Review: the Trust KB-2950 isn't a wireless keyboard, it's a $25 HTPC remote.
There aren't a lot of reviews on the Internet for the KB-2950 Vista Remote Keyboard. There's a reason for that: made by Trust, it's something of a crap gadget. But set to the one purpose for which it is a suited, it's a damned fine crap gadget for the price.
What the KB-2950 attempts to do is to roll every input device necessary to control a home theater PC into one small, affordable device. As a keyboard, it is merely okay: the keys have a marginally satisfying, slightly plushy plonk them, but there is no tactile vibrancy like an IBM Model M. It's not meant as a serious contender to a more ergonomic Microsoft keyboard. In fact, you are barely meant to type on the KB-2950. This is a keyboard for light typing and idle web surfing from the opposite end of a living room, not for writing a novel.
Where the KB-2950 gets interesting is the pulsing, silver-pupiled Eye of Sauron built into the right bank of the keyboard. It's a working trackball, which can be turned on or off with a press of a button. Intriguingly, the left and right mouse buttons are placed in the upper most corners of the keyboard, similar to a console gamepad's shoulder buttons.There's some issues with this arrangement: it's incredibly difficult to shift click multiple items with the mouse buttons mounted in the keyboard's shoulders. But the placement is still surprisingly innovative: it means that the keyboard can be gripped like a controller, the pointer swooshed across the screen without any need for a planar surface. As a desktop keyboard / mouse replacement, this button placement is not only unintuitive, but damn near unmanageable, but that all changes when you are sweeping a mouse pointer across a 50 inch plasma screen from 10 feet away using a keyboard clutched between two palms in mid-air.
A smattering of Media Center buttons for playing, fast forwarding, rewinding, pausing and muting fill out the KB-2950's feature set. It's hardly a staggering technological marvel, but what's impressive about the Trust is that it has managed to cram into one reasonably sized wireless device all the base necessities — wireless keyboard, wireless mouse and wireless remote — for couch-driving an HTPC. That puts it in the same class of device as the diminutive Logitech diNovo Mini. But while the Logitech diNovo costs $149.99, I was able to pick up the Trust KB-2950 for a mere $25, and while it is neither as sexy or as small, it is a far more usable peripheral for controlling a computer across the room.
The KB-2950 can't be considered through the prism of day-to-day desktop use: if you bought one with that aim, you made a huge mistake. But as an all-in-one keyboard, trackpad and remote for an HTPC, the KB-2950 takes about the best approach to the challenge of usably controlling a media center from a supine position on the couch as can be expected. And it does it all for a smattering of fins.
the latest
latest episodes
This thing looks shockingly similar to the Microsoft Media Center keyboard that isn't being sold any longer, but I don't think the Microsoft keyboard included any sort of pointer.
It seems based on this:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/gallery/hardware/RemoteKeyboard_lg.jpg
that actually looks to be perfect for what I need. I can't complain about the price haha
Is it compatible with Linux? Specifically, Fedora Redhat Core 8?
Judging by its receiver dongle, I'd guess/hope it's RF and not IR?
Any comment on the range?
Where did you find it for $25?
Huh - I just put in an order for what looks like this very keyboard, but for double the price.
I want to see how it compares to our current HT keyboard, the Shintaro wireless.
Comments on the Shintaro: first of all, it chews through the batteries (4xAA) - with daily use, it needs a new set every month or so. Get rechargables, though, and it's not really an issue.
Next, the mouse buttons are similar to how John describes the Trust keyboard, but with a scroll wheel on the left shoulder. LMB on the right shoulder, and L and RMBs on the left side of the keyboard. As John said, it's great for home theatre usage. My only gripe with the arrangement is that you can't use the RMB at the same time as the trackball, if for example you're holding a drink.
John, does the Trust keyboard have a scrollwheel? It's not a showstopper, but if not, with that and the larger spacebar I think the Shintaro might win.
I dunno, anything from a company that feels the need to use the brand "Trust", makes me unlikely to.
(Trust them I mean). :p
@6
Where indeed. Acording to Amazon it has an MSRP of $99.99. Best I've found it for is $52.
The HTPC keybvoard I use is readily available for $25, and has survived 2 years of heave use (including one year as infant toy!)
http://tinyurl.com/46ux2v
It's RF, which is a bit limiting depending on the size of your room. All of my media stuff lives inside a glass doored cabinet (see: infant) and that cuts down the range even further. But it gets a good 15 feet, which is all I need.
The double handles are wonderful, making any strange dropped-behind-the-couch grab easy. It uses a standard analog stick under the right thumb, with right and left mouse buttons on *both* sides, as well as a middle mouse on the right. I wind up using the right buttons when I just need to click on something, and the left hand buttons when I need to scroll over or select a block of text/links.
I've used this as my sole input for an OSX media PC for two years (originally a g4 iMac, now a Mini) and it's great. While I'd love to play with a diNovo, the huge plastic stability of the BTC, combined with the low price and long battery life (changed the 3 AA's twice in two years) makes it a gadget nerd luxury, not a necessity.
Hmmm, I bought one of these for roughly the same price, but it was unbranded. I wouldn't normally have bought something that was so cheap, but the reviews on the site were pretty positive, for the price....
Once I got it home I was pretty dissapointed with the quality of the keys and the ballbearing mouse ball on the right was really unreliable and often didnt work - maybe I was just unlucky but the whole thing fealt cheap n nasty!
It's now under my desk at work waiting to be returned, if I ever get round to it!
If anyone finds it for that $25 price, please post the link. I'm interested in it, but not $99.99 interested!
I've got one of the microsoft models. (it's IR)
It's pretty nice, but it only works out-of-the-box with vista, not XP.
I haven't tried Linux because I don't have the time to futz with it.
I have the absurdly-expensive-but-beautiful full-size Logitech diNovo Edge on my Ubuntu MythTV system. Yeah, I know, I know, I don't actually watch TV, but I have a family, remember?
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-diNovo-Wireless-Bluetooth-Keyboard/dp/B0014GOLD6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222367460&sr=1-2
Anyway, the round touchpad is cool, the orange backlighting also, it works out-of-the-box with Ubuntu, and it has a lithium ion battery system that recharges when you have it stuck into the display stand.
I use those USB-powered USB extension cords to get the bluetooth dongle from the cellar to the living room. I use them to get to the printer in the den, too, so that I only have to have one server in the basement that runs 24/7 providing all my shared storage/mythtv/printserver/webserver/and-hopefully-soon-asterisk needs.
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-U026-016-Certified-Extension/dp/B0002D6QJO
If the diNovo breaks I'm going for one of these cheaper ones, but I got the diNovo as a prezzie and it really is remarkably pretty. The pictures on-line don't do it justice.
I think there ought to be recessed buttons on the BOTTOM of the keyboard for mousing, so you could mouse one-handed with the touchpad whilst drinking beer.
--Charlie
I've been using one of these for awhile and it is pretty nice for most use. We have it hooked up to our HP Media center PC (which is attached to our TV) and it does everything we need for TV watching.
The keys arent much for typing (the backspace is in a weird position), but you dont need much typing for hulu or netflix.
my friend had this really awesome PS2 controller that was like this. think controller cut in two, with a keyboard between each half. it was awesome.
I went to the local MicroCenter today to hunt for this thing. No go, but there were some "Trust" brand graphics tablets I hadn't seen before.
I'd sure love to know where I could buy one of these for $25.
As someone who has owned the Trust keyboard for over a year I can honestly say I wouldn't recommend it. I found this site because I was looking for reviews on the Shintaro. The Trust keyboard often skips letters when typing. We use it on our htpc which is on from around 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. almost every day. With the Trust I had rechargeable batteries that needed to be recharged every 3 days. Our biggest nightmare was the trackball. It didn't matter where we placed the receiver, the trackball acted as if there was a giant magnet preventing it from working. There have been one too many days that my family wanted to stomp on the Trust keyboard which is why I'm now surfing for a new keyboard. I agree with Jake 0748 "I dunno, anything from a company that feels the need to use the brand "Trust", makes me unlikely to." I now tell everyone I don't trust Trust!