PROS:
(1) actually works, fairly reliably;
(2) there are very few alternatives for a similar device;
(3) hasslefree setup;
(4) small size and overall excellent form factor;
(5) very good distance range for home use;
(6) backlit;
(7) virtual vertical scrollbar; and
(8) reasonable price.
CONS:
(1) ERRATIC SLEEP AND WAKE-UP BEHAVIOR. The biggest issue I experienced is its erratic behavior of going into a sleep mode and waking up.
First of all, the unit goes to sleep too frequently (probably only after 2 min. of no use). Should be kept awake for at least 10 min. and preferably 30 min. before goes to sleep, but I'm not sure how much impact doing that would have on the battery life.
Once the unit goes into sleep, there isn't a consistent way to wake it up. The instruction manual states that the user can hit any key to wake the device up, but according to my experience, it does not work as claimed. Sometimes nothing works except for switching it off and on again. And when hitting a key does work, only certain keys such as the fn key and space bar work.
In addition, just touching the touchpad does not wake it up, which it should do because the touchpad is the most intuitive thing a user would use attempting to wake the device up.
The thing that really causes annoyance isn't how difficult it is to wake it up, but the inconsistency.
For example, when the whole thing just gets stuck, you can make it work again by switching off and back on again. It isn't difficult to do that, and it is very quick, but the inconsistency is annoying and distracting.
Another related issue is that starting the computer does not automatically wake up the remote. The USB dongle is always plugged into the computer, so theoretically it should be able to that. But instead, you have to manually turn the remote on. So to watch TV using your PC, you need to turn on three things, the TV, the PC, and this PC remote (and I hope you don't have one of those TV remotes that also need to be manually turned on every time when you use it). Not terribly difficult to do, but this hodgepodge doesn't give you a feeling of the state of art. It may be a design overlook, or maybe there's something fundamentally wrong with the sleep status of this entire device.
Fortunately, if you put your computer to sleep, turning on this PC remote does wake up your computer.
(2) The battery standby time is only about a month. This is partly a trade-off of using a rechargeable battery. One month may sound like a very long time, but remember you are talking about a remote control not a tablet computer. Most TV remote controls have a standby life over two years if you're using proper batteries.
Overall, I think the designer of this keyboard struggled with the power consumption issue and had to come up with a compromised solution. The frequent sleep mode is also a result of the same cause. Maybe someday a better design may solve these problems, but for the time being, this is what we get.
(3) The touchpad a bit too small, but that's part of the compact package, so I can't complain.
(4) The touchpad is a slightly jumpy and inconsistent, but very much usable.
FURTHER COMMENTS:
I hesitated to buy this to be honest. Some of the user reviews on the predecessor of this product had me worried. Besides, the seller is not really doing a good job in describing the product. It took me a while to realize this is actually an updated version of the previous Rii Touch Mini, which had been sold for quite some time and received hundreds of user reviews. This product, on the other hand, had only two reviews. It is very easy to be confused by these listings of products. I had initially suspected that Rii Touch N7 could be just a knockoff of the original Rii Touch Mini. When it comes to home electronics, you just don't know where they're coming from except that they're very likely all manufactured in China. But what matters is who designed them and who is behind the products to support them.
Anyway, after some research, I concluded that this is indeed an upgraded version which is manufactured by the same company, although may be marketed by a different company. So I went ahead despite the lack of user reviews.
I am quite happy with the product I received.
Out of box, this thing works with no hassle. On Windows 7, no driver is needed. (In fact, they don't even provide a driver. Even the multimedia function keys work without any setup. And it has a very good build quality.
If you have never seen one of these before, make sure you understand the actual size of this thing. It is comparable to a typical TV remote control, probably just a bit wider in the shorter dimension. But the keys are of very a practical size, not difficult to find and press. I would say it is a great form factor, although a slightly larger size could be even better.
The USB adapter, which is tiny, is hidden in the battery compartment of the keyboard in the origin of packaging, something that one could easily missed without reading the instructions. The USB adapter is completely plug-and-play.
The reception range is very good. I tried from about 30 feet away and it worked with no problem. But you should plug the USB adapter to a USB port in the front of the computer, not in the back to maximize the effective distance.
The touchpad, which I worried about the most, turned out to be a quite good part of this product. Although it is rather small due to the overall size of this thing, it is responsive, close to an average laptop (but not nearly as roomy and smooth). The buttons for left click and right-click are very easy to use. They are actually far better than the Logitech Revue's keyboard which is many many times larger than this.
Besides, the touchpad can do single and double clicks, which is critical and will hugely affect overall user experience if this feature is missing. Don't take this for granted, even Logitech Revue's much larger wireless keyboard does not have this. Unfortunately, single clicking using the touchpad isn't very reliable, and you often end up having to do a double-click to do something that you usually do with a single click on the computer. The trouble is not making a double-click itself, it is inconsistency which is annoying.
Details are very well thought out. The battery is replaceable. No separate charger is required. You just charge the thing using a USB cable.
One of the things one should pay attention to is that this device goes to sleep after only a couple of minutes of no use. So practically, every time when you pick it up, you need to wake it up, otherwise the thing would appear to be nonresponsive. I haven't carefully studied all the possible ways to wake it up, but hitting the space key works.
Unfortunately, sometimes the whole thing would become completely non-responsive. In my short period of use, this has happened quite frequently. It is very easy to fix the problem when it occurs (but won't prevent it from happening again). You just slide the power button off and back on, and the device becomes responsive with no time, until of course the problem happens again the next time. This makes the thing bit erratic and inconsistent.
If you want a remote control for your PC, particularly in the multimedia/home theater setting, this is the best device I could find. It is not perfect. I feel that if Logitech were to design and make this device, they could come up with an even better product. But unfortunately, Logitech does not make a compact PC remote control like this. The smallest Logitech wireless keyboard K400 is many times larger (about twice in each dimension, and eight times in volume), and four times heavier. The closest competition I saw was CE Compass Mini Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad Mouse PC Remote Control, but I did not try that primarily because it does not have backlit and also has a much shorter distance range. But it has some attractive features and could be a good alternative for other uses.
Highly recommended despite the issues I observed.
All it's missing is a (PS) key so you need a controller to quit Netflix and games and a shift key on the right, but other than that it works perfectly on PS3 and PC. It really is the size of a Hershey bar! The battery can be easily replaced unlike the laser pointer models, who needs that anyway?, and when those irreplaceable batteries die it's trash time for the whole thing. The charge cord is cool about 2 feet and splits into a full and mini usb so you don't lose one and you can plug the transmitter into it so it's next to where it charges. No signal issue, i"m typing this with the Rii Touch N7 mini wireless keyboard from 10 feet away which is more than plenty. So much better using this than lugging around the giant corded monster keyboard I was using. This is one super cool device, mouse control is decent it's really fast and fun to type on this and way faster than the on screen keyboard I had been using instead of lugging out the full sized monster. Proof that sometimes smaller and lightweight is better! if they add a PS button to the next model I'd buy that too and use this for PC and that for PS3 and wouldn't even need to move the transmitter which is no big bother anyway and only missing the PS button is not even enough to rate this awesome product less than a solid 5. Plus the illuminated keyboard looks tight, get one of these and show it off to your friends they'll be jealous. I recommend getting this one New OEM Rii Touch N7 2.4G Hz Mini Wireless Full Qwerty Keyboard For PC, HTPC, Apple, Xbox360, Wii, PS3 With Removable Battery [Black] from LapTopMate {2 others look identical except for the name on box}because it's definitely in brand new boxed condition and I noticed from other reviews they seem to stand behind their stuff more than the other companies selling similar ones. This was a steal at $39.99 I would've easily paid $50 or more. I just love new high tech gizmos that make life better and this very nicely finally rids me of that old wired monster keyboard thank goodness! A+ for Amazon!
Buy OrientEX(TM) Rii Touch N7 2.4G Hz Mini Wireless Full Qwerty Keyboard For PC, HTPC, Apple, Xbox360, Now
--I was looking forward to receive my new mini bluetooth keyboard but when i got it i was happily surprised at the quality of the product it uses a rechargeable battery which is convenient and lasts a while.
--It also connects to all my bluetooth devices with ease and with great range. this is by far the best mini keyboard i have tested in the market and i highly recommend it to anyone who wants a pocket sized & lightweight keyboard thats super mobile.
--The keyboard has a great slim design and somehow the track-pad in the middle does help a lot. I can use it to connect my PC, MAC, Xbox, Ipad and many other devices.
--This is Made in China product which in most of the cases is but the quality is just great. I mean very good.
--The best part is the back-light of the keyboard. Close all the lights of your room while watching a movie and this little gadget can help you control from a distance.
All in all a good device.
Read Best Reviews of OrientEX(TM) Rii Touch N7 2.4G Hz Mini Wireless Full Qwerty Keyboard For PC, HTPC, Apple, Xbox360, Here
Yep, we dumped cable and have gone with just on-line content(Netflix, Hulu+, YouTube, Pandora and various news webs sites). This little unit was the last piece of our set-up. I put the computer box in the office adjoining our T.V. room and ran the cables through the wall, including a USB extension cable to which I inserted the mini dongle for the Rii remote. Works flawlessly. The track pad is very responsive, I can move the mouse arrow across the 42" screen with ease. Hitting the "e" in the center immediately launches the web browser. The left and right mouse buttons on either side of the "e" work just like a regular mouse. All the keys are there plus Fn keys that allow you to control your computer's speakers, pause, FF, and RW content, as well as several other tasks. Also, using a combination of the Fn key and F7 lets you rotate the track pad 90 degrees so you can hold the remote in one hand and use it with your thumb like you would a standard remote. Fn + Enter works like CTRL + Alt + Del, (comes in handy when you want to take a look at Task Manager). Holds a charge for a very long time. As others have stated, it does shut off after a few minutes of not being used, but sliding the on/off switch on the left edge instantly restores it with no lag at all. The size is slightly larger and slightly thicker than a regular Hershey candy bar. It seems fairly sturdy as I have dropped it half a dozen times already and it has suffered no ill effects. The keyboard is definitely "Thumbs Only, Finger Need Not Apply". Adequate for entering in a Google Search but not realistic for writing anything longer. Having the back light feature is a really nice touch when you have the lights down and need to adjust sound or pause playback. Overall I think I'd give it about 4.3 stars.
Want OrientEX(TM) Rii Touch N7 2.4G Hz Mini Wireless Full Qwerty Keyboard For PC, HTPC, Apple, Xbox360, Discount?
Reason for buying: I bought this mini wireless keyboard because like the majority of society today, I was lazy and wanted an all-in-one device to control my computer's desktop whilst sitting away from it. This is mainly due for using my computer to watch movies, which is hooked up to my tv.
First impressions: When it was delivered, I felt some sense of great relief. No more trekking those numerous footsteps to move my mouse at the desk or trying to move such said mouse in some form or fashion for the laser to read properly and move the cursor. This small contraption became what it was, I thought it was.
Reality: It works the way it's designed to, BUT don't expect it to last. It's good run was about 5 months. After that, it would begin to lag, I then searched around the internet for other reviews and found the same instances. As of right now when turning it on, the cursor will be moving erratically. Any attempt to move it would only make it put up a fight. The cursor would move only the distance allowed on the small track pad.
All the pros for this device can be read in the info section the company wrote. Sure they're nice to know in reviews, but I'd rather give the info a potential buyer, like myself, is worried about.
Even though this is marketed for the Mac Mini, it is the exact same footprint as the new Airport Extreme base station. I used this to extend the one USB port on the base station so I could put a printer and an external hard drive on the hub. Got this instead of the USB/Firewire hub that they also sell due to the large number of complaints about there not being enough power available for some devices (this one has a separate power cord). I would highly recommend this to anyone buying a Mini or an Airport Extreme base station.
