Photo: Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard and the Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 1850
It’s funny that for many years, Microsoft had been championing home theater PCs (HTPCs), and while it produced many media keyboards in the past, it has never really made one with an integrated trackpad (unless if I completely missed it). Though the software giant has since backed off from Media Center on its Windows operating system, more and more compelling set-top boxes have surfaced to take its place. However, they all still lack a proper “full-sized” keyboard that’s optimized for living room use.
Microsoft’s new All-in-One Media Keyboard (N9Z-00028) aims to fill in this gap. Launched mid-2014, the AiO Media Keyboard is one of the few keyboards in the market that has that integrated trackpad. Because of this, it can be used as the only controller to your home theater player, whether it’s a full-blown computer, or a simple set-top box.
Sure, there are alternatives out there, like a more portable, handheld Bluetooth keyboard, but that’s slow to type on, and the trackpad, if available, is also tiny. A larger, full-sized wireless keyboard is nice to type on, but it is not ideal to use a separate mouse on your lap or the couch.
Microsoft AiO Media Keyboard tries to fit into the sweet spot, by combining portability, durability, keyboard & trackpad size, and ease of use.
Portability
Photo: Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard with a full-size desktop keyboard above it
Measuring 367 x 132 mm, the inclusion of the trackpad is appreciated as the total width allows the board to be placed comfortably on the lap, or on my lap, at least. The keys area are just slightly narrower (left to right) than a 13-inch MacBook Air’s, by about 2cm, and around the same length (front to back).
The rectangular board is symmetrical and balanced, with no fancy design and layouts, great for just grabbing it and chucking in the bag. Don’t forget the tiny transceiver though. Pop open the cover at the bottom to reveal the two AAA batteries and a magnetized compartment to store the thumb-sized USB transceiver, also magnetized.
There are two nice touches here. First, the two AAA batteries are included, so just unbox the packaging, insert batteries, plug in transceiver, and use it immediately. Second, the magnetized transceiver compartment is great, considering how a battery cover usually gets popped off when you drop a device, and you don’t want to lose the transceiver. Each transceiver is factory-coded to only work with the keyboard/mouse it ships with, and if you lose it, you can’t just buy a replacement and pair them together. Instead, only Microsoft can send you a replacement. It does have a three-year limited warranty, if that makes you feel better.
Durability
The top and bottom, including the keys, have a coarse, matte finish. Not the glossy type that attracts smudges and fingerprints. If you squeeze it hard enough, the keyboard creaks, but why would you do that?
Microsoft claims that it could take accidental sit-ons and is spill-resistant. I’m sure it could definitely survive my butt pressure, but I’m not too sure it could withstand my morning coffee. That thing is potent. There are two slits at the bottom of the keyboard for this very mishap — to drain out the liquids.
The battery life is said to last up to nine months of typical use. Won’t last as long as your Astro controller, but long enough in my book.
Keyboard & trackpad size
If you’re fine with typing on your work laptop, you’ll feel right at home on the AiO Media Keyboard. Its chiclet keys have a slightly concave surface, including the space bar, but the overall size feels similar to your regular 13- and 14-inch laptops’ keyboard. The keyboard feel is a different story though. I still love the feel and travel of a good ol’ mechanical keyboard, but at the same time, I appreciate the silence of a laptop’s keys. The AiO Media Keyboard is neither here nor there; the feel is fine and comparable, but it clicks and clacks relatively louder than a regular notebook. Not a deal breaker, but definitely noticeable.
Inclusion of the trackpad in itself is already a welcome, but it is also not a bad one. There are two things I hate about some laptop trackpads — they are small, and they are glossy. With displays getting larger and higher in resolution, you’d want a larger trackpad, and glossy ones are just too “sticky” and are not smooth to the touch. Here, its relatively large matte surface is square in shape, with the bottom corners clickable.
It supports two-finger scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, and even the Windows 8 edge swipes, which by the way, works on Windows 10 too. I wouldn’t complain if it’s a little wider, but I certainly appreciate its length (front to back). It is definitely one of the better Windows trackpads out there.
But that’s not all. There are three media hotkeys above the trackpad that are programmable, but even by default, they could be used to launch the default browser, media player, and file explorer. On the left, there are the handy left click button, volume rocker, and a mute key, if you want to hold the keyboard like you would a gamepad, with your right thumb on the trackpad. Not only does the trackpad supports Windows 8 gestures as mentioned earlier, there is a row of function keys that have media controls and Windows 8 Charms actions baked in by default.
Ease of use
The future demands wireless connections on all hardware out of the box without any additional plugs, but there is one reason why this keyboard still comes with a wireless transceiver — it just works. Not every desktop or even set-top box comes with Bluetooth connectivity, and there is a lot to like about how easy it is to just plug the transceiver into the USB port, and use the keyboard immediately. And with a trackpad, this also means that you don’t need to find another free USB port for a mouse.
Unfortunately, while the ease of use is there, it fails in other fronts, from power user features, to the very basic common sense ones. I’m not going to even touch on Mac usages here, because of how the Command key is swapped with Alt, and how the function keys don’t really work. Microsoft recommends that you install the ‘Mouse and Keyboard Center’ software (available in 32- and 64-bit versions) that lets you customize all of Microsoft’s mouse and keyboard features, from inverted scrolling to scroll sensitivity. For the AiO Media Keyboard, you indeed could adjust the trackpad’s settings to your heart’s content, but there is no way to reassign the function keys to do something else.
Speaking of which, the row of function keys, labeled in white, are secondary actions, while the Windows 8 actions mentioned earlier, labeled in blue, are enabled by default. There is an Fn key next to the Right Alt key, but there is no F Lock option at all, not even in the software you’ve just installed. Not everyone needs the Charms controls, and simple actions like trying to toggle the browser fullscreen (F11) or to close an app (Alt + F4) involve some minor finger acrobatics, because now the Fn key needs to be involved, and again, there is no F Lock.
The media hotkeys aren’t helping either. Though you can assign each of the three to launch any applications besides the default, there is nothing else you could do with it. The only key where you could use to program macros is the hotkey with the home icon. Macros are like a set of key presses and instructions, programmed into one single key press. AiO Media Keyboard allows different macros within specific apps, but these macros, understandably, doesn’t include mouse clicks. Macros are great for Excel and also in some games, but a lot of media interfaces require a mouse or trackpad navigation. For example, I could program the macro, while in Spotify, to navigate to my favorite playlist, but there doesn’t seem to be a way for me to play them in shuffle mode without using the trackpad. By using the trackpad, I’ve effectively defeated the purpose of having the macro to begin with.
Lastly, in the nitpicking department, this keyboard doesn’t have pop-out feet like a regular desktop keyboard. I know this device is meant to be used on your lap, but the keyboard feet is the first thing people notice it’s missing, when I handed it over. Also worth pondering — if it’s not meant for the table, why have rubber feet on the five corners of the keyboard’s base? I do not yet own an Xbox One (because Microsoft doesn’t want to launch it here in Malaysia), but there are also reports that this Media Keyboard doesn’t work with Microsoft’s brand-new gaming console, which have media playback capabilities. The text entry works fine, but the trackpad and media keys don’t work on Xbox One’s UI. This boggles my mind, where two new products from the same company aren’t fully compatible with each other.
Bottom line
I feel like Microsoft it trying to make its All-in-One Keyboard too safe, and ended up pleasing no one. The build is durable, but a bit boring and doesn’t feel solid. The keys feel fine, but it is not as silent as a laptop, and doesn’t feel as good to type as a desktop mechanical keyboard. The media controls are great, but most of the controls only work with Windows 8, but not on set-top boxes, not even Microsoft’s own Xbox One.
Don’t get me wrong though. I still think it is one of the best media keyboards to be used in the living room. Two of its most redeeming features are the trackpad, and the transceiver. The size of the trackpad is large enough, and it makes the board wide enough to be “lapable”, not to mention a built-in pointing device without the hassle of a separate mouse. While its USB transceiver is small and easily misplaced, it doesn’t suffer the hassles of pairing over Bluetooth; just plug it into any device that supports a keyboard/mouse, and use away.
Ultimately, the only platform this keyboard will shine on is Windows 8, and soon, Windows 10. Unfortunately, Microsoft is stepping away from Media Center, but Windows is still one of the best platform to be used as a media player in the living room, if you don’t mind a little bit of setting it up. It is not as convenient as your plug-and-play set-top box, but once in place, it could be a download machine, a media manager, a player, a media server, a backup device, and even a gaming platform. All this setup requires constant maintenance, and you’d be pleased to know that all the controls of the operating system can be done with the Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard.
Pricing and availability
Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard has been launched and available in Malaysia since mid-2014, for RM139. Its closest competition would be the Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400r, but this one is RM10 more expensive, and it has a smaller trackpad. Microsoft said it doesn’t sell its accessories online in Malaysia, but it should be available at most major IT retailers. You can find out more about the AiO Media Keyboard here: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-my/p/all-in-one-media-keyboard.
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