March 1999

Price: $69.95

RATINGS (0-5)
Installation: 5
Documentation: 5
Features: 4
Overall: A-

If CTI is truly the industry that will lead computing's efficiency revolution, then all CTI servers should feature speech-recognition command software and ship with wireless keyboards and next-generation mouses. Toward that end, we've reviewed several speech-recognition suites. Now it's time to examine a better keyboard/mouse combination: the IR KeyPoint Pro, from Casco Products International. This keyboard is wireless, lightweight, has a great built-in mini-joystick mouse, and costs just $69.95. At least one TMC Labs engineer, after using the IR KeyPoint Pro, has sworn never to use a conventional keyboard again. (For other products in this area, see the TMCnet CTI@Home column titled "Input Innovations".)

INSTALLATION
The quick start guide led us through installing the IR KeyPoint Pro and its software in about 10 minutes. The programmable keys and related software require Windows 95, but the keyboard and mouse will work with any IBM-compatible PC. The IR receiver (an RF version is also available) plugs into a COM port. PS/2 and 9-pin connectors are included; obviously we'd prefer a USB version. The receiver also comes with double-faced tape to keep it steady; in a busy workstation, it could otherwise be quite abused. Initially, we mounted the receiver on top of a monitor, but we soon realized that it works much better mounted on your desktop in front of the monitor.

We put four AA batteries in the keyboard, and Windows 98 auto-recognized the keyboard after we booted the computer. Both the keyboard and mouse worked fine, and we like that the new mouse didn't stop our traditional mouse from working. The next step was installing the Airboard Manager software, used to configure the keyboard's function keys. A traditional install shield wizard did this for us, and from there, we began to read the instruction manual.

DOCUMENTATION
The user's manual is a slim 24 pages, but it's one of the best we've seen for an end-user product. Detailed illustrations and clear descriptions explain every feature, and the manual is divided into a hardware section and a software section. The full-color online help for the Airboard Manager software is also top-notch. As we always note, poor documentation is often the Achilles' heel of otherwise good products, but we can assure you that this is not the case here. In fact, although it's a rare situation, the user's manual actually improves this product.

FEATURES
There are a lot of features! The IR KeyPoint Pro has 89 keys. Currently, the keys have the same half-travel length found in most laptop keyboards, but Casco is planning a version with full-travel keys. Some users may have a preference, but personally, the half-travel version seems comfortable to us. There is a 30-foot operating distance, which works at up to a 60-degree angle, both vertically and horizontally.

The mouse (as we said above, it's more like a mini-joystick) uses I-Point technology licensed from Varatouch, Inc. (www.varatouch.com). This technology makes the two-button mouse very sensitive and immune to the problems of dust and grime build-up, which plague traditional mouses and trackballs. The mouse also features a drag button. And, if you buy this keyboard and it looks like a piece is missing around the mouse's base, don't worry: it's designed that way, although future versions will have a rubber dome to cover the valley. Another good feature is the battery indicator. Casco claims that the keyboard's batteries will last about six months at about a half-hour's daily usage. When the batteries get low, a red LED on the keyboard will flash.

Across the top of the keyboard are the function keys. Most are semi-programmable, because the software only allows you to change certain functions, but the key labeled "U/P" (for user programmable) can be set to open any application. By default, the other keys include close, CD, video, WWW, rewind, pause, play, stop, forward, volume down, volume up, mute, and display. We especially like that the key's function name appears on-screen when you touch it, and we like that the on-screen displays for all of these keys appear just as they would on a television screen: they are large, green, and easy to read. By right-clicking on the software's system tray icon, users have full control over the display's font, color, and size, which means that the display still works, even if your Windows background color is set to the same green as the default letters.

OPERATIONAL TESTING
As we said above, we don't mind that the keys are half-travel versions. We also like that there is no annoying "click" sound when the keys are pressed, and we like the side handles that make it easier to compute from a distance. We also found it helpful that the receiver unit provides feedback in the form of red indicators for num lock, caps lock, and scroll lock, as well as a data indicator. The mouse, which is built into the right-side handle, is designed somewhat into the shape of a traditional mouse. The keyboard also has retractable feet on its bottom, and its weight is significantly less than a traditional keyboard.

In short, we found that using the keyboard as a pure input device is no different from using a regular keyboard, and it may even be better because the 89-key design places everything just a little closer together. After regular usage for about a week, we found that the keyboard became increasingly familiar, and that we used certain function keys quite often, such as close, volume up/down, WWW, and mute. This is a product that we would recommend to anyone, even a technophobe.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Despite our overall happiness with this keyboard, we do have some criticisms: the feet only have one height adjustment, the mouse should be available for left-handed users, and we dislike the keyboard's bottom row selections. For example, the bottom key row has two control keys, two alt keys, and two Start menu keys. We feel that the second Start menu key on the right side could be removed and replaced with a larger spacebar. On top, we'd like to see the home key relocated, as it's very easy to press home when you really mean to press backspace. Otherwise, it's one of the best keyboards we've used, wired or not. We appreciate its sturdiness and dark gray design color. Finally, we'd like to see an improvement in the battery cover, which we found extremely difficult to remove and re-insert.

CONCLUSION
For its price, functionality, and purpose, this keyboard is ideal for a call center manager, laboratory engineer, or anyone who might need to control multiple computers, especially when used in tandem with a KVM master console. It's also ideal for giving presentations in large meeting rooms because of its range and operating angles. Finally, the RF version in particular is a boon to anyone who has a cluttered desktop and doesn't want to be leashed to within a six-foot radius of their CPU. If Casco were to include a built-in microphone and speakers, this unit would be even better suited for CTI and for Internet telephony applications, but for now we're content with the current version, and we award the IR KeyPoint Pro our Editors' Choice award for quality, bargain pricing, and innovation.