6 Of The Best Wireless All-In-One Keyboards For Mac and PC - Technology Portal

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12/31/2013

6 Of The Best Wireless All-In-One Keyboards For Mac and PC

6 Of The Best Wireless All-In-One Keyboards For Mac and PC
There are plenty of reasons to choose a desktop PC over a laptop, but the one thing I miss the most on my desktop is the trackpad. A mouse is great, but there are times when a trackpad is what you need, whether it’s for multi-touch gestures or using your thumb to scroll around without lifting your hand from the keyboard. In fact, Windows 8 works best if you use swipe gestures.
So I started looking at keyboards that come with built-in trackpads or trackballs. Over the past two years, I’ve tried out many of them. Here are my picks for the best wireless all-in-one keyboards for PC or Mac.

Budget Champ: Logitech K400 (White: $25; Black: $30)

Logitech K400   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that matches up to the Logitech K400 in terms of value for money. In fact, you shouldn’t even consider any other keyboard less than the white colour version version, which retails at $25. The build quality isn’t fantastic, but it’s rugged enough to take the knocks of daily life. The low-profile keys have a satisfying play when you type on them, but since this is a compact keyboard, it’s a bit scrunched up, especially with the different placement of the arrow keys. It’s something you’ll have to learn to get used to, along with the lack of a Home button.
  • Works with Windows (XP and upwards)
  • Multi-touch gesture support
  • Physical left and right mouse buttons
  • 33 feet/10 metres wireless range with Wi-Fi receiver
  • Plug and play
  • Requires 2 x AA batteries

With A Hidden Numpad: Rapoo Blade E9080($50)

Rapoo Blade E9080   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

I was pleasantly surprised by the Rapoo E9080. The keyboard doesn’t feel as cramped as the Logitech K400 and the scissor keys are fantastic to type on for long hours. The large touchpad also doubles up as a numpad, which is quite cool. Slide your finger at the bottom and it toggles between working as a trackpad and as a touch-sensitive numpad. The only real problem I had with it was the lack of physical mouse buttons, which makes it hard to perform click-and-drag actions, and sometimes doesn’t register the command (especially in case of double-clicks). But one thing that’s in its favour is how light and portable the E9080 is!
  • Works with Windows (XP and upwards)
  • Multi-touch gesture support
  • Slide to toggle between touchpad and numpad
  • 33 feet/10 metres wireless 2.4 GHz RF range
  • Plug and play
  • Requires 2 x AAA batteries

Bluetooth Buddy: Adesso SlimTouch Mini Bluetooth Keyboard ($72) [Mac | Windows]

Adesso Bluetooth Mini Keyboard   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

The K400 and the E9080 have their trackpads where the numpad normally is on a full-size keyboard. With this layout, you have to significantly change your hand’s position to use the touchpad. While this may not sound like a big deal to most people, trust me, when you have to work for more than 6 hours on that keyboard, it matters a lot. And that’s what makes the Adesso SlimTouch Mini Bluetooth keyboard so great. It may not be a looker, but it gets the job done. The scissor keys are great to type on too. But unfortunately, the Adesso does not offer multi-touch support, rendering gestures meaningless. Plus, it works through Bluetooth, so chances are you won’t need a receiver for it either.
  • Works with Windows (XP and upwards) and Mac OS X
  • No multi-touch gesture support
  • Physical left and right mouse buttons
  • 33 feet/10 metres wireless range with Bluetooth
  • Requires 2 x AAA batteries

Old Faithful: Lenovo ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard ($95)

Lenovo Thinkpad Bluetooth Trackpoint   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

I know a lot of people who still swear by Lenovo’s TrackPoint technology and prefer to buy ThinkPad computers purely so they can get that feature. TrackPoint is a little red touch-sensitive pad in the centre of your keyboard (between the G, H and B keys). It’s surprisingly accurate and once you get used to it, you’ll be surprised that you weren’t using this earlier. It’s especially good for ergonomics since you never really change your hand positions. The mouse buttons are located conveniently below the spacebar too, so your thumbs can click. Lenovo’s keyboards have always been the most comfortable to type on and the ThinkPad Compact is no exception. Plus, the battery is rechargeable and easily lasts for 3-4 days on a single charge.
  • Works with Windows (XP and upwards) and Mac OS X
  • No multi-touch gesture support
  • Physical left and right mouse buttons
  • 33 feet/10 metres wireless range with Bluetooth
  • Rechargeable built-in battery

Best For Windows: Logitech TK820 (around $80)

Logitech TK820 keyboard   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

With a big, comfortable keyboard and a large, sensitive touchpad, the Logitech TK820 is the best you can buy when it comes to wireless all-in-one keyboards for Windows. The trackpad is really the highlight here as it feels premium and is responsive, registering every tap or gesture (including multi-touch). The chiclet keys are fantastic to type on, giving you just enough feedback to feel good while typing fast. And they are well spaced apart too. Despite all this, the TK820 is a lightweight and slim keyboard, and the ideal candidate if you are looking for a keyboard for your HTPC. If that’s not your scene, you can check out some HTPC remotes control options.
  • Works with Windows (XP and upwards) and Mac OS X
  • Multi-touch gesture support
  • 33 feet/10 metres wireless range with Logitech’s Unifying receiver.
  • Requires 4 x AAA batteries

Best For Macs: TwelveSouth Magic Wand($30)

Twelvesouth magic wand   6 Of The Best Wireless All In One Keyboards For Mac and PC

Apple has already made the best touchpad for its computers, the Magic Trackpad. And the Apple Wireless Keyboard is among the best keyboards too. None of the existing all-in-one keyboards for Mac are as good as the combination of these two accessories, so I’d suggest that you unite them with the TwelveSouth Magic Wand. It’s a little frame that docks the keyboard and trackpad together, letting you move them as a single unit. The whole combination of keyboard, trackpad and Magic Wand is a bit pricey, totalling up to around $160, but it’s well worth it, especially when you learn how tosuperpower your Mac Trackpad.

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