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.