I really wanted to love this, but that just isn’t going to happen.
The concept is genius, 5 stars, but the execution falls flat, actually, it falls down a deep hole.
Like many Kickstarter type products, they have a really slick website, filled with grand notions of their visions for a “better way”.
They probably spent most of the money on marketing, R&D, package design and finding a Chinese manufacturer who would deal in low production runs.
Unfortunately, the one place they failed to invest, is in the product itself.
Mine arrived warped, bowed in the middle, turned up at the ends.
This is exaggerated by the fact that it has 6 feet, so it just rocks back and forth on the two center feet.
And that really speaks to how cheaply this thing is made (and designed).
At $260 I expect a solid piece of hardware.
(I paid half that for an Apple Magic keyboard. Anodized aluminum, Bluetooth connected, rechargeable, etc.)
If this were bright yellow, green and orange, it could easily pass for a Fisher Price toddler toy, its that cheap.
Actually, I’ve seen toddler toys better made.
Other than being made of cheap plastic that warps while sitting in its box on a warehouse shelf, it has other issues.
I could overlook that fact that at this price point it should have Bluetooth and a recharging port.
What I cannot overlook is how flimsy every component being touched feels and operates.
The buttons are hollow and weak, they have a lot of travel but no definite engagement, lots of side to side play, the covers feel like they will fall off at any moment.
The dials literally wobble, as if they not attached to anything inside the device and offer no resistance at all.
I would expect that since this device exists primarily to offer tactile feedback, the dials would at least feel like it is attached to something.
But they just seem to spin freely, again like some toy for a toddler.
The “Control Dial”, the largest dial, moves so much from side to side, it could be mistaken for a joy stick, its really that bad.
(Which would have been a really good idea, instead of the arrow keys.)
The wheels are the worst, while they do have a stop click, they also wobble laterally with way too much side to side play.
All of the dials and wheels have a press function (like an old school mouse scroll wheel) but are completely inconsistent as to how much pressure needs to be applied.
The only way I’d keep this is if were sold for $39 because that’s all its worth in its current form.
But for $260 it should be solid, have metal wheels and dials with a textured rubber grip that turn and press cleanly without play, the buttons should be tight with a distinct feeling of engagement.
If they addressed the fit and feel it would be worth maybe $100, but to be worth $260, it needs a lot more work and Bluetooth and be rechargeable.
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