Customer Reviews

Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 3000

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I ruled out Logitech keyboards because of their arrangement of the delete key. I'm very meticulous so it had to be a "standard" keyboard layout. I also wanted flatter and quieter keys, and I wanted them to be easier to press down. It's extremely easy to type on this keyboard, and although it's not as quiet as a laptop keyboard, it is much quieter than your normal run-of-the-mill keyboard that comes with a purchased computer. It's very sleek, and looks absolutely great next to my Logitech mouse. The glossy black finish just around the keys can attract fingerprints, but you're not supposed to touch that part anyway, and the rest of the keyboard isn't glossy like that. Battery life is supposed to be good, but I don't know for sure (I guess I'll find out in a year.) One of the things that shocked me was that this thing comes with real Duracell batteries, which is a real surprise in the tech world. Usually included batteries are cheap knockoffs from some brand I've never heard of. All of the extra buttons around the outside of the keyboard are useful and changeable through software. You can even assign macros to all them except the 1-5 and * buttons on the top (due to the functionality of that set of keys) if you'd like. This is a very sturdy, solid keyboard; stylish and professional-looking (which is good because I bought it for work!) I've spent $200 on a keyboard before, and this is easily the best keyboard I have ever bought. I'd recommend this keyboard to anyone for uses for anything from general computing to hard-core software development. 5 stars for this one.

Pros:
+ Build quality is top-notch
+ Flat, easy-touch keys help type faster
+ Most extraneous keys assignable to macros (including "F" keys)
+ Standard keyboard layout
+ Real Duracell batteries!

Potential Cons:
- Quieter than standard keys, but not as quiet as laptop keys
- Glossy black finish around keys can attract fingerprints
- "F" keys are smaller than normal
- Can't assign macros to the 1-5 and * keys
- 2.4GHz USB receiver and keyboard backing are white (in case you care)

Even though this is a desktop keyboard, I use it primarily with my laptops, I have an older Dell with XP, a newer Acer and a Toshiba both with Vista; this keyboard / mouse combo works very well with all of them. I have my Laptop hooked to a large screen, and I keep this wireless keyboard on my lap and use a wireless mouse to do all my computer work; I love it.
Installation was a snap, a real plug and play. However, to get all of the keyboard features, you need to install the included software. The keyboard is fairly light, has a low profile keys, similar to those on a laptop; it is also quite, responsive, it has a so-so wrist pad, and a number of shot cut keys that work with Microsoft apps, like "Save' "Open", "Spell Check", to launch Explorer, outlook or live messenger, etc. It also has a number of user definable keys that can be assigned a short cut to your most used functions.
This keyboard uses two AA batteries (included), not sure yet how long they will last.

I had quite a keyboard adventure which led to this purchase outside of Amazon.com. However, the keyboard has left me with several complaints, thus I am going to inform potential buyers of what to expect, as well as perhaps vent some of my frustrations with this device.

Now, as a first major point, Video Gamers Beware. This keyboard is not gamer friendly, particularly to MMO gamers I'd think.

Design
- I give the design a low rating due to a curve in the keyboard. It's rather weird, but for someone who is used to typing on a flat keyboard, this curve format really puts strain on my wrists. It's difficult to fully describe the shape of the keyboard, so for now I'll say it "dips". The Space bar is high, then it dips slightly to the ASD row of keys, then it rises again all the way to the top row of shortcut keys. Also, the keyboard can't be turned on or off unless you remove the batteries every night and put them back in every morning. Key softness varies: the letter keys are softish, the space bar is a bit noisy ("Clacky" as one reviewer stated, and a very apt description that is!), and the function keys are all but silent, which is a major downfall considering they're already tiny and hard to identify. You'll have no idea if they're actually functioning at all until you get used to it.
For typing in general, it's reliable, but it only really shines once you've gotten used to the layout of the keys and the shape of the board. Also, the size is rather ungainly, especially due to...

Wrist Rest Thing
- At the front of the keyboard, there is a small slanted rest for your...wrists I'd assume--I don't know. Now that I think about it, I wonder if this keyboard was designed for someone with either small hands, short fingers, or hulk-hands. Just be aware that the rest cannot be removed--the entire keyboard is one single unit, the only adjustable features being the two retractable flaps for propping the keyboard at a slightly higher angle. For gamers who use the [Space] bar frequently, and are used to flat keyboards in which a simple swipe of the thumb will apply enough pressure to use the Space key, you may find it difficult now that there's a plastic bar effectively holding your thumb up over-top the space key. You'll have to exert some motion to use it now.

Function Keys and Macro/Shortcut Keys
- The keyboard comes equipped with standard function keys, F1 through F12, along with 22 non-standard keys with functions ranging from opening the Documents folder, Windows Media Player, Media Player Pause/Play/Stop/Next/Previous keys, Volume Up/Down/Mute keys, and even an Open Calculator key just above the number pad. The major problem with these Function and Macro keys however, is their size: they're tiny! Small, rectangular tabs with their function displayed in the form of a small white picture, that may or may not have any bearing on what you're doing. Now, here's where the first of several major issues come in: the function keys themselves are not function keys, they're macro keys. In order to use them as actual function keys (in programs aside from Microsoft Word, Messenger, etcetera), you must utilize a "Function Lock" key, placed right of the F12 Key. For example, if you are in a program and attempt to use the "F2" key, the keyboard will instead perform "Ctrl + Z", since F2 is set to a "Undo" macro by default. Fortunately however, this issue can be bypassed using the Keyboard Properties > Key Settings menu, which we'll look at in the next section.

Aside from the function keys, you have 13 more keys that are hot-linked to different functions. To the left of the keyboard you have "Documents" and "My Pictures" shortcut keys. Above the [Esc] key you have four keys set for "Mail", "Internet", "Windows Messenger", and "Windows Media Player". All six of these keys can be customized. Next however, we have "Favorites" keys, 1 through 5, with a sixth key called "Show Favorites", which basically tells you what you've bound to the 1 through 5 keys, and allows you to access those shortcuts on-screen. These six keys cannot have macros attached, however--they can only be hot-linked to shortcuts. As a warning however, I wouldn't recommend pressing any of these six keys until you've disabled them or hot-linked them. Nothing bad will happen, but they'll make a loud and annoyingly cheerful dinging sound, and pop up a window asking you to add a shortcut to the key.

The remaining keys include the Windows Media Player control keys, a Calculator shortcut key, Zoom/Scroll keys, and the volume keys. The volume keys adjust your system volume however, so unless you're using headphones or speakers that don't have a volume knob or something, it's fairly useless unless you need a quick mute-button for whatever reason. The Zoom/Scroll keys are useless unless your mouse doesn't have a scroll wheel. However, the Calculator shortcut key is in my opinion one of the best keys this keyboard comes supplied with. This is the only case in which I think the size is appropriate, its function useful, and it's position perfect. Situated right above the [Number Lock] key, it serves as easy access to a handy program.

As my coup de grāce however, let's point out that there are no lights on the keyboard aside from the Battery Power light. Thus, unless you have the "Display <on/off> On Screen" setting switched to "On", you'll have no idea whether you've got Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, Number Lock, even that blasted "Function Lock" etcetera, turned on or off. This just adds more clutter to the screen, that a single glance could have averted. As a very last comment, it's worth mentioning the right Windows key isn't a Windows key anymore. The Left one still is, but the right one is now basically an [Alt] + [Tab] shortcut key. For those users used to quickly locking their computer with only their right forefinger and thumb, it may be slightly detrimental.
In order to fully describe the function keys, let's take a brief look at the Software that allows you to customize the keys...

The Software
- Is annoying. It works well enough, but there are some restrictions that are brilliantly irksome. For starters, you can't customize the Zoom In/Out, Volume, or the Favorites Keys (1-5 and the star key). The volume keys will always provide volume, and the Zoom keys will always zoom or scroll. The Favorites Keys can only be hot-linked to shortcuts, such as Folders or Internet Favorites. The Star Key next to the 1 - 5 keys can only be enabled or disabled. Next, while you can disable the Function Key shortcuts by over-writing them with macros, if you try to use the Function Lock feature to switch between normal Function Keys and Microsoft Program Shortcuts, you'll have to remember when the last time you turned it on or off was, since there aren't any lights to indicate its status. Other than that, the rest of the non-standard keys can mostly be configured to use one of the following four functions:
1) The Default action for that key--for example, [F2]'s default function is "Undo", that when pressed, performs a "[Ctrl] + [Z]" macro.
2) Custom: "Choose from a list of commands" that include starting up Microsoft programs (Word, Excel, Messenger), Copying and Pasting, Exiting, Internet Navigation, Vista features, User folder Shortcuts, Media Player Shortcuts, etcetera)
3) Custom: "Start a program, Web page, or file", which allows you to hot-link a shortcut to that key
4) Custom: "Disable the use of this key", which disables the key entirely. Surprise!

Now, most of these same keys can also be assigned macros. When the "Assign/Manage Macro" buttons pressed, you are given an easy-to-use window that allows you to create new macros, copy macros, delete macros, and customize the ones you're making or editing with a name and if necessary, insert "special" keys (such as mouse-button clicks and DPI buttons).

Life
- So far I've had this keyboard one full day, and I'm still getting used to it. All together, I'd say it's a decent keyboard, but only if you're using Microsoft programs 24/7. For gamers, artists, and even casual computer users, you may find it uncomfortable to start with, and perhaps more complicated than necessary to deal with. I recommend taking a good hard look at the images, before making up your mind.

Worth
- In total, I'd say this keyboard is worth $19.99 at most. It's wireless, and it has some special features, but it just doesn't feel organized.

Conclusion
- This keyboard was definitely designed by Microsoft, for Microsoft products. I'm sure it'll be a great keyboard for anyone getting started with using Microsoft Office, but for everyone else, it may be better to look for something different.


**Update, 2011**
Well, after using this keyboard for a goodish while, I can state that I have adapted to this keyboard relatively well.
I still have to take a wild guess when I'm pressing Function keys, and I still occasionally accidentally activate the Function Lock from time to time, which slows me down a bit in simulation games like FSX and ARMA II, where I need all those keys often. The calculator key is useful still, but it saddens me that it's programed only to open the Calculator program, not to switch to it. For example, I open calculator, switch to a window and put in the math, and instead of just pressing the calculator key again to switch back to it, pressing it opens another calculator program. But Alt-Tabbing still works so that's all groovy.

It's rather weird, but right now I'm facing a bizarre issue where, when I hold my [Spacebar] key, keys "QWE and ASD" don't work. I can press any other key while holding the spacebar, and it works fine, but not those keys--which are the important keys in video gaming; the Spacebar often being associated with Jumping or Action means I can't 'jump' and 'move' at the same time in games. Not entirely sure how the issue came about though.

Also, the keyboard likes to conflict with my wireless mouse. Every once and a while, one of the two will simply stop working until I move them a fraction of an inch closer to the USB wireless transceiver. Considering both my keyboard and mouse are less than two feet away from that transceiver, it's rather annoying having to deal with it so often and randomly.

Those issues about design (space bar, 'wave', etc) were only temporary as I figured. My typing style has changed a bit, and I've adapted to the keyboard. The programing software still feels limited though; I tried setting one of the macro keys to emulate pressing a letter key for use with TeamSpeak, and it worked fine until a day later. Now the key isn't responding at all to my macros, not sure what happened.

Still, I keep my rating of 3 stars out of 5, simply because I can still type with it, and it's a keyboard designed for Microsoft Word and not video gaming. In the one comment on this here review so far, a fellow states that (paraphrase) "Of course this isn't a gaming keyboard--if it were, it'd be a lot more expensive". Since reviews are all subjective to the thoughts of the reviewer, I don't feel bad in saying I don't buy that (there's a pun there!). I'm not someone who gives into consumerism. I'm not going to spend a hundred bucks for a keyboard that has excessive lights and graphics; this keyboard may not be designed for video gaming, but it's a keyboard, and can be used for video gaming. Even in word processing, when I need to use a function key, the letters are still impossible to see, the icons are still useless to behold, and it still requires guesswork to pick the right one. The function-lock key I sometimes hit with my bear paws when vigorously assaulting the [Backspace] key, leading to moments of confusion when suddenly F's 1 through 12 stop working for seemingly no reason.

The Media player keys work great though, and you can set them up to work with Winamp as well as Windows Media Player (I prefer Winamp while gaming since it uses less memory). The volume control keys only work with the Master Volume, but they work, and quickly muting when the phone rings or something is handy. Still haven't used the Favorites keys.

So, yeah. 3/5. Cheers.

I've rarely been skeptical about Microsoft products in terms of hardware like this. MS hardware is supposed to work flawlessy with your MS operating system and this keyboard is no exception to that rule. One of the things I find particularly usefull are all of the shortcut buttons that are pre-assigned for your use. Although I usually like to define the features of my mouse and keyboard buttons, I use this keyboard at home where I don't mind if such things are already conveniently configured. My favorite of these shortcut buttons is the one located on top of the num-pad that brings up the calculator program. It really saves me time when I'd doing bills or want to calculate something quickly.
A previous reviewer mentioned that it doesn't tell you when the CAPS-lock or NUM-Lock key is active but it does; you just need to install the software that comes with the keyboard. Installing the software has other benefits as well since you can activate or deactivate features on the keyboard or modify key commands.
The only thing that somewhat bothered me about this keyboard was the Function-Lock key. I'm used to my keyboards leaving my F1-F12 keys alone but this keyboard by default gives them all shortcuts or commands. You have to make sure the function-lock key is pressed before using Alt+F4 or any other Function-key combination you're used to.
Aside from this I'm very happy with the keyboard. I've had it now for several months and haven't replaced the batteries yet or spilled anything on it (I don't worry cause it's spill resistant too).
If you want an excellent keyboard with productive features this is the one for you.

I got this keyboard just for the sake of it not having any wires. I'm using it right next to my computer and it works great. I don't care about the function keys and their size even though I honestly don't find the size to be that small..its not that hard to learn how to reach for the right one if I really wanted to use them though. The keys are really quiet and a mix in between a keyboard and laptop which I love. All in all, if you want a nice keyboard with no wires this one is perfectly fine and great for the price.

I bought this keyboard along with a Microsoft Bluetrack mini explorer mouse for use in my home office where I connect my laptop into my TV. I can work from anywhere in the room and have had no problems with distortion of the wireless signal. Battery life is good so far.The glossier regions of the keyboard are magnets for fingerprints. The function and escape keys are a bit on the small side. Other than that it has pretty solid construction and a good feel while typing. If you are looking for a wireless keyboard and aren't a fan of the ergonomic design so you are looking for some thing a little more traditional, I highly recommend this keyboard.

Given only a few hours of use so far, I can already tell that this keyboard is awesome. there are tons of shortcut keys, and all the regular keys are concave and are very comfortable. there is a weird curve in it, from the space bar and up it dips down, but it actually feels pretty good.

I don't like how the F-key row is, though. they are small, and not organized in groups of 4 like normal, the escape key is the same, along with the print screen key, the whole row. I imagine it was to make room for all the extra shortcut keys, but why not make the keyboard half an inch bigger?

There is also no light indicators for num lock, caps lock etc. There are actually no lights at all, except for the battery indicator. how hard would these have been to implement?

Another problem is the wrist rest, it is made of some weird suede like plastic, it just loves to get oil from your fingers stuck on it, and its hard to get it off. regular plastic would have been fine.. but at least it looks nice when it is clean.

Pros:
keys press nicely
very comfortable
tons of shortcut keys and some are programmable
lots of the qwerty keys have little labels on them indicating their shortcut function and what key (windows button, ctrl) activates it

Cons:
F-row keys are small, it's annoying
wrist rest is made with oil attracting suede like plastic
no led lights to indicate num lock etc

overall its a very nice keyboard and I would recommend it. 4 stars.

I purchased this keyboard for my daughters boyfriend for Christmas. They are both juniors in college and he is a computer engineering major. I am happy to report that they BOTH love this keyboard! I have two of these keyboards with the USB interfaces and love them. I was hoping the wireless version would be a hit and it was!

Well I have had this keyboard for about 6 months now and the original batteries are still going strong. I love the feel of this keyboard and how light weight it is. The ONLY bad things I have to say about this board is the bad placement of the escape key. The software CD that came with it didn't work but I spent only 5 minutes downloading the software from the Microsoft website and it works like a charm. I use my keyboard on my lap while sitting in bed and surfing the net on my 52inch monitor just 5 feet away. All I can say is, If you can put up with a small escape key in a bad position on the keyboard than you should buy this. A+ product.

The keyboard is slimmer than most out there. I really liked that it was lightweight. I didn't need another surface to put it on while I used it (I bought to use when I connect my laptop to my tv). The keyboard has a lot of extra keys to access different features of your computer. I can type easily on it, even though the keys are a little softer than most keyboards. All in all an excellent buy for the prize.