KeySonic 616RF Wireless Keyboard Laser Trackball UK Layout

I've been searching for a new keyboard/mouse for a month since my previous Keysonic with touchpad gave up the ghost and everything I looked at failed in one department or another. In my job as an IT manager I use trackballs, touchpads, optical mice, laptop "nipple" mice, graphic pens on a daily basis and can honestly say that the trackball on this keyboard is as good as anything I have ever used to control a cursor. I am using this with a HTPC attached to my 42" tv with Windows 7 64 bit and it was up and running within 10 seconds of plugging it in with no drivers to install. I sit around 10 feet away from my TV (as long as my eyesight is up to it), the signal is fine, keys are nice to touch and give a precise feel when typing. I must admit that I did turn down the sensitivity of the mouse a little as my cursor was flying off the edge of the TV with the slightest of movements but it really is a joy to use. The mouse buttons on the left take a little getting used to but make life easy if you are stood in front of your TV with both hands holding the keyboard. I've not yet installed the software to map the programmable buttons on the left as I have plenty of keyboard shortcuts to my apps already but suffice to say, the default buttons work to open e-mail, browser etc. I wish that the "Media" button on the right would open Media Centre rather than your default media application (media player VLC etc) but I'm being picky now. All in all, a good bit of kit for a media centre PC and I'm sure that it would also sit happily at home as a main keyboard/mouse combination reducing clutter on the desk.

This is an excellent compact all in one keyboard/trackball/media remote control. But it does have some flaws.

I bought this to be used from my sofa to perform normal but light computing activities such as writing emails and browsing the internet. I already have my Media Centre remote control for all my media center functions.

The keyboard is an excellent accompaniment to my media remote. It is light and so rests nicely on your knees without feeling any discomfort. Has a lovely texture that makes it easy to grip unlike many other wireless keyboards which have too smooth surfaces. The keys are laid out like a laptop and are fine for typing out emails etc. You do have to press with a tad more force than you would with a good full size keyboard.

The trackball is the big selling point. Its robust and feels great to navigate the cursor with using your right thumb (I have actually found more control by rolling my index finger and middle fingers using my thumb to pinch - to each their own!). The default settings are too sensitive however but you can easily adjust this with the mouse properties in the control panel. The mouse buttons are located on the left operated with the right thumb. Takes getting used to but its effective.

There are 7 programmable keys on the left side which are useful but havent programmed them yet.

My Windows 7 picked up the keyboard without any need for additional software/drivers to be installed. However, you do need to install the included cd software to program the programmable keys.

The media remote is a big fail I'm afraid. It may serve its very basic purpose but falls far too short to be a replacement for my dedicated media remote. There is no return to last menu on it. Neither are there navigation buttons. I think we're expected to use the cursor keys that are just to the bottom left of the pad but that kills the point of the attached media remote at the side. It doesnt even have any forward or backward skips. I find using the trackball easier to navigate my media center than the media remote.

Because the media remote is a big fail, I would rather have a numeric keypad take its place.

All in all though, despite my small gripes, this is still a great buy if you need a wireless keyboard/trackball combo to use with your media center from the comfort of your sofa or armchair. But it wont replace your media center remote. I wouldnt recommend it for your desk as its not meant to be used for heavy computing use.

4/5 stars

Reading other reviews of wireless keyboards I realise there are a whole host of things that can go wrong with them - and almost none of them affect this keyboard. However I bought my one to use on my lap, which unfortunately it is no good for. It took me a very long while to diagnose the problem, with me changing the batterties countless times, but I now know what the problem is. Unless the keyboard is on a completely level surface the trackball mouse malfunctions. Any incline in any direction at all causes this. I no longer need a keyboard to use on my lap, so it is sufficient for my uses, but beware if this is your plan.