Customer Reviews

Eclipse Wireless litetouch Keyboard

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I like the concept of this keyboard, but is does not function as well as one might hope.

1) You have to reload any assigned settings everytime you activate the keyboard out of sleep mode. You'd think they could have at least put a token amount of RAM or flash memory in this thing to remember settings.

2) I've had a number of glitchy experiences with the keys getting locked in CTRL mode. When you type S it tries to save, you type O it tries to open something. This isn't the touchpad, which I expected would take some getting used to. I've had keys repeat on me, the typing experience with the traditional keyboard is not as smooth as with my Logitech wireless keyboard. This part of the technology is not new, they should have at least that down.

3) The touchpad, doesn't always register when you want it to and also has accidental false clicks. I'll be typing an e-mail my arm brushes against the touch pad and suddenly I'm looking at my World of Warcraft log-on screen. Then when I want to adjust volume... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Product is a really great idea, but the execution is not smooth.

I have never seen a more devious or cunning piece of technology in my life. All of it's good qualities are negated and far surpassed by this product's superior ability to truly puzzle and confound you by playing increasingly elaborate tricks on you with your PC.

I bought this Eclipse Wireless Litetouch because my previous keyboard finally broke. I needed a wireless keyboard with at least a 15 ft range, it needed to be durable enough to withstand being picked up and moved around daily. This is for my HTPC, so it won't be sitting still on a desk at all. I also wanted a number pad for my wife.

After about 3 weeks of use, I'm fed up with the glitches and I want the unit out of my home and out of my life. This keyboard is just a headache and too much of a hassle. I'm returning this tomorrow. Here's why:

-first of all, there is very little documentation with this product. The manual is more just a list of features, which are repeated several times all over the packaging...so the "manual" is useless if you've already looked at the package or the product description here. It is all the same information as you see above in the product description. Speaking of the packaging, they really went out of their way to convince you with the packaging that this device is worth the price. Geez, magnetic strips to close a cardboard flap on a box i'm going to throw away? Really? That explains the price tag. Good thing I didn't throw that pretty box away, I'll need it for the return process!

-There is a power button under the edge of the keyboard. What is the purpose of this? The keyboard turns on automatically when you press any key (or just walk by it). It turns off after a minute of the last keystroke, so why is there a power button? The "manual" doesn't say, but I'm guessing it's there as your only means of defense against the sporadic attacks the keyboard makes on your computer. By this I mean when it just decides to tell your PC that you are holding down the CTRL key, so everything you do is messed up. Or like when you're scrolling a webpage with your mouse's scroll wheel, and out of the blue the keyboard tells your PC "scroll wheel down = zoom out! scroll wheel up = zoom in!" That's always fun, and the only way to stop it is to power off the keyboard.

Oh, tonight I encountered a whole new little game the keyboard likes to play. I walk into the living room and somehow the keyboard lights up on it's own. That's the 5th time it's done that since I hooked it up, but ok. Maybe it's haunted? Whatever. I double click the hulu shortcut on my desktop and somehow the keyboard gets my PC to simultaneously open my recycle bin AND set a copy of the hulu shortcut directly on top of the original shortcut. Right click on shortcut, Properties, and...what's this? Why do I see the properties of my Recycle Bin where the hulu shortcut properties should be? I drag the shortcut to the side and there's another one underneath it. And another, and another, and another. They all stay highlighted (selected), as well as anything else I click on. Nice. Turn off keyboard and things go back to normal. Go ahead and look at the price of this product again. Yeah.

-How long does the battery last per charge? Don't bother with the manual or the website, they can't help you. My last keyboard ran on 2 AA batteries and they lasted a good 10 months. In the 3 weeks I've had this keyboard, I've recharged it 3 times. The included "manual" doesn't even say how to know when it is done charging. I had to go to their website and look at the FAQs to find out when it is done charging. I'm not complaining about charging about once a week, thats understandable for a backlit keyboard. I'm upset there's no documentation about it.

-Oh, and the rechargeable battery is not removable. So once that goes, you gotta replace the keyboard. Look at that price tag again. Yep.

-The number pad. Practically useless as a number pad. If you use the number pad a lot for data entry, you will immediately notice that you will be slowed down significantly with this keyboard. It's a touch screen, so there is no key to feel. You have to look where you're typing because its just one flat surface. That sort of defeats my point in picking this keyboard for the number pad since now we're just as slow typing numbers on the key pad as we are using the numbers above the qwerty.

So what is good about this keyboard??
-it's very durable build quality. This is necessary for living room use, and hardly any other keyboards compare to the Litetouch in this regard.
-backlit keys (the space between keys is lit, and the letter on the keys themselves are lit). This is extremely useful for a HTPC keyboard being used in a living room.
-range. The unit "works" from every seat in my living room.

All of those pro's are useless towards redeeming the amount of frustration brought on by the Litetouch's random onslaught of evil-genius plots to show you the horrible things you didn't even know Windows could do. Shortcuts on top of shortcuts, AND making those shortcuts open the recycle bin? Why? What madman thinks up stuff like that? When I come home from work, I just want to pick up my mouse and keyboard, sit on the couch and turn on a tv show, movie, or some music and relax. I don't want to get sucked into some mind game or test of wits against a psychotic machine.

Don't buy this keyboard. You will regret this purchase.

Oh yeah, there's a trackball on it too. Good luck with that.

I just bought this keyboard at Best Buy tonight because of the mouse/keyboard combo. It was the only one they had.

My first impression was that this is a very beautiful product. The keys feel amazing. The palm rest is velvet-like. Even the packaging is impressive with its magnetic flip open information panel and see through product window. Once I arrived back home, I immediately plugged it in. I was astonished. The back-lit keyboard and illuminated multi-function pad are just gorgeous.

However, after a few minutes of using it, all of my astonishment turned into disappointment. This keyboard is not very easy to use and has some glitches.

First, the mouse (2-button + trackball) is a joke. The trackball is 5mm diameter and is loose in its hole. It is extremely hard to achieve precise cursor placement with this unit. Moreover, when you lift up on the trackball, it sticks to your finger, inadvertently moving the mouse cursor. Selecting text is a challenging task and annoyingly slow.

Secondly, I also discovered a few glitches during the hour I have been using it. For example, problems arose when using modifier keys in sequence (i.e. Ctrl+f, Ctrl+f, Ctrl+b, Ctrl+b). If continuously holding down the Ctrl while pressing f, f, b, b, the first b press is unresponsive. However, if I lift up on the Ctrl key each time, the sequence works. (BTW, these modifier keys are used for scrolling forwards and backwards in my editor).

I also noticed a problem with the LCD pad's volume slider as well. It would only slide from 100% to 50%. After restarting the keyboard, it worked properly: 0% - 100%.

I am experiencing unresponsive keys as I type this review. It may be due to the wireless interface. Currently, the keyboard and USB receiver are about 14 inches apart.

Another drawback for me is the LCD 10-key. If you're a touch-typist and use the 10-key, you will be disappointed. I need those physical keys under my fingertips to achieve 100% accuracy. I enter a lot of numbers into my business's Quickbooks and I wouldn't trust myself on this keyboard.

Overall, this is an extremely beautiful keyboard. However, it's functionality and ease of use is poor. Definitely not worth the $129.99 I paid. As someone that uses a keyboard 8+ hours a day, I would not recommend this Eclipse keyboard, especially if you're a heavy mouse user.

It seems like a good idea, but it's not quite there. I wanted a wireless, backlit keyboard. I looked all over and found a few options.

-One thing that appealed to me about this is near the bottom of the ad it says "System Requirements: Bluetooth enabled PC or Mac". When I read that I made a bad assumption that this worked over Bluetooth. I have a Bluetooth enabled PC (laptop). Imagine my disappointment when I opened the box and found a USB dongle inside. I liked the idea of the Bluetooth connection so I would not have to give up one of my 3 USB ports for this. But I decided that was not reason to abandon it, so I inserted the USB dongle and went to work.

-The "litetouch panel" seems like a good idea because of all of the options associated with it, but if you type by feel and not site (read don't look at your hands when you type) this won't really work for you. Of course one already knows that when one buys this, but I didn't realize what a hindrance this would be.

-This keyboard doesn't ALWAYS respond to keyboard commands. For instance Ctrl C, Ctrl V; I found that often times I would hit this combination and end up with the letter "V" where I wanted the item I copied. To overcome this I had to hit the Ctrl V combination with about a millisecond of space between Ctrl and V using my opposing forefingers. This makes for frustration and slow typing.

-The placement of the INS (insert) key is right where I'm expecting the Ctrl for the right hand to be. This often results in engaging the insert function and typing over something I have written. That happened twice just while writing this review.

-The trackball thing is really pretty much worthless.

I might recommend this for someone that wants to hook a computer up to the TV and sit across the room and go to town. But that would be for only a minimal use scenario.

I'm going to continue my quest for the right backlit, wireless full-size keyboard. I think my next stop will be the Logitech K800 and see how that responds. I'm hoping that going back to a known favorite (Logitech) will garner better results. It seems the backlit wireless thing is not immensely popular right now. If I can't find the right combo soon, I'll just go back to an old staple, the Logitech WavePro Ergonomic KB and Mouse. I have that at work, and this way I won't have to remember 2 different KBs.

It seems Amazon had made an effort to make the return process easy. I will return with an update on that later.

UPDATE: my keyboard died after 1 year, and trying to get the manufacturer to honor their warranty was like ripping teeth. Definitely would not buy again. now onto my original review...

I got a new laptop recently (see my Toshiba Qosmio review) and have it hooked up to my 50" plasma TV. I matched that setup with a Gyration Air Music Remote with Compact Keyboard and the experience of a Home Theater PC is nothing short of revolutionary. Why everyone isn't doing this already, I'll never know -- it's taken both my computer and TV experience to a whole new level of entertainment. The only real problem though, was my wireless keyboard. The Gyration Air Remote is still a "must have" that I couldn't live without, but the keyboard was problematic and often skipped letters as I typed. It also became clear that I'd prefer a full size keyboard that was backlit so it would be easier to use in dim lighting.

Enter the Eclipse Wireless Litetouch Keyboard!

I've had my eye on the Litetouch for the past month, eagerly waiting its release date. I since learned it was all the rage at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, which only got me even more excited. Visually, the Litetouch was exactly what I was looking for and I was hoping it lived up to the hype. The verdict?? It DOES!

Full Size Keyboard

Unlike the Gyration keyboard, the Litetouch has a traditional keypad layout, full size keys, and their function is both tactile and responsive. This doesn't feel like a cheapo clackety-clack keyboard. It's a well constructed quality product. The keys aren't exactly silent, but they don't make a lot of noise either. And best of all, I'm typing this review on it now, and the wireless signal is flawless; no skipped letters, delays or errors. Just smooth, responsive and accurate typing.

Customizable Touch Screen Number Pad

A great twist to this keyboard is the number pad on the right is actually a touch screen panel. It can be changed to 3 different screens and even has programmable keys that can be set to open your favorite web pages, launch music players, or even open programs on your computer. Just switch between the 3 screens to select the touch pad you want and off you go; a cool feature that increases the versatility of this keyboard tenfold. However, it would've been a nice touch if the keys could take custom images or text to give a totally custom experience. But as it is, it's pretty great none the less.

Backlit Keys!!

My Qosmio has them, and I tell ya, there's no going back. Backlit keys may sound like no big deal to those who have never had it, but trust me, it's the best. The backlighting on this Litetouch dims automatically to conserve power. I haven't timed it, but I'd say it stays lit a good couple minutes before it dims. Then it stays dim a while longer before going totally dark. But just touch any key, and it lights up right away and is ready to type with no lag time. The touch pad also has a manual dim button as well as volume control.

Rechargeable

The touch pad also displays the battery level, and the keyboard seems to hold a charge a good while. I'm going on 48 hours and the battery is still at full capacity; so good on that.

Built-In Trackball & Left/Right Mouse Buttons

I truly don't see this replacing my Gyration Air Remote, but it's cool to have a trackball and mouse buttons right under the touch pad. The trackball is responsive and smooth, and I do make use of it from time to time, but once you get used to the Gyration Air Mouse, there's just no going back. But I am glad the trackball is there because sometimes it's more convenient. I just wish the trackball itself also doubled as the left mouse button, similar to the trackball on a cell phone. It's much more intuitive to roll away with the trackball and then just click it. The left mouse button could then be programmed for something else. Maybe they'll incorporate this into the next generation Litetouch.

Custom User Profiles

Save custom profiles for your programmable buttons. I originally thought you had to load the custom profiles manually after each boot, but I've since found the solution: right click the Eclipse Wireless Litetouch Keyboard icon in the tray on the lower right, then right click your Saved profile, then click Load at Startup. Whew! Glad it works as it should, even if the info was hard to find. It should be automatic that once you create a saved profile, it automatically loads at startup without any extra steps.

Bottom Line -- this Eclipse keyboard is exactly what's been missing from my HTPC setup. It looks sleek and feels like a top quality product. I have every expectation that it will last a good while. The price isn't cheap, but not exorbitant either. This is the best wireless keyboard I've come across. Go for it; you won't be disappointed!

A lighted wireless keyboard with a built-in pointing device... tall order and a dream come true. Bad quality, nightmare.

I am not a fan of touchpads, so when I saw a trackball paired up with a lighted keyboard I was jazzed. I pretty much figured with LED, illuminating a keyboard with battery power shouldn't be hard to do, but they are scarce and when I saw one with a built-in pointing device, exactly what I'd hoped for.

What's great about this keyboard is the illumination is adjustable. The light it emits is a little cold and hard on my eyes, but since it can be dimmed it is pretty good. Unfortunately it has to be set over and over because it doesn't seem to remember the setting.

The keyboard is rechargeable and comes with a USB A/C wall charger and USB cable to charge from a USB port. As others have mentioned the USB cable is not an interface, which is too bad since the receiver is so weak and unreliable.

The first unit I received was incapable of communicating over a 10 foot distance. Sitting on my sofa with the receiver pointing at me, the keyboard with drop keystrokes and the trackball would stop working intermittently. The first keystroke is usually lost, no matter how close the keyboard is to the receiver, so I got used to hitting the control key to wake it up. The reception worsened so I returned the defective keyboard for a replacment.

The second one was a little better but started acting up, returned for replacment.

The third one, the trackball was bad, it was really loose and wouldn't track, back for another try.

I like this, I want it to work, it just doesn't. Nobody else seems to make a comparable product, but I give up.

Other thoughts. The three mode touchpad is an oddity. It awful as a 10 key because it has no feel. My inclination is to scroll and gesture on it because it's a flat touch-sensitive surface, but it doesn't have that capablity??? Yet it comes with software to program all kinds of functions. Perhaps others find this desireable, I find it useless.

It's very nice looking, but since it doesn't work, what good is it?

I purchased this keyboard for my son as a Christmas gift. He has a vision problem and had asked for this keyboard. It has helped him to be able to see the keys much better than an unlighted one. I've used it myself and I would certainly recommend this keyboard for everyone.

The Eclipse Litetouch is a wireless, backlit scissor action keyboard with an added touchpad and trackball. It comes packaged in a nice cardboard box with magnetic closure to give the sense of a premium product.

The wireless keyboard comes with a usb dongle, which requires no pairing - it simply works after the receiver is plugged into an available USB port. The keyboard itself has an internal rechargeable battery that is charged through the supplied charger - via a mini USB connector. A fully charged keyboard will work for about 4 to 6 weeks. It can continue to operate while it's being charged.

I tested this keyboard with two different OS's - one which is supported - Windows XP, and one that is not (more on this). The software ships on a mini-CD, which works for most drives - although I would choose to just download the software installer from the company's website - particularly if you have a slot-loading drive.

Installation has the usual Windows pitfalls - I immediately had to locate and upgrade .Net to version 3.5 before I could install the drivers. There is a URL in the dialog box for the installer that points to the right place - but it's not clickable, and can't be cut and pasted into a browser - so why even include it in the installer for the keyboard software?

The illuminated keypad is the real star of the keyboard, and it is essentially a membrane, resistive touch surface that is backlt by a matrix of lights that are under each key - changing functions on the keypad shift the backlighting to illuminate the printed label for that new function. It mimics the look of a LCD touch screen, but really is something much simpler. The keys are re-assignable through the included software, which works well enough.

The keyboard has scissor action keys like those used on laptops - and most low-profile dssktop keyboards. It has good action and feel. This is really one of the strongest points of this keyboard. It also has a built in trackball, but it is a terrible little thing with a surface about the size of a pea, and is hard to control well.

Another issue is the very occasional character drop. I saw that others were having problems - but for myself, it is only happened very, very rarely - not enough for me to quit using the keyboard, but enough to mention it here. It is a minor thing that may be a major annoyance for others. What is more peculiar was the behavior I experienced while having the keyboard plugged into the charger while using it. At some point, the keyboard would no longer respond, and had to be reset. What I have discovered since this is that if the keyboard is used on battery, this doesn't happen. The moral here is it is better to just plug in the keyboard every once in a while over night and let it charge. And you do want to keep it charged, as it will become very erratic when low on power, spraying out streams repeat characters - hit a key, get a stream of letters, hit the backspace key, and the backspace sticks.

Because this keyboard needs no software for basic functionality, I tried it on my Mac and it worked fine. The touchpad portion is not programmable due to no support software from the manufacturer, but some of the functions work fine in their default state - such as volume, mute, transport controls inside of iTunes. And the trackball works, with the same limitations due to design.

This keyboard is indeed a mixed bag. The wireless works great, I like the key action and backlighting is nicely done. It has a nice heft so it stays in one place well. But then, there are these little nagging issues, such as dropped characters, having the keyboard stop responding. Keyboards simply shouldn't do this. Fortunately, it happens very rarely - so in the end this keyboard has become my most used.

There are times when you may want to share your computer experience with friends and family or you may just want to play some computer games, or watch Hulu, or You Tube on the big screen. This wireless keyboard is the perfect solution for TV computing. It is lightweight and ergonomically shaped with a rubberized front, it fits perfectly on your lap or in your hands. It also has a built-in mouse that is easier to use than a laptop mouse.

Out of the box this is a sleek looking wireless keyboard, it charges fast and has a built-in backlight. I used an HDMI cable to connect my laptop and my HD TV, then I plugged in the tiny USB connector to my laptop. My laptop discovered the keyboard almost instantly. I just left the computer next to the TV since I only had a 4 foot HDMI cable and I didn't want to hold a hot heavy laptop anyway.

I was able to play games and browse the Internet while sitting on my comfortable couch. The keyboard was accurate and the mouse worked well once I got used to it. It has a left and a right button and a little track ball in the middle. The track ball moves the mouse around and the left and right buttons are the same as the left and right mouse buttons. Takes a moment to get used to, but works well.

The number pad is actually a touchscreen and it offers 3 different sets of keys that are all programmable using the included software. I just stuck with the default screens, until I really get a feel for what I need in living room computing. Overall, this is a great wireless keyboard and would be a great addition to any home entertainment system.

The eclipse keyboard is truly an amazing product! Just purchased the keyboard and ran the set-up with ease. Setting up the hotkeys with all my favorite website and games was self-explanatory as well. I've been reading the reviews other buyers gave the eclipse keyboard and I have to strongly disagree. Have yet to encounter the glitches everyone has been complaining about, went as far as to even attempt them. Shortcuts such as ctrl+c work the same as any other keyboard. As for the power button, many wireless keyboards come with a power button attached to keyboard itself even though it can easily be turned on from "standby" when a key is hit. (the keyboard will go into standby if one does not hit the power button so i find it silly to give it a bad review simply for this). The keyboard itself does what was stated in the description and that's enough for 5stars in my book. Although its fancy, I'll have to suggest gamers to stay away from this keyboard. This keyboard was strictly designed for show/office work. Overall, no problem with the set-up and macros work great!