So I gave the Kensington SlimType a shot, and gave it a pass in favor of the MacAlly IceKey. After using the IceKey for about a week, I’ve decided to ditch it as well and go back to my Kensington StudioBoard - despite the couple of minor issues I have with it.
I did take a couple of notes as I used the IceKey though, so I figured I’d at least share them.
The Good
- The keyboard layout and key sizes are very standard and comfortable.
- No driver required for basic functionality.
The Bad
- Driver required for volume and eject keys. This is a real disappointment for me and a serious shortcoming of the keyboard. Other MacAlly keyboards and Kensington keyboards I’ve used do not need drivers for these functions.
- Keys are just too stiff - made my wrists sore because of the additional pressure needed.
- The MacAlly logo is both prominent and really not attractive and the overall styling of the keyboard is pedestrian and dated.
Also, Fernando notes:
The IceKey is indeed a slim line keyboard, but what you cant see on the inter-web is that that keys are at an angle, they are slanted and not quite like a notebooks slim profile keys.
I solved this problem by propping up the front side of the keyboard by about 3/8″. With it flatter, it felt more like a laptop keyboard and was quite a bit more comfortable.
So, much ado about nothing. I was originally replacing both the keyboard and mouse because I was going to go with a matching keyboard/mouse combo but now it looks like I’ll just be replacing the mouse.
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[…] tried the Logitech S 530, the Kensington SlimType and the MacAlly IceKey, but none of them felt as good as my Kensington StudioBoard. Unfortunately, the KSB is misbehaving […]
April 18th, 2007 at 12:01 pm