New Wireless Keyboard Is A Great Addition To A Media Center By Julia Hall When it comes to getting the most productivity or enjoyment out of your computer, devices go a long way. After all, with input devices, you can move around easily to find a more comfortable position when you get too cramped in the same position you've been in for the past three hours. These input devices include keyboards and mice. The combination of a keyboard and mouse can make working with a computer much more comfortable and enjoyable- this is especially so with the newer trend of having computers integrated with home entertainment centers. In fact, the idea of using a conventional keyboard with a cord in the living room seems downright ridiculous. It's easy to picture the cord of your keyboard getting caught in the built in foot rest of your Lay-Z-Boy or being tripped over and sending the keyboard flying when it's left on the coffee table. And then there's the concern about how long the cords on corded keyboards actually are. In fact, there may not be a keyboard with a long enough cord for used in the living room. Even in the home office there are plenty of uses for a keyboard as demonstrated by the fact that at least one professional author writes on one while leaning back in his easy chair. Now there's a new keyboard and mouse combination on the market in the form of Microsoft's Entertainment Desktop 8000 which is touted as the industry's first rechargeable backlit keyboard. It's specifically designed for media center PC's running the new Windows Vista operating system, though it will work with Windows XP as well. Because it's designed specifically for use with Windows Vista, the Entertainment Desktop 8000 has various buttons built in that are specifically included to provide access to the features of Vista and may seem nonsensical to users of other operating systems. There are a number of good features than anyone will appreciate about this keyboard though. One in particular is the inclusion of a pointer device similar to the pointer device on a laptop computer, though smaller, that can be used in place of the mouse. This feature is especially valuable for anyone who appreciates not having to reach for the mouse, and find a surface to use it on, while sitting on the couch. There are also a number of features (beside the "Entertainment" in its name) that indicate that the Entertainment Desktop 8000 was definitely
designed for use with a media center computer as part of a home entertainment system. For one thing, the fact that the keyboard is backlit means that it can be used in the low light conditions of a home theater. The keyboard is also littered with buttons that can be used to control the playback of various media. Some things that many reviewers and customers don't like about the Entertainment Desktop 8000 though include the layout of the keyboard which has moved the special Windows button and turned the "F" keys into small tabs that register a keystroke at the slightest touch. This model also does away with a numerical pad. All things considered though, this should be a huge step in the right direction for input devices that accommodate the current needs of computers and computer users.
A pioneer in gadgets and technology reporting, Christopher Ratliff has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Christopher turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue his dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Christopher uses his expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we're bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology and gadgets, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occassionaly confused by the overwhelming and convoluted information out there let Christopher show you the way.
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