Interacting with HTPCs: IOGEAR and SIIG Options Reviewed
by Ganesh T S on March 2, 2014 1:00 PM ESTSIIG JK-WR0312-S1 - Features & Usage Impressions
The SIIG JK-WR0312-S1 is a wireless mini keyboard with an integrated multi-touch touchpad. Using 2x AAA batteries, it operates in the 2.4 GHz range and has an advertised range of 33 ft. The integrated touchpad supports multi-finger touch, which allows it to simulate a 3-button mouse despite have only two physical buttons beneath the touch area.
Each touchpad has its own set of gestures mapped to different events. Some touchpads have vertical scrolling by moving a finger along the right edge, and some have pinch to zoom functionalities. The touchpad in this keyboard maps taps with one finger, two fingers and three fingers to the left button, middle button and right button click respectively. Double tapping with a single finger is a double click (this is universal across all touchpads). A double tap and hold coupled with the sliding of another finger corresponds to a drag operation, while the vertical scroll is implemented by vertical sliding of two fingers together.
The Ctrl-Fn key position swap and the /.numeric keypad / main keypad issue of the JK-WR0412-S1 (described in the previous section) are also present in this keyboard. There is an auto-sleep mode after 8 to 10 minutes of inactivity, and an explicit key press or mouse button click is necessary to come out of that mode. Again, this is a bit messy for HTPC scenarios, where users tend to move fingers across the touchpad but find the unit unresponsive when in sleep mode. Unlike the trackball keyboard, there is not even a hidden indication of the unit being in this mode. Despite supporting multiple channels, there appears to be no support for auto-frequency hopping. In case of keyboard range issues or operational issues, pressing the pairing buttons on the receiver as well as the keyboard helps shift the communication to a different channel. Unlike the JK-WR0412-S1, the keys are of the standard size. They are quiet and a pleasure to type on. However, the two touchpad buttons are quite noisy.
Amongst the positives for the unit are the recessed storage compartment in the main unit for the USB receiver (makes it easy to carry around the unit and/or store everything safely for later use). Unlike the other keyboards covered in this piece, we have two legs on the underside which can be snapped open for tilt and height adjustment. This makes the unit a better fit for extended typing duties compared to the rest.
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username609 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link
I had the IOGEAR keyboard for a couple years. The biggest problem was the mechanical trackball attracting and retaining dirt. The keyboard had to be disassembled every so often and the inner wheels cleaned in order to keep it functioning. I finally replaced the board with a K400 when the keys began to delaminate.One definite advantage to the IOGEAR: all of the Media Center buttons work out of the box. There's a lot of functionality that has to be programmed into the K400 in order to get it to the same level of user-friendliness.
zyk - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
The fact that you have to use keyboard combinations or SetPoint software to access F1-F12 keys keeps me away from most of Logitech's new portable keyboards. I would imagine this is a determining factor for many users and functionality caveats like this ought to be in the comparison chart.Kobaljov - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
Another interesting smaller option can be the Sony Android TV's remote controller with full qwerty keyboard, but unfortunately it had compatibility issues on other OSeshttp://www.amazon.com/SONY-NSG-MR5U-BLUETOOTH-REMO...
Penti - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
Do Motorola/Arris still sell their RF-based qwerty remote/keyboard (NYXboard) any more? Pulse-eight discontinued theirs/it. To bad as I have yet to see a replacement.Lot's of smaller options around though.
andy o - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
I'm using the Rapoo Blade E9180P, after using the Logitech K400 (first edition) frustratingly for years. I'm happy overall. It operates on 5GHz, and has the same kind of "nano" USB dongle that Logitech has. Only gripes: can't triple-click, and the mouse acceleration is not very customizable (basically only the Windows on/off option).Pros: can actually DO gestures, even middle click with 3 fingers and pinch to zoom, not like the Logitech K400 which its first edition was multitouch but for some reason Logitech never enabled any other gesture than two finger scroll. Also, full size keys, not reduced like the K400, and shorter but just a bit longer.
inkz - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
Ganesh, thank you for the keyboard reviews.Would you please identify any idiosyncrasies in the HTPC keyboards reviewed, such as behaviour when falling out of range, battery drain, sync issues, BIOS usage. Some examples I have experienced:
Old keyboard that looked like Grandtec KEY-3000 - would drain rechargeable batteries monthly, following each battery change - required resync
SIIG JK-WR0412-S1 clone - whenever the link dropped, the last key press would become stickyyyyyyyy
MC-7126 from dx - trackball would intermittently drop out, receiver fails on exiting S3 mode
Logitech K400 - trackpad fails when a damp finger is used (overly sensitive to water droplets)
Rapoo E2700 - trackpad sensitivity set ridiculously low (problematic when you connect multiple keyboards without keyboard profile support), and trackpad cannot wake from sleep
One or two of them also didn't work in BIOS, don't remember which.
I look forward to more HTPC keyboard/trackball reviews & other readers' recommendations. I still haven't found a perfect keyboard (the SIIG JK-WR0412-S1 clone I had would come close, except for the poor behaviour during dropouttttttts).
alphaod - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
I use the Logitech KT820.It's got good tactile feedback and the trackpad is buttonless. It also looks sleaker than the K400. The only issue is on OS X (connected to my Mac mini), it doesn't support multitouch gestures like three finger swipe and whatnot.
And it's pricier at $80, but I think it's worth it.
meacupla - Sunday, March 2, 2014 - link
It's not in the same price range at all, if purpose bought, but it would be nice to see the alternatives.Wii-mote, PS3 BD remote, nexus 7 or a spare smartphone which have support in remote controlling windows, XBMC remote, powerdvd remote, etc.
cjs150 - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
Maplin used to do a combined keyboard and trackball that was the size of an Xbox controller. The build quality was a bit dubious, it tends to take a while to wake up but for sofa surfing it is ideal. From memory the cost was about £15 or $22.If someone could remake but with better build quality that would be an absolute winner - typing was easy on it as long as it was limited to web addresses, short emails and similar
nos024 - Monday, March 3, 2014 - link
I'm using my tablet + PowerDVD 13 Ultra and it works great.