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Trust XpertTouch Wireless Optical Slimline Deskset DS-3200 DE
by Gangsta-ash
Trust XpertTouch Wireless DS-3200 - keyboard & Mouse
Review:
I purchased my trust keyboard and mouse about 6 weeks ago now from PC World and was at first a bit apprehensive as this was hthe first thing i had bought from there for a long time due to thier total lack of organisation and knowledgde about the ... particular products i have previously purchased but was told by my brother that they were being sold for just £15 and were pretty good so i bit the bullet and goit one anyway afterall it was only £15 so didn't really matter too much if it did turn out to be useless! However i bought it home plugged it in put in the disk and it installed itself.... it worked! (Possibly the only thing i have brought fom there that does!)
After using this for a few weeks i am actually quite happy with it the range is pretty good and i can sit on my sofa about 2 and a half metres away from my PC and view it on my TV which is alot more comfortable than sitting at a computer desk. The battery life is quuite good too as i am still using the original batteries but then again i haven't used my PC much either! The keyboard is slim and feels reall good to type on and the mouse is responsive enough to play first person shooters with. What I have found most useful about the keyboard is the programable keys which are easy to set up with the included software. All software and drivers needed are included int the package so no need to go hunting the internet for it!
Whats In The Box?
1X USB Wireless Reciever Box
1x Wireless Optical Mouse
1x Wireless Keyboard UK Layout
1 x receiver cable - integrated - 1.4 m
4x AAA Batteries
Specifications:
Connectivity Technology: Wireless - RF
Keyboard Shortcut Buttons: 13 - 10 Of Which Are User Definable
Power: 4 x AAA Batteries
Localisation: English
Keyboard Function Buttons: Sleep, multimedia, My Computer, Office, Calculator, e-mail, volume
Wireless Receiver: USB wireless receiver
Price & Availability:
You can buy this keyboard & Mouse combination from PC World for as little as £15 and it is also available from Amazon for £13 and is definately worth buying!
**** This review can also be found at www.ciao.co.uk ****
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Trust Slimline Keyboard
by Deru
The keyboard is called a 'Slimline' keyboard because it is extra slim and is only 2.2cm thick. It is very compact compared to regular keyboards because the Delete, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Insert and Cursor arrow keys have all been moved to where the main keys are. The Delete key is even at the bottom next to the right 'Ctrl' key ... like some laptop keyboards. Although this makes the keyboard compact, I don't particularly like this because it takes a lot of getting used to after using regular keyboards. As a touch typist, it makes it difficult to find keys since I would normally 'feel' the keys to locate some of them. The compact layout makes it impossible for me to do that.
Some keys are also smaller than the norm. The space bar and backspace keys are both half the size of those found on a normal keyboard. A number of other keys are also slightly smaller than usual. The Function keys are shorter and there's no gap between them and the row of numbers at the top. The smaller keys and fewer gaps often make me hit the wrong key.
It even has an 'Fn' key like on a laptop keyboard where you press it to use function keys. There aren't any keys with such functions labelled so I'm not even sure what it's for! At the very top, there are some special keys. Functions include Email, Search, 'Favorites' (Yes, I'm using the American spelling), Home Page (load default Internet browser), Play/Pause, Mute, Increase volume, Decrease volume, and Sleep. I think these buttons look horrible since they're the thin line style buttons but at least they work. I do like the presence of them but I would have liked a few more multimedia buttons. The only one is Play/Pause so I think it would have made sense to include a 'Previous' and a 'Next' button. I think the other buttons, especially the volume and mute buttons are good additions.
In terms of comfort, it is not the most comfortable of keyboards and doesn't even come with a wrist rest. It has the tilts underneath to adjust the angle like most keyboards, which can help a little with comfort. I would not want and never wanted to spend too long using this keyboard, which says a lot.
The keys do not stick up (height) as much as regular keyboard keys and this keyboard reminds me of laptop keyboards. I would say the height was somewhere in the middle between a laptop keys (very flat) and regular keyboard keys. As the keys are so short, they seem easier to press and the tapping sounds are not as loud and sharp, which may be a good thing for those who do not like the sound.
The main problem I have had with this keyboard is with the space bar. On many, many occasions, the spacebar had gotten 'stuck' at and I ended up with lots of spaces added to my document. This is a very silly problem that could have been avoided if Trust had made the keyboard better quality. The build quality of this keyboard seems rather average.
Unlike any other keyboard I've seen, the CAPS lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock indicator lights are blue LED's rather than the boring old green on regular keyboards. I like this as I prefer the blue although it is a bit brighter than necessary to the point that it is blinding if you look directly at them! A bit too bright for a keyboard that's supposed to be low profile since it becomes very noticeable.
It comes with a USB to PS/2 adapter so you do not have to use USB if you're short on ports. It also gives you a driver CD so Windows 98 users can use the keyboard using the USB connection.
Lastly, I bought mine for about £16 online but you can find it for a bit less now. Also, mine is black but I think you can get a grey/silver version.
To conclude, I don't recommend this keyboard. Getting one is like sacrificing usability to save some desk space. It would be okay for non-touch typists, those who like laptop keyboard layouts, and those who look at the keyboard a lot when typing. However, since some of the keys are so close together, you are more prone to hitting the wrong keys. That and the issue with comfort is something to consider. I would only recommend this keyboard if you really needed to save space or if your storage space for the keyboard only allows for smaller keyboards but otherwise, I'd recommend a full size keyboard for regular use like the Logitech Media Keyboard.
Thanks for reading!
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Trust Wireless Optical Deskset 310KD
by krispy
One month ago my son kindly spilt his drink all over our keyboard, this unfortunately made it stop working as I don't think it was very thirsty. So as my wife was severely distressed I decided that we should go out and find a decent priced cordless keyboard and mouse set. This would enable us to keep it out of ... harms way when we weren't using it, besides the fact that keyboards don't like orange juice this we had established.
So off we trotted to the nearest supermarket, the reason being that my wife was quickly getting increasingly distressed at the loss of internet usage. So to Tesco Extra we trotted, which is only about five minuites down the road. We got there in no time at all and straight for the multimedia section we headed, then we proceeded to thoroughly scour the shelves. However we did not spot it straight away and we were starting to think that we might have to go to town to find one. But suddenly my wife gave out a cry "Kris, I have found one and it is not too expensive either". Sure enough there it was sitting on the shelf minding it's own buisness in it's red and white box. So we picked one up and proceeded to head for the checkout as quick as our little leggies would take us. We then paid for the product, as we are not into shoplifting, and off home we went to try out the new gadget.
First Impressions
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Now although the featured picture for this product has silver on it, ours is all black except for the hotkeys at the top and the mouse is mainly silver. it looked quite stylish on our silver Argos PC stand, not out of place in the slightest quite posh actually. Everything is where it normaly is on any standard keyboard, except for the unsightly wires that usually clutter up your workspace. The only wires we now had were from the little reciever that connects to the back of
your PC tower just as the corded version did once. But this can easily be concealed down the back of the trolley behind my hifi speaker next to the monitor, so this was no problem. The batteries were easy to install, there were no implements needed to pry open, and awkward covers or screws to unfasten. Simple clip covers that come off easily so the batteries may be put in with the greatest of ease, and little or no fuss.
Extra Functions
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As I said earlier there are hotkeys, these are simple one touch buttons that perform simple actions which are:
+ Forward and back
+Stop and Refresh
+Search
+Favourites
+Homepage
+Access mail account
+Sound mute
+ Sleep/Energy saving mode
These hotkeys make navigation much more simple, as you don't have to keep using your mouse to select the desired action. To the left hand side at the top you also have hotkeys to control your computers mediaplayer program. It is a bit like the controls on any sound system which includes:
+Quick open mediaplayer function
+Play/Stop/Pause
+Fast forward/Backtrack(rewind)
+Skip track forward/Skip track backwards
+Volume control
I find this function really helpful, as you no longer need to waste time minimising the internet then open programs, then open media player. All you have to do is simply press a button, without interupting your surfing time. Now that has to make it well worth the money paid out doesn't it? I am seriously in button heaven, And for once they all perform a usefull function not just filling up useless space. The mouse has a scroll ball and the normal left and right buttons, but it also has two buttons on the side of it which also perform the forward and back page function. Other than this it is just you nor
mal run of the mill mouse setup.
Ease of setting up
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Just before I go into this I would like to stress that you should always read the instructions and I will explain why. Firstly you will need to run the disc provided to install the software on your computer, this is a very straight foreward process and takes literally a few seconds to do. In some cases you will need to uninstall any other keyboard and mouse recognition programmes, as it can interfere with the running of this product. I did not need to perform this task on mine, however once again if you do need to it is very well explained step by step in the instructions. Now once this is done and the software is installed on your PC you will need to obviously put the batteries in (obviously) Now as I mentioned earlier you need to read the instructions, as at first I didn't and I couldn't work out why it wasn't working. Then my wife typically stepped in and pointed out that I had to set up a wirless conection to the little reciever box. This is done by pressing the button on the top of it, then on the bottom of the keyboard and the mouse there is a little button which you will need a thin implement to press. You press the one on the bottom of the keyboard, then the one on the bottom of the mouse to set up the connection. Then you are all ready to go (you will need to perform this task each time you change the batteries to)
Disadvantages
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The only one that springs to mind as yet is, this product can really go through some batteries if you use it constantly. I would recommend that you use good batteries or get yourself some rechargeable ones. Apart from this it is a brilliant product at a very affordable price and a must for anybody with devil children that have a liking for giving your equipment light refreshment.
Conclusion
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I would recommend this product to anybody, I give it the thumbs up and full 10/10 rating for practicallity and general ease of use. The setting up of it is so simple (if you read the instructions first!!) and the pro's seriously outweigh the con's (of which the batteries is the only one for me) So what are you waiting for, go out there and get yourself one and make your workspace wire free and child friendly. I have found it cheaper that advertised at the top, at Tesco it only cost me 16.42p so now you have no excuse not to have one.
Hope you found that helpful to you and thanks for taking the time to read it...Krisp
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