ENERMAX AURORA Micro Wireless Aluminum Keyboard

Comment:
The first unit I purchased had problems with the trackball within 2 months. Enermax replaced it and now 4 months later I am experiencing the exact same problem with the trackball. The trackball becomes very unresponsive over time until it is pretty much useless.For safety reasons it isn't possible to open the laser trackball unit for cleaning. As fas as I can tell this means that the trackball gets dirty over time and eventually stops responding properly. This is an inherently flawed design and anyone buying this keyboard can count on having problems.I ONLY RATED 3 STARS BECAUSE ANY RATING LOWER THAN THAT MUST BE CONFIRMED BY NCIX STAFF. SINCE I DONT HAVE MY ORIGINAL ORDER NUMBER I WOULDNT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO POST HIS REVIEW IF ID RATED IT LOWER THAN 3 STARS.

Comment:
Average, would not recommend or buy again

Comment:
I needed to replace my HTPC nMedia Wireless Kybrd & Remote Combo as ~ 2 years some keys were no longer functioning. This one works and feels much better than the HTPCKB-B, especially the trackball. I'm not a fan of HTPC keyboards with trackpads, so looking around I found this one and I'm glad I did. Typing feels smooth and solid. The unit is just the right size for HTPC use. The connection is always good with a forward facing dongle. Hasn’t missed a stroke. Unit sleeps when not in use so the battery life should be ok. Looks good too.

Comment:
Purchased in February 2010, and was used as my primary desktop keyboard & pointing device (I had no mouse) for about 6 months of heavy daily use before semi-retiring it to lighter HTPC use to present-day. I don't know why other customers are having complaints about the battery life, because I am still using the same alkaline batteries that came with it in the box for 8 months and counting! I usually turn off the switch at night, but during my ownership it has been left on overnight at least 20 or 30 times. I have been waiting to put some Eneloop rechargeables inside, but the stock batteries simply refuse to run out!The construction is very solid and the key action feels definite and responsive, like a very good laptop keyboard. The key size and spacing feels just right and did not take me any time to adjust to it.CTRL and FN keys are in their proper places (i.e. CTRL at the very bottom-left, and FN to its right). If the positions were swapped, this would be the single dealbreaker for me, but Enermax nailed this one spot-on. Functions accessed with the FN key are sensibly mapped and easy to learn and use without looking.The trackball is an excellent feature to have in a HTPC, and while in my opinion it is a bit too sensitive for general daily use (which I did for months), one can get used to it. Using a combination of the keyboard's built-in DPI settings and adjustments in Windows mouse sensitivity, you can fine-tune it to your preference. The scroll wheel (with middle-click) is also useful and easy to access.Onto the gripes - I have only two. The first is that occasionally, under heavy exclusive trackball usage, the left & right mouse buttons will get "stuck" in a down or up position. As an example, if you are looking around in Google Streetview, the left button may get stuck down, and the view keeps rotating as you move the trackball even if you are not pressing the left button. I have found that if this happens, you can cancel the behaviour by pressing a key on the keyboard, indicating it's probably a firmware issue rather than a problem with the buttons themselves. While this might be a critical failure if you want to use this for gaming (but why would you?), for general use it's a minor annoyance and certainly not one which should make you pass by this wonderful keyboard.The second gripe is so insignificant it's almost not worth mentioning - the rubber feet sometimes fall off if you move the keyboard around a lot.I am currently using a wired keyboard on my primary desktop, but if I had a need for the convenience of wireless, I would definitely buy this same model again. For HTPC use, this is surely one of the best quality keyboards with a clean style that you would be proud to leave out on your coffee table.

Comment:
Enermax KB008W-B Aurora Micro Wireless reviewFour hours ago I picked up one of these for my home theater PC (HTPC). I ended up testing it out on my laptop. So far I'm really pleased with it. In fact, I haven't tried it out on my HTPC yet because I'm enjoying so much on my notebook. I chose this keyboard because I'm a 'track ball guy'. SInce the late 80's, trackballs have been my choice of controllers.Packaging was simple; the box, the keyboard, the reciever, a set of Maxell alkaline batteries (2 x AA), and a simple diagram of the keyboard.Once I had it out of the box, the keyboard actually surprised me. It was rather small, but it also had some weight to it. The aluminum-topped keyboard case looks great but the rest of the case is just plastic. it has a nice black finish that will look good on any coffee table.I grabbed the diagram looking for instructions, but there really were none... and you really didn't need any. Simply plug in the receiver into any available USB port, put the batteries into the keyboard, turn it on, and enjoy!The keyboard will take a bit to get used to due to the fact that this is not a full-size layout. The keys feel crisp and clean, and you'll know if you typed something wrong. They designers combined keys that are usually less-used with an added 'Fn' (function) key and are labeled with blue lettering, mainly the PgUp, PgDwn, Home, End keys. They also added functions that use the 'Fc' to control Music, Videos, Pictures, etc...Above the usual set of keys (F1 - F12) are seven additional keys for various features like openning you browser, mail, zoom, volume (+ and -), mute, and a play/pause button. They all worked exactly as you would expect on my notebook.Now was the part I was especially looking out for; the trackball. It is small... about the size of your thumb. It's located at the top/right of the keyboard. It feels smooth and it is easy to control, even for it's small size. The left and right (click) bottons are actually on the top/left of the keyboard. Those are controlled with your left thumb. Basically, you hold the entire board in your hands with your thumbs in position. It's actually quite comfortable. More that I thought it would be. The only awkward thing I found is when you need to correct spelling in the middle of a paragraph; the whole 'cut/copy/paist' thing. After about 1 hour of typing, you get used to it and it becomes natual. Also, the sensitivity is set through the 'Fc' key i mentioned above. Press the 'Fc' key, then select  either 400,800, or 1200 DPI. I would have prefered more choises, as the 400DPI I'm using is still a bit too sensitive more my tastes. I would have prefered maybe 300 or 350DPI, but that's just me. To the right of the click-buttons on the top/left of the board is a tipical scroll wheel. It, too, is also clickable.Overall, it's a great keyboard so far. In fact I'm using it to type this review. I dont recommend it for gaming, especially 1st-person shooters. It's definately made for a HTPC or general computing and web surfing. It does exactly you would expect.rate - 8.5/10P.S. I would have rated a 9 or 10 but there is no way to remove the trackball for cleaning if it ever needs it, and track ball sensitivitiy has only 3 settings.Also, I'd like th option of getting another receiver so I could take the keyboard from room-to-room without having to remove the receiver from the computer it's already installed in.Good job Enermax! It's a step in the right direction.Jeff G.