Microsoft Remote Keyboard for Windows XP Media Center Edition ZV1-00004

*Note* This keyboard will only work if you have Media Center and the e-home IR sensor installed on your computer! I've recently set up Windows Vista Ultimate 32bit with Media Center on my 42inch plasma and this is my finishing purchase. Even though this keyboard says for Windows XP, it runs great with Vista, no drivers needed! Looked around for a while for a keyboard that will fully complement Media Center and this seems to be it. My first choice would be the DiNovo Edge(about $175), but for only $33 bucks(+shipping), how could you go wrong? Pros: Keyboard is the right size for your lap. Feels solid and well built. It has all the Media Center function keys built into the keyboard which is great! Keyboard works outside of Media Center as well, used it in Internet Explorer, Windows Mail, and Microsoft Word, etc. Spent a good part of Saturday using this keyboard. Media keys on left and right side of keyboard are lit and can be turned off. Keyboard keys are not backlit but thats ok with me, saves batteries. I didn't find any typing lag and I guess there wouldn't be because there is no lag in InfraRed. Worked great from 15 feet away (didn't try any farther) and IR works great even with obstructions. Nice rubber feet on the bottom keep the keyboard from slipping off furniture. Can also program a few functions of your TV remote into this keyboard. Cons: The mouse nipple (best way I can describe it) takes some getting used to. A bit tedious, but ok for Media Center usage. It breaks-in a bit after a while, make sure to slow down the mouse tracking speed in Control Panels. I know someone who develops Media Center for Microsoft and he hates the mouse part of this keyboard. I hear Microsoft may be working on a new version of this keyboard. I will probably buy a nice bluetooth mouse eventually. I could program my Hitachi's TV remote into the keyboard, maybe yours will work. If I could go back in time, I would still buy this keyboard! Read more

Let me start off by saying that the mouse control really is pretty bad. I'm sure I could get used to it and it would work great, but I shouldn't have to do so. If you need to use your mouse a lot with your HTPC, look elsewhere. I very rarely use the mouse, however, so it works great for me. I occasionally use Windows Media Center, but I have XBMC start automatically when windows starts. 95% of that computer's use is inside XBMC which requires zero mouse movement. You *can* use a mouse to navigate in there, but I prefer just using the keyboard. In that usage scenario, it works great. The fact that it is IR isn't a big deal to me... I put the IR receiver right beside the TV and I don't have any reception problems. The upside is that you can quickly and easily program the keyboard's volume buttons and the TV Power button to control your tv... which means I can put that TV remote away and use this keyboard exclusively. I know this usage scenario isn't for everybody, but it just might apply to a few people looking for a XBMC HTPC keyboard. I should note that this keyboard does NOT work very well with the linux version of XBMC. I have that installed on a different HTPC in a different room and a lot of the keystrokes simply don't register. You could probably MAKE it work by modifying .conf files in XBMC, but it doesn't just work out-of-the-box like it does with Windows XBMC. Read more

BEWARE..This product ships with no IR receiver. I have had this remote keyboard for almost 2-3 weeks and unable to find a compatible IR receiver in local stores. No one carries them anymore. Btw, it does not work with IR receivers that come bundled with other name-brand MCE remotes. The only compatible IR6 receiver(A9O-00007) I could find was on ebay for >$20. If you are buying this for keyboard, you are better off buying wireless(2.4Ghz) keyboard. If you are looking for remote + keyboard, tough luck in finding a IR receiver that works. In this day and age, It believe it should ONLY be shipped with a Receiver. Amazon should clearly note this on their product description. For me, it is nice product but useless. I am returning it. Read more

Keyboard works just fine, it's durable and easy to type. I had no problems with this part. The "moue" however is horrible. Like another reviewer stated, you have to push down on the button to get it to move, and mine was extremely stiff and eventually hurt my thumb after just a short while of casual usage. It is finicky, does not respond well, is not even remotely accurate and is just plain bad design. I would recommend a bluetooth mouse to go with this keyboard and skip its mouse entirely. Everything else worked great and was configured very quickly. Read more

This is definitely a nice keyboard and works pretty well as a lap keyboard (although don't forget it's IR so you need a basic line of sight to your MCE IR receiver). The built in mouse (actually a nub pointer) is shockingly bad. I've been buying MS keyboards for 15 years (they are the best) and I can't believe this pointer component was deemed good enough to have the MS brand. It's practically unusable, so I keep my wireless mouse nearby. I'm an engineer and for the life of me, I cannot understand how the hardware designers chose this design. A dumb little D-pad would've been FAR FAR FAR better, let alone a blackberry-type trackball or Lenovo-type nub pointer. The weird part is that the design looks great before you try to use it, and if you gave it a test before plugging in, you'd have high hopes, but alas it's functionally completely unusable. The keyboard gets 5 stars. The pointer gets 0 stars. Read more