I wanted the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set because my room is already a wire labyrinth. I figured the wireless Keyboard and Mouse set would lessen the wire web that is already starting to take over the room. I was right, but the wireless desktop set has some major flaws!
Why I Got the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set
My room looks like something out of a scary sci-fi horror flick. You know the ones where wires begin to take over, and they move about with a snakelike life of their own; they slither quietly across the floor, and eventually manage to wrap themselves up around a sleeping victims neck, choking them to death. Sigh! Ahhhh!!!
Although the wires in my room don’t have a life of their own, they certainly are beginning to take over. At night I have to be extra careful when tiptoeing about the room, because I could easily trip over these wires.
When I was given a gift card to one of my favorite electronic stores, I knew exactly what I was going to use it on – a wireless keyboard and mouse set.
I had past experiences with a Microsoft wireless mouse that ended up being a piece of plastic trash. I knew Microsoft was not going to be my pick this time around. While browsing the sets they had for sale, I really fell in love with the sophisticated look of the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set.
This set came with a keyboard, and a mouse; oh and yeah…no wires!!! The set comes with a USB stick that you simply plug into an available USB port in your PC, and the set magically comes to life! Gosh I just love magic!
Of course this gorgeous set had to be the highest price set on the shelf; $89.99! Ouch!
Appearance (5 out of 5)
The reason I wanted the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set above all other sets was because it looked like the nicest set they had.
They keyboard itself has a nice cushioned wrist rest, with a leather like finish to it. I’m not entirely sure if the rest is leather, but it looks like it could be.
The mouse is also very comfortable in the hand, and has a nice soft rubber grip on the sides. The overall finish of the set is black which gives it a nice high end executive look.
Features
The Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set has many nice added features that users will appreciate. The mouse itself comes with 6 programmable buttons, for easy launching of tasks.
The set also is supposed to respond up to 30 feet away from the USB stick, a 2.4GHz also prevents signal overlap, and the advanced laser technology is responsive to micro movements.
The features do not end there though. The Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set also has one touch multimedia command buttons located on the keyboard, which will launch applications at the touch of a button. I especially enjoy being able to adjust the volume of my speakers by pressing a button on the keyboard.
The mouse also has a 4 way tilt wheel, which allows for up and down scrolling and left to right scrolling.
Battery life is also supposed to work for up to 9 months.
Continue on to the next page to read about the performance of the mouse and keyboard in the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set.
The Mouse (5 out of 5)
The mouse that comes in the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set is definitely solid, with a very high quality feel to it. The rubber grips located on the sides are also quite comfortable to my thumb.
It fits nicely in the hand and has never once given me an issue with response. When I move my hand around my mouse pad, the mouse moves with speed and accurate efficiency.
The right-click and left-click buttons are also very responsive and have never given me an issue; that also goes for the tilting wheel located in the center.
I have owned the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set for a year now, and not once have I had to change the battery. Battery life surpassed the promised 9 month time rate by 3 months. I am overall really impressed with the mouse that came with the set.
The Keyboard (2 out of 5)
The keyboard that comes with the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set, however, is packed with all of the issues that this set delivered.
The first issue that I have to note in this review is the lack of responsive keystrokes. There are numerous times when I have to hit a letter on the keyboard more than once in order for it to register. It’s annoying and slows me down when I need to type something fast.
There are also times when I will be typing an entire word, and it fails to recognize it. The space bar will also sometimes not register, which results in me jamming the key down in order for it to work.
It is a major flaw, and is noticed every single time I use the keyboard.
Battery life on the keyboard is also an issue that needs noting. The mouse worked fine when it came to battery life! It worked better than expected. The keyboard, though, is a different story.
I do not use my home PC very often; I’d say I use it around 4 times a week for around 2 hours with each use. The batteries should have held up like those of the mouse. Unfortunately I find myself having to add 2 new AA batteries to the keyboard twice a month, which is just ridiculous.
Overall Opinion & Recommendation (2 out of 5)
I really would love if Kensington would package the awesome mouse that comes with this set with a new keyboard. Then I’d have the ultimate wireless desktop set.
Unfortunately the price that I paid for the set was way over priced for the flaws that were included with the keyboard.
As far as recommending the Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set to users, I’d have to say no. The price attached to this particular set is still high, and the high price is not worth the hassles of the unresponsive keyboard. The mouse is the only item in the set that works wonderfully, but even still, it is not worth $90.00!
I would perhaps be willing to overlook the issues had the price been a more reasonable $25.00. Till then though, I absolutely cannot recommend this set.
