The latest hot concept in the Macintosh world is wireless, notably Apple's new AirPort wireless networking system introduced along with the iBook at last month's MacWorld Expo NY. iBook has the AirPort antennae built-in, and reportedly the next-generation iMac will too. G3 PowerBooks will be AirPortable with third-party upgrade cards. Very cool.

Wireless technology has several advantages, most notably that your connections are not cumbered and tethered with messy, tangly cords. The subject of this review is the MacAirKey Wireless Keyboard by Digital Creations of Kansas Inc., the only wireless keyboard available for Macintosh computers.

Besides being cordless, the MacAirkey is small and light, measuring about 13" x 6" and weighing 1.2 pounds, so it has a small desktop footprint or fits comfortably in your lap. The keyboard will work up to 30 feet away from the computer, with which it communicates via infrared. An infrared receiver plugs into the Mac's ADB port (a USB adapter is optional) to pick up signals generated by keystrokes and transmitted from the keyboard, which is powered by two AA cells. The MacAirKey works on a different infrared protocol than the infrared built into PowerBooks and the Bondi iMacs, so must use its own, dedicated receiver module.

The MacAirkey Wireless Keyboard also incorporates an integrated "thumb mouse" located on its right-hand side, with two mouse-click buttons on the left, so it can operate as a self-contained typing and pointing device to control almost all keyboard and mouse functions. A plug & play design, MacAirKey requires no special driver for installation. Just plug the MacAirKey receiver into your Mac and you're ready to type.

The keyboard unit is built for Digital Creations by Acer Peripherals in Taiwan, and has a solid feel and high quality standard of finish. In size and configuration it reminds me of a PowerBook keyboard without the PowerBook, and the 'board's black color reinforces the PowerBook-esque impression. The keys themselves have a pleasantly light touch and smooth, short travel -- not quite up to the standard of my WallStreet's keyboard, but better than my PowerBook 5300 or most freestanding Mac keyboards.

Like PowerBook keyboards since the introduction of the G3 Series models, MacAirKey has a numeric key pad embedded in the right hand key columns, and an Fn key to activate it. There are also 12 F-Keys, inverted-Tee cursor keys flanked by Page UP and Page Down, plus PrtSc/SysRq, Pause/Break, Home, and End keys to the right of the F-Key row. Twin Command keys border the spacebar, with the Control, Fn, and Option keys on the left, and Insert and Delete keys on the right.

The integrated thumb mouse takes some getting used to, and I must say that in my estimation it is not an adequate substitute for a conventional pointing device for everyday use. It works fine, but I found cursor navigation annoyingly slow and the amount of thumb-pressure required for manipulation, while not extreme, was still on the uncomfortably stiff side for my neuritis-plagued hands. Basically, you just nudge the thumb button, which is about the size of a quarter, in whatever direction you want the cursor to go. The two mouse-click buttons were pleasantly light and positive, but with the mousing function on one side and the click buttons on the other, pointing and clicking is a two- handed operation. The click buttons are also a long distance away from the Command, Shift, and Option modifier keys, which made some extreme finger- thumb choreography necessary for several frequently necessary commands. The company says that control-click may be built into one of the mouse buttons on the next generation USB version of MacAirKey.

Using MacAirKey, I soon found myself remembering keyboard shortcuts that I rarely use, and keyboard macro software would be very desirable for regular use with this keyboard. Of course, you can always plug in a regular mouse or trackball in the piggyback ADB port provided, but that would obviate the main advantage of a wireless keyboard. I would have preferred the piggyback port to have been located at the receiver unit end of the ADB cord instead of at the plug end, which would make it easier to reach with a mouse cord.

One limitation of infrared technology is that there is no way for the wireless keyboard to provide power-on functions unless there was an internal battery or a significant increase in power supplied to the ADB bus when the Mac is off (presently only about .05v). This is because the IR receiving function requires 5v to "listen" to the IR signal. Digital Creations president Jeremiah Connolly says he has been "hounding" the engineers to figure something out, but to no avail. For now, it is necessary to have a standard keyboard with a power-on key connected to any Mac that starts up from the keyboard in order to boot. With PowerBooks, that's not a problem, and since you will already have a regular keyboard with a desktop Mac, it's an easy workaround, but its inconvenient in either case to be obliged to move to the standard keyboard for the occasional "Command + Control + Power Key" sequence after hard system lockups or whatever. My suggestion would be to include a power on button in the IR receiver module, which is hard-wired to the ADB bus.

MacAirkey $29.95 USB Kit is a simple circuit upgrade that takes less than 5 minutes to install requiring only a Phillips screwdriver. This upgrade also has superior error rejection to get rid of IR interference that can cause annoying "repeating A" error that occurs occasionally in some lighting environments (including mine) with the ADB unit.

Despite the criticisms registered above, I really like this slick little keyboard, and if you have a practical need for a wireless input device, this one is well worth considering. While it is not advertised as an "ergonomic" keyboard, the light, short-travel keys are easy on the hands and fingers, and it may appeal to some users on that ground alone.

MacAirKey keyboards are covered by a 90 day limited warranty, and may be purchased online at http://www.macunderground.com/ (Requires 4.x or newer browser; credit cards only), or call or call tollfree 1-877-261-8419. You can also contact Digital Creations by email at: macunderground@DCInetwork.com

MacAirKey Wireless Keyboard ADB - $119.95

MacAirkey USB Kit $29.95

MacAirKey Wireless Keyboard specs include:

¥ Number of Keys - 84

¥ Keyswitch type - Rubber/Membrane

¥ Keyswitch Life - 10-million keystroke life cycle

¥ Keytop Inclinations - 5 and 10 degrees

¥ Connector - Mini DIN 4 ADB

¥ Operating Distance - Up to 30 feet in line of sight; Up to 15 feet at +/- degrees

¥ Battery Life - 3 months based on 5K strokes/day

¥ Power - 3V DC (2 AA batteries)

¥ Dimensions - Transmitter: 13.8" x 6.3" x 1.1'; Receiver: 3.5" x 2.9" x 1.1"

¥ System Detection - Plug and Play, Autodetecting 

¥ MTBF - 100,000 hours

¥ Operation Temp. - 32°F ~ 122°F

¥ Storage Temp. - 4°F ~ 140°F

¥ Operation Humidity - 5% ~ 85% RH

¥ Weight - Transmitter: 1.2 Lbs.; Receiver: 0.4 Lbs.

¥ Certifications -- CE/FCC/FTZ/UL/CSA/TUV

Moore's News & Reviews Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

Cool:

¥ It's cordless!

¥ Nice, soft touch, short travel keys

¥ Small and light

¥ Incorporates keyboard and mouse functions in one unit

¥ True plug & play -- no drivers needed

Needs Work

¥ "Thumb Mouse" requires too much force

¥ Two-handed pointing and clicking; modifier keys hard to reach from mouse buttons

¥ No way to power on from keyboard

¥ Ghost-typing aaaaaaaaaa bug (ADB only)

Moore's Views & Reviews Mailbag

From Donna Ladd

Good column, Charles, about the iBook. I happen to live with Todd Stauffer in Soho and back him up completely. It's the rage here. Good to see Mac men who get it! (And I would like a Blackberry one as well. I've been writing for a while that I wanted to see it in Eggplant.)

 

Best,

Donna Ladd

 

Mac Chick

http://www.mac-upgrade.com/mac_chick/index.html

From: Jennifer

 

Dear Sir,

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!! I just finished reading your article about the new iBook and its appeal to women based upon appearance and ease of use. I would like to inform you that your assumptions regarding women and their fears of computers are probably correct if these individuals are *middle-aged*, but the certainly DO NOT apply to the rest of us. There are plenty of us women who can program with the best of them and who want absolute power when it comes to computing (hence, I swear by my Mac). I have helped multiple male friends of mine set up/fix/trouble-shoot their Windoze and/or Mac machines, and I guarantee you that gender is entirely unrelated to computer literacy in the college-age crowd.

 

In regards to the new iBook, yes, I would buy it. This is simply because it is a relatively inexpensive consumer portable and I am a college student who longs for but cannot afford a PowerBook. May I also remind you that, in addition to its looks, that little machine still packs quite a mean punch. It is, after all, the second fastest portable on the market, the first being the PowerBook.

Sincerely,

Jennifer

 

 

P.S. And yes, I also fix my own car.

From Thomas Kephart:

Shhhhhh, don't go giving away the master plan!

 

It is inconceivable that Steve Jobs has missed the point that everyone and their brother (not counting their brothers sister or daughter) likes translucent cases, but doesn't like dayglow colors. Black is good. Translucent black is better.

 

So Steve must be doing all this iMac candy coloring for a reason, right?

 

Here's my take...

 

Steve is fooling the likes of eMachines and the sub $1000 PC movement into thinking that the consumers want candy- colored machines. The real appeal of the iMac is that it is stylish, simple, perhaps even radical... and most buyers get over the fact that the colors are somewhat tacky.

 

Once all PC vendors switch over to candy colored PCs, here's where things get diabolical...

 

By pretending to not want the Enterprise market and drawing everyone's attention to the Consumer market, he is leading the sheep cloners down the path of their own destruction.

 

Steve introduces the sleek, black (navy, maroon, forest green) translucent macs. Suddenly, those candy-colored, sub $1000 PCs, with their celery processors, look... CHEAP!

 

Microsoft brainwashed IS managers suddenly are shocked out of their 10 year coma, as CEOs look around and say "I'm not putting one of those bright yellow, cheap looking boxes on my desk! Get me that slick looking black thing that matches my Sony stereo, VCR, and TV. Top notch high tech equipment is black, damnit, not candy-apple red!"

 

Suddenly, by fooling all the PC vendors into making consumer toys that only teenage Ricky Martin worshiping girls would like...

 

...Apple takes over the enterprise market with OS X and the only corporate-looking boxes on the market!

 

After all, the past year has been focused on the consumer segment of Jobs 4 square product, 2000 will be the year of the professional Mac!

From Donald E. Carlile:

Charles,

 

I wanted to be sure that you knew about the Save and Power- off now option on the iBook. From what I read, that would result in the instant-on you were talking about.

 

Enjoy your columns!

Hi Don;

Yes, I was aware of those features, which I covered in my intro story on the iBook for MacOpinion. They represent a big step in the right direction.

However, I'm talking about the sort of instant-on you get with a TV or VCR from cold-off to up-and-running in a couple of seconds. We still have a way to go to achieve that with computers.

Glad you enjoy the columns!

Charles W. Moore

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Friday, 10-Feb-2012 08:41:47 EST