Razer ProType keyboard

24.10.2008
If you're looking for a new keyboard, and you've also got an iPod or iPhone, Razer's aims to clean up some desk clutter by combining a full-featured keyboard with an iPod dock. It's an interesting idea that mostly works well, but it does have a few minor issues.

Wide load

At 20.2 inches wide by 8.7 inches deep, the ProType is perhaps the largest keyboard I've seen--so large that on at least one of the keyboard drawers I tested it with, the ProType didn't leave enough room on either side for sufficient mousing space. The good news is that most of the left-to-right space is put to good use, as the ProType includes lots of special keys and buttons (discussed below). On the other hand, while part of the ProType's additional front-to-rear size is due to the presence of an iPod dock (also discussed below), over two inches of that dimension are taken up by the keyboard's non-removable wrist rest. And that wrist rest includes a large, pulsing-blue-backlit logo that serves no real purpose.

The ProType is thin--just under one inch at the thickest point--with no incline, making for a fairly ergonomic setup (assuming your desk area is set up properly); two pop-out legs can raise the rear of the keyboard almost half an inch if desired. As part of its thin design, the keyboard uses laptop-style keys, rather than the key switches usually found in desktop models. Scissor keys tend to require less force and less travel--the distance you have to press a key for it to register--than dome keys, although the ProType's keys required more travel than any other scissor-key keyboard I've tested, and the key response was a bit softer, with less tactile feedback, than I would have liked. Still, the combination of a low profile and easy-to-press keys provides relatively good ergonomics.

The ProType connects via USB and provides two downstream USB ports for connecting low-power peripherals such as mice and other input devices.

Keys, keys, and more keys