Customer Reviews

Gyration GYR3101CKUS Media Center Remote with Compact Keyboard

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

 

 

I have been using this mouse keyboard combo for roughly 7 months now and can honestly say it has fully met and even exceeded my expectation in every aspect. The remote itself is great, it has four control modes which is enough for my tv, pc, dvd player and cable box. There are a ton of IR codes provided, my DVD player is a rare (these days)samsung VHS/DVD combo that even my fancy Samsung tv didn't provide a code for. I am also able to control my digital cable box perfectly as all the critical functions are mapped to the channel, volume and MCE controls. As far as durability and reliability i have dropped it several times on carpet and hardwood. At first I always expected the remote to not work or be out of calibration but not once has it ever failed. One fall was hard enough to partially pop the front of the remote off, snapped back in place and it was good as new. Amazingly, even though i use this remote for hours everyday(hey i work from home), I still have the original batteries in it, same goes for keyboard.

PC control is great, the mouse moves smoothly and while it's true there is a slight learning curve to use it accurately I was zipping around using it naturally within a day or two. The remote looks bulky but the mouse action buttons are nearly dead center and it balances/fits well in the hand. The USB RF dongle requires no installed software and was recognized instantly in Vista. The remote stays paired consistently and works at a surprising distance. The keyboard feels like a fairly standard laptop setup. Easier to type on than a netbook but some keys are slightly smaller in size or in a strange location (ins/del are beside the arrow keys) but it works as advertised and stays out of the way when i don't need it which for my use is most of the time.

The price may seem steep to some but I tried to get away with a good wireless keyboard and mouse combo before this trying to save some cash and thinking i would just use it on the arm of the couch or my leg. It was frustrating enough to make me question my choice of buying a HTPC. Range was just barely enough to reach the couch and it would constantly lose connection. Luckily I found this combo and it saved the day. This is the end all of HTPC remotes in my opinion. My only worry is that this set will go out of production.

This is the ultimate in home entertainment & PC remote control.Just takes a little getting used to. But nothing quite like it out there.

I have two of these wireless keyboard/remote units for my media room and my family room. Each room has a PC running Vista Media Center. The Gyration hardware works great, and the two units do not interfere with each other. I suspected that the gyro-mouse might not survive the beating that a typical TV remote gets from my kids, so in the family room I added an IR media center remote that I leave on the coffee table for them to use.

Strongly recommended!