A Gadget Arrived

Wireless Keyboard and Track Pad Combo

Twenty-two months ago, in June of 2010, I made a note to myself indicating that I would like to buy a wireless keyboard that has a built-in track pad so that I could control a computer connected to a TV monitor from the couch.  Now it's here!

It's Bigger IRL

In the past, I tried using a wireless keyboard and mouse that come as two separate pieces, which does not cut it for me.  Using a wireless mouse from the couch would require me to have a book or something else that is both large enough to move a mouse around on and rigid enough to be able to set down on a soft couch and remain flat.  The problem with this is that the mouse inevitably moves around, which is a pain when you're trying to watch a movie and even the tiniest movement of the mouse causes the controls on the screen to pop up and distract from the story being told.  Counting the keyboard, now you have three things that all take up real estate which could otherwise be used for sitting or lounging as the couch was intended.  Finally, the last wireless keyboard I tried to use was not able to communicate with the computer unless I held it the bottom of it directly at the receiver on my computer, which is less than ideal for typing.

The ideal solution in my mind is to have one unit that has a full-sized keyboard with the same kind of track pad that you find on every laptop computer attached.  That way moving the device won't tell your computer to hold everything because you moved the mouse, you're not going to lose it between the couch cushions and you can use it to manipulate your computer a lot more effectively from the couch by just using a wireless mouse.

Aside from the benefit of being able to hook up my computer to my TV to watch internet based video, it's also nice to see how well, or how poorly (I'm looking at your Bing with your images that don't scale up on a large monitor) websites look when viewed on a large monitor.  Being able to pause a movie when the mood strikes to band out a bit of typing is also a really nice feature.