I picked this keyboard up at Fry's for about 40$. It was a bit of an impulse buy since I already own the HP Wireless Elite Keyboard that has served me quite well for the last few months. I was just looking for something smaller for my desktop computer, and smaller this keyboard certainly is. The layout of the keys themselves are very compact and are actually smaller than the keyboard of my laptop(I believe it would be comparable the size of a netbook's keyboard). The keyboard itself a little wider than a sheet of paper folded length wise. The build quality is nice as far as I can tell with no noticeable blemishes. The ability to move the cursor on screen using "Optical Finger Navigation" is interesting. I wasn't even aware of this feature until I picked it up at the store.I have found that the features of this keyboard might not really serve a person on a desktop well. For instance, the F# buttons can only be used while holding down the "fn" button in favor of having media buttons on the top row. Also, the finger navigation, while it can be convenient, is too unwieldy for use at all times and a mouse would always be preferable to this feature. Cumbersome would be the best way to describe the feeling of using it. I also dislike how the "left click" equivalent is on the top left corner and the finger sensor is on the top right. That forces the use of two hands instead of the one it takes with a standard mouse, which makes it a bit impractical for a desktop user to take advantage of this the finger navigator. These features lead me to conclude that this keyboard would best serve somebody on a home theater type PC or substitute a laptop's keyboard, which is why I'm awarding it a 4 instead of a 3. Also, coming with 2 Duracell batteries doesn't hurt either.
Update 12/4/10
I've been using this as my primary keyboard for atleast a month now and am fairly content with it. I like to maximize the room on my physical desk so being able to move the mouse pointer around without having a mouse on the desk can be nice. However, the media keys have become extremely annoying to the point where I actually pried out F1-F4. I got quite pestered with the accidental presses of F3 during games of starcraft2 and left4dead2 in which my computer would go to sleep mode. By F3, I really mean the sleep button since F3 can only be accessed by holding the "fn" key. Despite the missing keys, the sensors under them are still usable with a more concentrated prod of the finger. BE CAREFUL should the decision be made to make such a modification. As for the finger navigation, it is still a bit cumbersome; however, it isn't too terrible to use after getting used to it.
But there a so many problems with this keyboard I really can't recommend it.
o It randomly locks up from time to time, even under light to moderate use. No idea why. I'll be right in the middle of typing something or moving the mouse and it'll just die. No power switch on this puppy, so you have to flip it over, pop out one of the batteries, let it sit for a couple of seconds, then put the battery back in to get your keyboard / mouse back.
o The wireless timeout for the keyboard is set WAY, WAY, *WAY* too low, and as far as I can tell there isn't any way to adjust it. The keyboard automatically shuts itself off -and no, I'm not kidding about this -HALF A SECOND after your last keypress. Same goes for the mouse. Half a second delay in your movement, and it has to "wake up" before your mouse cursor starts moving on the screen again. I cannot BEGIN to tell you how REALLY ANNOYING it is to have to constantly retype something because the keyboard wasn't paying attention. It's not distance from the system, it's not batteries, it's not interference. It's just a really bad decision on HP's part (pathetic attempt to extend the battery life, I guess) and an even worse decision to not provide a way to adjust it.
o This keyboard should have been using Bluetooth instead of wireless. Bluetooth would've worked a LOT better, IMO. Dunno why they decided to go this route. (*shrug*).
It was cheap enough ($30 at Fry's) and works well enough for very limited usage, but it's certainly not a day-to-day keyboard or a keyboard for the easily (or not-so-easily) frustrated. Maybe they'll get the bugs worked out eventually...
Buy HP Wireless Mini Keyboard Now
Hello fellow couch potato surfers! I've been using various wireless keyboard/mouse combos to control my HTPC over the last 5 years, but none has been better than the HP Wireless Mini Keyboard (which I am using to type this review) that I picked up at Staples last month. This was an impulse purchase and I paid full retail for it, but it can be found on the net for under $40.My last HTPC input device, the former champion of couch surfing, was the Logitech diNovo, an aggravating clamshell design with too-small keys, a crummy finger trackpad, and lackluster battery life (thanks to the keyboard backlighting). HP's Mini has none of these problems. By comparison, the HP Wireless Mini Keyboard can be had for 1/2 to 1/3 the price, and is a better device overall. It's so good that I've been writing reviews about the HP Mini across the net, something I've never done before!
This keyboard definitely comes packed with great features for the price. It is about the size of a netbook keyboard, stylish in a minimalist way, and fairly thin yet sturdy and well made. It's just right for on-top-of-your-lap typing. The keys have a nice feel to them and respond well to key presses. The built in optical finger navigation works very well given the size of the input surface and the high resolution of my TV (1920x1080). The keyboard uses two AA batteries and battery life has been excellent so far, a fact that is no doubt helped along by the lack of backlighting and LED toggle indicators.
On the down side, the lack of backlighting could be a problem in low light situations, and the lack of LED indicators makes it impossible to tell if a toggle key, such as Caps Lock, is engaged without actually typing. The function keys (F1 F12) are activated by holding down the 'fn' key first and then tapping the desired function key, and there is no way for the 'fn' key to act as a toggle key (which would have been my design choice), rather than a shift modifier key. The default, unshifted mode of the function key row is to facilitate multimedia access, which is problematic in the cases of F2 and F3, as they are sleep and account lock keys, respectively. Hitting either of these keys accidentally can be bothersome, and I have read of some people physically removing the keys to avoid the problem altogether. I also had to use an extension cable to position the keyboard's USB micro receiver within line of sight, as the signal was intermittent when it was plugged into the back of my HTPC (a Shuttle SH55J2). This might have been avoided if HP had used Bluetooth instead of its own proprietary 2.4GHz wireless protocol.
One last gripe I have read about, although it is not mine, is that the optical finger sensor doubles as the right-mouse button, with a separate left-mouse-only button on the left side of the keyboard. Some complain about this arrangement, and the fact that there isn't a toggle on the keyboard to reverse the mouse button assignments. I would counter with two points: 1) any OS I've ever used allows for mouse button swapping; and 2) dragging is very difficult to perform if you are depressing the sensor that also tracks movement. To be thorough, I tried swapping the buttons in Windows for about an hour to make sure I wasn't missing something... and I wasn't. It was aggravating to use the sensor with mouse buttons swapped, and I was more than happy to go back to the way HP's designers intended it to be used.
PROS: Great Design, Quality Construction, Energy Efficient, Simple Setup, wireless, Cheap price good quality, Responsive Input
CONS: No Function-key Toggle, A Few Poorly Placed Keys, No Backlight, No Toggle LEDs, Wireless Needs Line-of-sight
The Bottom Line: The HP Wireless Mini Keyboard is an excellent input device for HTPC usage that works better than more costly devices. Despite flaws, I have given it top marks for being best in the HTPC input class. Highly recommended.
Read Best Reviews of HP Wireless Mini Keyboard Here
I actually had an older model, the WX415AA. If y'all search for it, it uses the track ball on the right side and left/right click buttons on the left. It worked fairly well, I never had sticky problems with the track ball, but the built in mouse was useless for drag-and-drop to the point that you couldn't shift open windows on your desktop, it kept interpreting the long hold as a double-click. I feel like the new technology is a great improvement.I'm a little wary of this new keyboard, though two weeks in it is working just as well as my first.
I'm used to working on a netbook and this keyboard continued my comfort with the smaller keyboard, although it fixed that nasty netbook problem of having the shift key on the other side of the up button. The keyboard itself is a solid build with neat keys and the newer keyboard design that protects from dust and drink spills. The multimedia buttons are fantastic for a home theatre -I can use the simple multimedia buttons rather than the on-screen functions which come in handy when you're in a pinch to adjust really loud action scenes or use iTunes in the background without having to access the iTunes window to change a song/pause/etc. The sleep and lock keys are present on my older keyboard as well (used it for a year) and I never found myself accidentally hitting the keys. I would have liked to see the keyboard backlit, especially for night use, but you get used to where the buttons are after a while.
The connection between the keyboard and the laptop is working great... but my first one did that too in its baby days. With the first keyboard, I found if I set it down "too hard," meaning like you'd set down anything else, it would lose the connection to the receiver. I would have to turn the keyboard off and on again to restart the connection. I'm thinking this might have been a personal problem, my keyboard's wiring was pretty faulty from the beginning, but I'm still thinking it could happen to this one as the construction looks pretty much the same.
Some people have complained about the "power saving" function of the keyboard but I'm really excited about it. The earlier version didn't have that, so if I forgot to turn it off... it'd eat up the two AAA (yes, not AA) batteries in a day and a half pretty much. That's also how the death of my older model happened. I was watching TV, turned it off to conserve power, and an hour later flipped it on again and... nothing. No happy blinky blue light, no mouse movement, nothing. I tried replacing the batteries, still nothing. I realized that the "intestines" weren't solidly connected and over time (a year) had grown worn out and loose and finally became so disconnected that my keyboard essentially "broke." I have hopes for this keyboard, but I'm still worried about how long it will really last.
Finally, using this little guy is very efficient. It's small enough not to be too bulky and silly when you're trying to surf using your TV. Having a keyboard AND mouse together means you'll never lose one (still haven't found a few mice yet...) and switching between typing and using a mouse is only a momentary shift. After a year, and an older model that wasn't quite reliable, I still purchased the new one because the functionality of this keyboard is perfect. I've been looking for others like this and there's nothing out (as of this post) that really competes with the progressive design. If you're used to a netbook sized keyboard, you'll find that this is more convenient than a larger wireless keyboard.
My original reason to purchase this keyboard wasn't so I could super-size my monitor, but because I needed something small and convenient I could use at work. I have relatively small hands and enjoyed using a netbook because the keyboard fit better, the built-in mouse was a sweet little bonus feature. At my desk, I could maximize my space by tossing (mind you, gently laying down) the keyboard into a drawer without disrupting a typical drawer setup. My favorite bit was not worrying about enough space to move a mouse around, I was able to sit back comfortably without being that weirdo who uses the laser-mouse on her leg. I accidentally brought the keyboard home and realized that it was also perfect for use with a laptop-TV setup.
I'll keep replacing my mini keyboards until HP creates the perfect one -or until someone else decides to get in the game.
Want HP Wireless Mini Keyboard Discount?
I purchased the HP Wireless Mini Keyboard because I was looking for a wireless keyboard with no number pad and a small footprint. At first I was relatively pleased with the keyboard except for the occasional repeats which were not due to my typing. However, after about 2 months the keyboard's wireless connection to the computer became flaky and within a couple days stopped working altogether.I called HP support and after being passed around among 6 different people on at least two different continents for about 1 hour, I finally did end up with a very helpful support tech. He had a replacement keyboard shipped overnight. The second keyboard worked OK for about a month, but still a problem with key repeats and then it's wireless connection completely quit working as well. I have not had the time yet to call HP and get passed around again, but definitely would recommend against this keyboard.
The computer on which it was being used was a Dell Precision laptop and I've had a Logitech Unifying wireless mouse dongle in the same USB slots for about 6 months now so I do not think the issue is with the computer. Also, the HP keyboard is locked to it's wireless dongle so it is not even possible just to get a replacement dongle, you have to get a complete replacement keyboard.
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