Customer Reviews

Macally USB Slim Keyboard (ICEKEYB)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

And hello, Dolly, is this keyboard ever sweet!!! If you've read all those glowing reviews of the white IceKey, rest assured that BlackIce is twice as nice.

From the glossy black casing with its silver Macally logo, to the sparkling key caps, this beauty gleams with elegance. The best looking keyboard Macally makes, it is easily on par with the Apple Pro. As well constructed as it is beautiful, the iceKey's chassis does not flex, and its two USB (1.1) ports with clear crystal end caps are sturdy and snug-- you can plug in any of those nifty little gooseneck devices without them keeling over. Both my new Plantronics headset and old AGFA scanner plug-and-played without a hiccup.

As for ergonomics: The iceKey has a flat surface like a laptop keyboard but with a slight rake, and can be raised in the back on two feet, rather than being curved like the Apple Pro. I worried at first that its keys would feel too shallow for my loutish fingers, that the advertised short travel distance would cramp my style. I was delighted then to find how comfortable and easy the iceKey is to work on, how crisp and responsive the touch. You can just slide your fingers over the keys, rather than having to lift them over the hills and valleys found on standard boards. Most importantly, the soft-click "scissor-key-switches" work flawlessly: I'm no longer experiencing any unintentionally repeating keys, a problem endemic to cheesy membrane keyboards.

The only little snafu I have had so far is that, while this Macally product miraculously came with an up-to-date driver on CD, the dedicated Volume and Eject keys would always stop responding at some point after my Mac starts up (the 104 standard keys would continue to work fine.) Found a partial solution: In Library/Preferences there is file com.apple.keyboardtype.plist-- It read Crashed, so I deleted it and upon restart the Volume and Eject keys now work okay unless I let my iMac sleep. [n.b.: Plugging this keyboard into a PC, you will not be able to use the dedicated Volume and Eject keys period, as Macally does not issue Windows drivers. However, if you run Windows on a Mac under Parallels Desktop, you should have all the Mac functionality.]

Other keyboards on the market compete with special features targeted to the Mac and OS X, but none of them match to the quality, design and performance of the iceKey. Those I tried out that sported USB 2 or extra media buttons all had spongy keys and seemed flimsy and/or clunky. And since OS X lets you assign application-specific actions to any key (from System Preferences/Keyboard & Mouse/Keyboard Shortcuts) all those extra buttons are pretty superfluous.

In short, the "killer feature" of a really great keyboard is... typing. In this department, Macally ices the competition.

I bought this Keyboard as a replacement for the original keyboard on my PowerMac, which I accidentally destroyed by spilling coffee on - and it is a major upgrade and improvement. Normallly we don't think of a keyboard as a 'key' component of our computers - it's just something we use to type in text or numbers or info or data. But some of us are writers and having a comfortable and functional keyboard isn't just a luxury - it's almost a necessity. Unlike the vast majority of keyboards for desktop computers, the MacAlly IceKey uses lower-profile keys - similar/identical to the ones found on most iBooks/PowerBooks/laptops - which have less vertical travel and clunkiness. Supposedly this is because they are made with a different technology, developed for the smaller laptop keyboards - using something called 'scissor switches'. Well, that's the technical stuff which I don't really undersand - but in real life, this keyboard ROCKS. It is hands-down (pun intentional!) THE most comfortable - easy-to-use - and easy-to-type-on computer keyboard that I have EVER used. Period. If you're used to traditional keyboards, it takes a brief period of time to reorient yourself to the ease of use of this one - the scissors-keys seem to require less energy to push down and type with - but once you get used to them (an easy process)....you will be amazed. Bottom line: if you work with words and type a lot...and have a Mac....this keyboard is the BEST. An additional plus is the cooler (in my opinion) black color - which is a nice contrast to the boring white/beige keyboards so many Macs and PC's use. Since most stores don't seem to stock MacAlly keyboards, I bought this one on faith - based on some glowing reviews it had received - and I'm happy to say...it's every bit as good...as all the other users who've written glowing reports of it...say it is. The choice of a keyboard, like many important things in life, is a personal issue - but...in my admittedly prejudiced opinion...this is the best keyboard ever made for Macs.

I'm a Mac guy but I've always loved the keyboard on my ThinkPad. So when my new MacPro arrived, with a keyboard even crummier than the one that came with my G4, I set out to find something better.

I saw this Macally in a store and it seemed great. Although you can buy this item for less elsehwere I got it from Amazon to leave myself an out, in case it had to go back. Well it IS great. The touch is light as a feather, its quiet and it looks nice, too. Not everybody will like this type of keyboard but if you do, it is a huge upgrade from the standard Mac keyboard.

Two other plusses. Its corded so no problems with interference, sluggish performance etc. Even better, it requires no software. It does come with software but I'm not about to risk the inevitable conflicts in order to get a few speed keys.

I do a lot of writing, and I'm very careful to avoid carpal tunnel. The SECOND I whipped this puppy out of the box and gave it a test-drive, I felt relief. This is just the most comfortable, intuitive, easy-on-the hands keyboard I've ever had. I'm confident that as long as it holds up (I'm a very light-touch, fast typist), so will my wrist tendons, fingers and joints.

With two USB ports, it's almost second nature now to plug stuff in without digging around behind my iMac or scrambling for a free space in the USB hub.

It's a marriage of laptop-type scissor-action keys on a lightweight "regular" full-featured keyboard. (My iMac came with the new Apple wireless aluminum mini-keyboard, and I kid you not, the key placement is ever-so-slightly off-kilter. It totally threw me for a loop, and I was glad to scavange its batteries for my TV's remote control - hey, they're lithium double-A's, I'm not going to waste 'em), and if you're thinking about trying something that isn't made by Apple, I can assure you this baby is what you want.

Terrific keyboard for Mac. Mine is used with a Mac Mini running OSX 10.4.10. Because my display has a black frame, I didn't want a white keyboard (which seems to be pretty standard for Macs).

This one replaced an "ergonomic" keyboard that my wife just hated. Touch is excellent on this keyboard, with a smaller key stroke than most. More like a laptop keyboard.

The Mac recognized the keyboard without installing any drivers, but to use the volume & disk eject buttons the Macally drivers need to be installed. Installation was quick & easy, and no problems.

Highly recommend this keyboard...

I work on a Mac G4, running OS X 10.3.9, and when some keys on my Apple keyboard started to stick I thought of getting the keyboard that ships with the Intel iMacs or MacPros. However, it turns out that that model only runs on OS X 10.4. I wasn't going to get the previous generation of Apple keyboard (giant lint tray with some keys drizzled on). The ICEKEYB was a wonderful, affordable alternative. It's got a very nice touch and sturdy build, as mentioned in other reviews. The accompanying USB cord is not ridiculously short either. I did have to download the newest driver from the Macally site in order to get the Eject and Volume keys working, but that took less than five minutes. The ICEKEYB is not as stylish as the newest Apple keyboard but it's attractive enough and, most importantly, functions well. Overall, a very nice deal.

I bought a white model back in February of this year and later bought a black model (July) for a backup, both from Amazon. Since I'm a typical "guy", I'm not much into color coordination. Anyway, to me, the black model is slightly better as I like the way the space bar feels better.

But trust me, both models are superb!!!

While the "touch" is "similar" to a laptop, it is just better. Short throw, but a very noticeable tactile feedback. Plus it has all the standard keys. Very rugged and solid, somewhat heavy, indicating good build quality.

Naturally, I dumped the standard Apple keyboard quickly after using these "pup's" for a while. The Apple KB's just get to sticky and grindy after a few weeks of heavy use. Their keys and receptacles are just plastic on/in plastic and eventually the wear is evident. YUCK!

The only keyboard I've found that comes close to this is the Mattias "Tactile Pro". And yes I had one. Great "feel", but unfortunately the case cracked and two keys "stuck" after about 4 months. Now that Mattias wants $150 for these guys, I would say no! Just get this MacAlly and don't look back. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Originally, I bought this keyboard for my 77-year-old dad. His vision is such that he had a hard time seeing the "gray" type on the white keys of the original Mac keyboard.
I bought this one specifically because it was black with white letters.

I like the keyboard so much, I bought TWO MORE of them for myself. I have one at my desk at work, one at my desk at home.

Now, people who walk into my office want one, so now I'm buying a FOURTH one, as a present to a nice lady in the office :-)

I just recently purchased this keyboard from Amazon and after having used it for a few days, I felt compelled to write a review on it, I normally don't write product reviews.

I am a webmaster, so I spend a lot of hours everyday typing on my keyboard and since the keys on this keyboard are just like a laptop keyboard, I can type so much faster and efficiently.

I should also point out that I am using this keyboard with Windows Vista, even though it is suppose to be a Mac keyboard. It installed flawlessly and did not even require the driver disk.

I also like the fact that the keyboard has USB ports on either side so I could plug in my mouse and whatever else might be needed. The only thing I miss from my other keyboard is having a back and forward button for going between pages, but loosing that feature is worth the trade off.

I would definitely buy this keyboard again, but some how I don't think this one will break for awhile because it feels so solid when you type on it.

This is big step up from the keyboard included with my G5, which originally I liked okay. But once I got my MacBook Pro in 2007, I realized how much nicer scissor-switch keys feel. This MacAlly IceKeyB is the perfect keyboard for a desktop Mac (or docked laptop).

Make sure you put the driver CD in the computer before swapping keyboards, because the volume and eject keys don't work until you've installed the drivers. Driver installation was quick and easy.

I'm pretty sure this keyboard is manufactured by Precision Squared, based on its layout and feel (I also have a PSK-5700 for my PC):
http://www.pstc.com.tw/homepage/WiredAlum.htm

What's really strange is that my PSK-5700 volume keys worked in OS X without any drivers, while this Mac keyboard requires driver installation to make the media keys work. (Then again, I tried the PSK-5700 on a 10.5 MacBook Pro, while my IceKeyB is connected to a 10.4 G5.)


Pros:
* Scissor-switch keys feel great!
* Full-size keyboard with perfect Mac key layout.
* Very slim and looks sleek.
* One of the few Mac-layout keyboards that's available in black.

Cons:
* Requires driver installation to activate volume/eject keys.
* Caps-lock indicator light is not on the caps-lock key.
* Side-ports are USB 1.1.
* Extra key next to right control isn't usable.


I know I listed as many Cons as Pros, but all of those Cons are very minuscule. For example, if all you plug into the keyboard is a mouse, USB 1.1 is sufficient. I highly recommend this keyboard.