im guessing you couldn't find it on the cd.

I thought this keyboard would make a cool keyboard for both my cell phone and laptop. The keys really look nice projected onto a desk. Unfortunatly, this keyboard doesn't work in bluetooth mode with Windows Vista and it would not work with my phone despite being on the compatibility list on the web site. Numerous emails to tech support went unanswered. The keyboard did work okay in USB mode with my laptop; however, the included USB cable was so short that I couldn't place the keyboard anywhere that gave me a decent (non-neck-craning) view of the screen. I could get the device to work on my Windows XP computer, but the included utility for adjusting sensitivity would crash seconds after opening it. The manual was a little hard to decipher as the english in it is poor and often referred to non-existant sections. I'm returning the device.

This is an excellent addition to my Blackberry 8310 - I use it often and it works perfectly on both that and my Mac.

Only one thing, ladies... nail polish on your nails will play havoc with the lasers.. :-) It doesn't work well at all when you have painted nails!

This product is really cool. The mouse feature in the new version is really easy to use as well. This is a great addition to UMPCs or PDAs. This is a certainly a must have for a techie. It is easy to use, syncs with Bluetooth easily and battery charges quickly. Just be aware this isn't really a keyboard replacement as there are some nuances that you must get used to in order to use it easily.

I just recieved this product today and I'm very impressed... I was a little puzzled at first because I went straight for the disk. You don't have to, it's plug and play and you can adjust sensitivity through your keyboard functions. I am 100% satisfied, in fact... I'm using the keyboad right now! I haven't tried it with my blackberry yet, but I know from using my "smart" phone <-- haha, smart... yeah right, the thing is stupid!The phone itself will probably give me trouble. I haven't had any trouble at all though with the keyboard itself. I would say that if you're a tech kind of guy this is definately a plus to add to you collection. I would like to thank Cellulon personally for a genius product. I hope to see more awesome products from you in the future, I'll be waiting with my credit card! hehe

need ultra smooth flat surface, no complaints, not a lot of versatility, bluetooth setting very primitive and poorly executed, usb use is most reliable. battery lasts a plenty of time.

This works great for someone who needs soft touch due to injuries or RSI.
I am using it since a few days with my laptop and it seems to be helping the fingers/hands. I have increased the sensitivity and all keys except 1 corner one works fine. There are some input errors but I think it is learning curve.

The biggeest problem is the reflection/glare in the eyes. My eyes definetely feel strained after using this.
I am concerned about thelong term effects of using this keyboard.

Anybody has ideas on how to minimize these effects ?

This product work very well considering are no actual buttons. The little gadget makes e-mailing and texting so much easier and faster. When cruising the web in landscape remember to uncheck the "Automatic full screen" check box in Opera. "Settings- Display- {the top option}"

The driver that came on the disk worked better with my HTC Touch HD (running Windows Mobile 6.1) than the updated drivers currently available for download on the Celluon site.