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Since my review of the Logitech iTouch multimedia keyboard, I’ve been getting some queries regarding different brands of keyboards which include additional function keys. So it was with some interest when I was presented with AOpen’s KB-Media - a fully featured 104-key keyboard with an additional 18 hotkeys that add multimedia, Windows, and Internet functionality.

AOpen’s literature does not really say too much about the keyboard. The keys are arrayed in a standard 104-key Windows layout, with the additional multimedia buttons lying straight across the very top, above the function keys. The keyboard uses a PS/2 connection, but it also includes an XT style keyboard adaptor. Highlights of the keyboard include a membrane tactile feel with a spill resistant design. The characters are laser etched onto the keys for better wear.

Making it Multimedia

Like other multimedia keyboards, the KB-Media requires that you install some software so that the extra key functionality can be incorporated into the system. I tested the keyboard in both Win9X and Win2K environments and had no noticeable incompatibility problems. Installation is relatively painless, but the documentation for the button functionality comes in the form of a plaintext HTML document. So it was that I had to “discover” the functionality some of the some of the extra keys by using the age old method of “guessing and testing.” When you use the extra keys, and corresponding onscreen message will indicate what is going on.

Unlike the Logitech and Microsoft keyboards, the AOpen KB-Media does NOT have any programming capabilities. This means that all the keys come with default settings that cannot be altered. My gripe with that oversight is that at least 5 of the 18 buttons become useless to me. The calculator button, the task switch button, the program close button, the minimize button – they are all either easily emulated using regular keyboard shortcuts or just add little convenience to your daily routine.

The keys that are still useful though, become a great time saver. The media controls which allow you to play, pause, fast forward, and rewind your media files (MP3s, WMA’s or whatever) are a god send because they let you control your music without having to task switch to your media player, and they just make the computer feel more like an integrated multimedia system. The volume control and mute control are likewise greatly appreciated, but I still cannot fathom why the left most volume button RAISES the volume, while the button to its right LOWERS the volume. Pretty counter intuitive if you ask me. Some of the other buttons, like the power key, the email key, and the browser key, are likewise handy to have around. All in all, the keyboard delivers on its premise to provide convenience for the user.

Useability

The keys have a spongy feel when being used – the spacebar has a particularly awkward feel when depressed. My personal preference in keyboards are for keys that have a more light and feathery feel with a crisp response – somewhere in between the tactile click of IBM’s classic keyboards, and the softer touch of Microsoft’s current offerings. The AOpen has a very soft and absorbent feel to its keys… a quality that I have always found reduces my typing speed, adds undue stress, and decreases my comfort level. One of my best friends, on the other hand, finds that type of keyboard increases his efficiency and enjoyment – so this is subject to some serious personal bias.

The extra multimedia keys are evenly spaced and splayed across the keyboard with no distinguishable grouping. Although keys of similar function are adjacent to one another, they are not grouped and separated, as you would find on Logitech and Microsoft multimedia keyboards. The dark grey multimedia keys are also marked with black etchings –a low contrasting combination that makes the icons harder to interpret under even good lighting conditions. The lack of quickly distinguishable markings and obvious group demarcations makes the use of the multimedia keys awkward at first. The keys are also placed together so tightly that it is easier to hit the wrong key when searching for the function that you are looking for.

Overall. I felt the layout of these additional keys should have been more carefully thought out.

Just shy of the mark

The KB-Media is not a bad keyboard. My personal preference for tactile quality aside, the multimedia keys lack organization and aren’t as accessible as they should have been. Perhaps in the next revision, AOpen will consider moving the keys farther apart, and putting them into easily distinguished groups at different parts of the keyboard. Until then, the KB-Media still offers the convenience of additional windows and multimedia functionality through its 18 external function keys. A fact that should not be overlooked, also, is that this keyboard costs little more then a regular 104-key keyboard and yet offers more multimedia keys than any other brand name keyboard. My personal recommendation will still be to take a serious look at the Logitech iTouch keyboard, but for anyone looking for an alternative and a bargain, the KB-Media is a functional and worthwhile choice.

Overall Score: 73%

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