Xebec Tech Itouchpad Diamond Wireless Keyboard with Track Pad Review

We have tried to test this keyboard and trackpad in every environment and situation that you are likely to use it within. This includes as a keyboard for a HTPC, Presentations, browsing photos and the internet, in Gaming scenarios, as well as general Word Processing and chat environments like MSN and Facebook Chat.

As this keyboard is designed for use with a HTPC we weren’t very surprised that it does perform well, it is fairly light and compact so perfect for storing away when you are not using it constantly. The transmitter is so small you can leave it connected and not really notice its even plugged in. All you then have to do when you want to use the HTPC or Server is flick the switch on the back of the keyboard and it connects instantly.

We were going to give you some idea of how good the battery life is, normally by running it flat more than once. Unfortunately, the battery life is rather good, and quite frankly we know you won’t have to charge this up very often at all, as we did fail to flatten this device in any sensible length of time. The keyboard is clearly very power efficient and is effectively in stand-by when you are not pressing any buttons. Of course you can also turn the keyboard off when you are not going to use it for a period of time.

The range of this keyboard is pretty good, the quoted figure is up to 10m and while we didn’t measure this specifically it worked perfectly over 5m – any more than that and we wouldn’t be able to see any changes on the Computer it was connected to. It would be brilliant to test if this works up to 10m with the use of a projector or similar in a lecture hall and we may well up date you if we can test this any time soon.

In terms of the keyboard itself, it did take us a long time to get used to it. This is due to the layout and the size of the space bar and the enter key, which are both a bit smaller than we are used to. There are a few other layout issues, including positioning the Fn in the Ctrl position etc. That said, this is one of those ‘preference’ things, and we did find that after an hour or two’s use we were able to type without any problems, and it does depend on what you are used to. In terms of the keys, they are fairly nice to press, and even have a slight ‘click’ to them, they also return very quickly in deed. They also require a bit more force than other ‘standard’ keyboards to press the key down, which is certainly a plus. However, it is still very much like typing on a laptop and although this is better than most laptop keyboards it will always be beaten by a decent desktop keyboard. I do however think Xebec has missed a trick, they haven’t included any Media Buttons, which considering this has been designed for using with a HTPC or similar I think this is a very fundamental flaw, or at least it certainly could have added a lot more functionality to the keyboard if they had included at least volume controls.

In terms of the trackpad, we did like the sensitivity and control which is brilliant, although the trackpad is actually a bit smaller than I am used to and so had to tweak the mouse settings to get the mouse to go across the screen in one swipe. We weren’t too impressed with the two mouse buttons below however, which are not that nice to use and are spaced below the trackpad so aren’t as convenient as other trackpads. Then again, you can easily left-click via the trackpad itself, and you probably won’t use the right-click button too much. These buttons just feel a bit cheap compared to the rest of the keyboard.

The receiver is truly tiny, and neatly slots into the back of the keyboard when you are not using it. Unfortunately, this was a bit of a tight squeeze and it was sometimes very hard to get out and would take us several minutes – which is not what you want. We feel that this is likely to get easier after using it a few times, although I would of preferred if it could slot into the side of the keyboard for instance with a small mechanism so you push to release for instance.