This keyboard/mouse/remote is as near perfect (for the price) as possible in my opinion.
My setup in the living room is a large television and an HTPC running XBMC. I've used at least five other devices or combination of devices to control this setup and each of them had their advantages and disadvantages. This remote/keyboard is much better than all of the other options overall, and even in situations where it isn't the best option, the compromises it makes make sense.
The importance of the IR remote on the back can't be overstated. Even though the buttons are limited, each of them has two modes (TV and AV). This remote would not be adequate for anything more than turning the television on, changing the channel, adjusting the volume and changing the input.... But that's all I needed it for anyway. These simple buttons allow me to throw my Television IR remote in the drawer and only take it out when I need to access some special function, which is almost never. In AV mode I mapped the buttons to common functions of the XBMC program, but all of those functions are also accessible from the keyboard side so it's somewhat redundant.
The keyboard itself is a good compromise. Since there's no need for a touchpad, there is more room for keys, which makes finding the character you need easier. Almost all the keys are pretty much where they would be on a full size KB, and those that have been relocated make some sort of sense. There are page up and page down keys on the side of the device, which I haven't ever needed but they don't get in the way either. A possible improvement would have been to reverse the Function and F keys by default. I press play a lot more often than I press F6. The keyboard is lit (red/amber) from underneath (You can turn this on or off) and each key can be identified easily in the dark.
The air-mouse function was a surprise to me, I thought it would be, at best, a barely tolerable way to move the mouse when I needed to for some reason and I didn't want to go find my wireless mouse that is always where I didn't sit down. In fact it works really well and is without a doubt my favorite way of controlling the cursor short of a real wireless mouse (which, let's face it, can't be beat). It is surprisingly smooth. I turned the mouse sensitivity down a couple of notches in windows to allow for more accurate pointing. There are 2 ways of moving the cursor, both using the same air-mouse button either "Click cursor movement on Click cursor movement off" or a "Click and hold to move Release to stop". Both of these work well, but some situations demand one or the other, and it's nice that they are both always available. It just depends on how long you hold the button. Another great feature is the ability to rotate the air mouse so you can hold it like a remote if you want and the movements are natural, or rotate and hold the KB sideways and the mouse will work correctly in that orientation. Impressive. The only annoyance I have with the mouse functions are clicking the left and right mouse buttons themselves. You are usually using your thumb to hold the air mouse button, so you have to release that button to press either of the mouse buttons. If you are using the click-on-click-off method, clicking these buttons invariably moves the whole device just enough to take you off-target the millisecond you press the button. If you are using the click and hold to move method, Clicking and dragging becomes impossible with one hand and unnatural with 2. I wish there were mouse buttons on the side (Like the page up and page down buttons, but on the other side) or on the bottom so I could use them with my index and ring fingers as I held the air mouse button down. Maybe next model...
So almost all of that was good, here's some more good and bad things:
Good: Price, delivery, rechargeable, receiver stores inside, you can turn the IR side and the KB sides off separately.
Bad: Feels cheap, Instructions are sparse, poorly translated and in the case of the IR learning function, just plain wrong. IR transmitter isn't particularly impressive in range or strength. I wish the arrow keys rotated their orientation the way the air mouse does.
I've paid 3 times as much for products that did only half of what this one does and not as well. While not perfect, the price brings this up to 5 stars for me and I will never build a HTPC for a friend without insisting they get one of these.
This little remote and the Amazon seller, "Key to Success" both deserve 5 stars. The remote arrived safely and promptly and I am impressed by the packaging and the quality of the remote itself. The included instructions took only a couple minutes to review and the step by steps actually had it tied to my computer in even less time. I thought there would be more to getting the "air mouse" working but once I plugged in the tiny wireless usb nub, the drivers self loaded, and bam, the cursor on the screen was being controlled by the remote.
Another reviewer mentioned the cursor jumping around so web buttons couldn't be clicked accurately. I noticed that too, however there's a huge button that will lock the cursor to the spot you want and then the left or right mouse buttons can be clicked. Simple!
I recently ordered a "mini" android pc (mk802) to turn our bedroom plasma tv into a cool computer-connected entertainment center. This remote with its back-lit keyboard, hand motion gyro sensor mouse, and additional learning IR remote (for turning the tv on and off) makes everything work together wonderfully.
And, yes, I am using it right now to type this review!
Buy iPazzPort 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Fly Air Mouse Keyboard with IR Remote Now
This is my first product review on Amazon, because I just had to say how much I love this little gadget! It has turned four devices into one. I no longer need a separate mouse, keyboard, TV remote & DVD remote. In doing research, I quickly realized that it was down to 2 items. This one & similar devices which had a track pad instead of the air mouse. Realizing how many times I got frustrated over messed up typing on my laptop, due to accidentally touching the track pad, I did not want to repeat this headache. And forget the reviews that complain about a learning curve. If you can use a Wii or Kinect controller, you will master this thing in seconds. Indeed, the mouse buttons are backwards, but I imagine most people will use this with their right hand, therefore making the device actually easier to use. And I had no difficulty keeping the mouse pointer steady when clicking the mouse button.
I have only 3 very minor complaints. First, if the mouse pointer is inactive for awhile, then it goes to sleep/freezes, but a click of the middle mouse button quickly gets it going again. Second, the mouse pointer doesn't always stay aligned with this device. But I found a super easy way to deal with this is to just "bounce" the pointer against the TV screen edge & get it back to where you want it. And lastly, the user manual's broken English on how the device learns your TV/DVD remote's functions isn't that clear. Once you do understand, I found the way it does it is ingenious & intuitive & wished all universal remotes were this easy. All you basically have to do is:
1. On this device click on TV or AV (i.e. DVD player), then click the set button until the little light stays on.
2. Face the front of this device toward the face of your remote.
3. Click a function on this device (e.g. the volume up button), then click the equivalent button (the volume up button) on your remote long enough for the little light on this device to flash & wallah, it can now do that function.
4. There are about 8 basic functions you can set & after repeating the above step until you have copied all the functions you need, press this devices set button to complete the process.
I like how compact this device is. My coffee table is no longer littered with numerous big devices. True, just like on a smartphone, writing lengthy paragraphs are a pain. So I save the dissertations for my regular computer.
Read Best Reviews of iPazzPort 2.4GHz Mini Wireless Fly Air Mouse Keyboard with IR Remote Here
This little guy really crams a lot of functions into a package with the size and feel of a medium-sized remote control alone. The pictures didn't really do it justice. All the keyboard and mouse functions are on one side of the device, and the IR (infra-red) AV remote buttons are on the flip side. Training the IR commands is very intuitive and much simpler than other learning remotes I've owned (which often require complicated de-coding [un-learning] steps if you make a mistake or wish to change a function). This unit will simply overwrite a key's previous code which in my experience is far preferable to figuring out how to de-code what may have previously been programmed. Incidentally, because it is a learning remote, it can be trained to mimic most any IR remote control function. I've trained mine to mimic my WMC remote, a couple AVR functions, and even my retractable projection screen. Although it has only two modes (ostensibly TV and AVR), the buttons within each mode can learn commands from assorted remotes. You're not restricted to just two.
Tha air mouse takes a bit of getting used to (as does any HID format), but is remarkably precise. The greatest shortcoming is the inability to scroll or drag and drop. If I have a mouse-intensive task to do, I'll grab my optical mouse -but this is my HTPC, after all. I don't use it for CAD designing or word processing. And it sure is great having a virtually full (albeit, no number pad) ILLUMINATED keyboard in the palm of my hand, for typing in Google search words or song/video titles from my media library.
My only complaint is that it is very easy to miss in the microscopically small print of the manual the fact there are two on/off switches -one for the keyboard/mouse side, and another for the IR remote side. I nearly missed this and was about ready to send it back, when I realized the IR side didn't work because I hadn't turned it on. Incidentally, it is not necessary to turn these on and off all the time. I've used mine for over a month w/o turning it off and the battery still seems plenty strong on its initial charge. When necessary, it is rechargeable within a few hours according to the manual, via its USB cable plugged into your computer.
One other thing to watch out for, especially if you have a drink holder in each arm of your viewing chair. I seldom partake of more than one drink at a time, so I tend to use one holder for my drink and the other for the remote control. It's important to decide which will go where and then stick to it consistently. If you don't, you're bound to make the mistake I did. This diminutive remote will fit very nicely into a glass of Scotch. Consider yourself warned. (If it happens, don't let it marinate. Remove it immediately and take a quick gulp of Scotch to calm your nerves. The pat it dry and remove the battery. Let it air dry 24 hours before trying it again. If you're lucky, as I was, it will be none the worse for the dousing.)
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Buttons stopped working less than 2 months, there is not warranty on this unit, so if it dies you are screwed and no one to return to!!!
First Amazon refused to take it back, but because it was packaged and shipped by them, they finally agreed for full refund, I just wish they would tell customers that these units don't come with any kind of warranty.
If I have the receiver in the back of my HTPC the mouse cursor is jurky and keeps getting stuck from less than 10 feet away,
Very annoying that mouse buttons are backward!!!
i got this case about a week ago and have been using it on my itouch 3g and i cant get over how great it feels. it has a nice smooth flat black finish that feels great though if you have greasy fingers like from pizza it leaves a shiny mark on it but it whipes off with ease though u should have clean hands when using your ipod anyways. overall this is one of the best cases ive used and for the price its way worth it and the shipping was great too it came nicely wrapped and took like less than 4 days to get to my house.
