GKM581R_3

Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

By on February 8, 2011 in Hardware, News, Reviews

Introduction

Since obtaining an IOGEAR GKM561R keyboard/trackball device this past Christmas, I have become interested in these products in general as an input device for use with my Home Theater PC (HTPC).  When I visited the IOGEAR booth at CES, I just had to offer my services as a reviewer to check out their latest and greatest products.

As a result, IOGEAR sent me a GKM581R keyboard/trackball to check out.

g10 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

The GKM250R was a CES 2011 Design and Engineering awardee, so we should be expecting lots of good features in this keyboard/trackball combo.  Obviously, I will be comparing this item to my GKM561R, which I feel is a pretty tough standard to measure up to.  The question, of course, is which item is the better device?

What’s In The Box?

First, we have the normal eye-catching consumer-style packaging

g1 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheelg2 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

The contents come securely packaged in a clear plastic shell.

g3 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

Upon removal from the shell, we get to take a closer look at the contents:

g4 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

  • keyboard
  • batteries
  • USB receiver
  • documentation
  • USB battery charging cord

As with the GMK561R, it is interesting what one does see or need: a driver disk.  True plug-n-play.

The picture above does not show the USB receiver, which is contained in the battery tray on the bottom of the keyboard.

g7 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheelg8 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

Finally, we have a closer shot of the combination keyboard/mouse

g6 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

and a comparison shot with the GMK561R.

g9 thumb1 Hands On: IOGEAR GKM581R 2.4GHz Keyboard with Trackball and Scroll Wheel

For those who seek style, do you prefer the rectangular keyboard or the oval keyboard?

Features and Specifications

Features

  • Ergonomic wireless 2.4GHz keyboard with built-in optical trackball,left / right buttons and scroll wheel features
  • Brilliant on-lap design -Ideal for a convenient PC to TV experience from the comfort of your couch
  • 2.4GHz technology offers greater wireless range up to 33 feet away from your computer / home theater PC
  • Conveniently placed left-click button for exceptional and precise singlehanded navigation
  • Built-in left and right mouse buttons with built-in scroll wheel
  • Built-in optical trackball with1000DPI
  • 13 multimedia hotkeys for quick access from Internet Browser,My Computer and Windows Media Player track and volume control
  • Slip Resistant design with rubber grip
  • Battery Low LED
  • USB port for included rechargeable NiMH batteries
  • The perfect solution for Digital Living Rooms or PC to TV
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About Jim Clark

Hello. I’m from the heartland of the U.S. Lots of corn and beans, although Iowa is a lot more than just farmland. It also has a few computer enthusiasts (no, not me!). I’ve been around PCs since I got my 1st PC XT aloooong time ago. WGS is one of the first sites I found centered around WHS. And the best. Every once in awhile, I do get away from the KB and enjoy time with and my wife and our 4 kids. And I do have a day job.
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  • Dave_Marchant

    A couple of queries from the review. Are there nationalised versions available (i.e. UK key layout) and as I am a left-hander, I am not sure how usable the rollball would be placed in the top-right corner.

    • Jim_Clark

      If you go to the IOGEAR website, there are retailers in many countries. The UK was *not* one of them, however!

      Re. the left-hander: one area where discrimination is alive and well! ;)

    • afol

      Well, as the layout is not what you want it to be, you could rotate the keyboard 180 degrees. The layout still, won't be the one you find in UK, but the trackball would be on the left ;)

  • Ascario

    Nice review Jim. I ran into the same numeric keys problem with my HTPC keyboard from Trust. While I agree that the numlock feature may seem uninteresting and annoying on an US keyboard, remember that there are A LOT of different keyboard layouts out there where you either need the shift key to type numbers or a numeric keypad. For all those people, the numlock feature is very handy. On a desktop (or HTCP for that matter), most people use a keyboard with a numeric keypad (or a remote control which basicly IS a numeric keypad). It makes sense to enable it by default. And if you don't like it, it's easily remedied through a widely available registry patch.

    • Jim_Clark

      Agreed, but without some some sort of indicator, one has no idea which mode you are in when typing in passwords! :)

  • http://twitter.com/rayhart @rayhart

    I wound up buying several of the older models as they are showing up on sale. The reason? My wrist! I was getting the first signs of carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist from too much, bad ergonomic, use of a conventional mouse.

    My only inconvenience is that I use a 10 number keypad quite often and this keyboard doesn't have one. Other than that I did have to take it apart and clean (wd40) the scroll mechanism when it went a little wonky.

    • john3347

      Off topic, but I hope offering this bit of information does not offfend anyone.

      I am arthritic and have considerable difficulty manuvering a mouse, especially making a double click. A thumb operated trackball is the solution that I find. To my knowledge the ergonomic nightmare, Logitech Trackman Wheel is the only such device still on the market that meets my needs. I program the center button (scroll wheel) to perform a double click with a single keystroke. You might want to try that and see if it helps with your Carpal Tunnel. I had my Carpal Tunnel fixed years ago, but the arthritis has created a different but equally troublesome difficulty for me.

    • CrayEngr

      WD40, seriously?
      It’s Stoddards Solvent, for fasteners & hinges it’s ok.
      But, should never be used on electronics or plastics (or firearms).

  • whsv1fan

    I am so glad to see honest reviews popping up regarding mini keyboard-mouse combo units. I really need one of these devices for my HTPC but can't decide which to go with. Every combo I have read about seems to 1 or 2 issues. Even the "better" units seem to have at least 1 issue (poor range, missed keystrokes, cheap mouse/touchpad, etc).

    I am starting to think the earlier model (GMK561R) might be the best choice going. Thoughts??

    • ocoutrun

      I think I'm in the same boat. I've been looking at a few models and the older one (GMK561R) is looking like my next purchase. I own an older microsoft MCE keyboard and that little nub like the old IBM laptops had for a mouse is very hard to control. The trackball idea seems like a better implement but Im worried about the looseness Jim has reported on both keyboards.

      • Jim_Clark

        @ octotrun: The loosenss of the trackball is perhaps more a "picky" observation than a outright criticism. It you have a habit of tapping on the trackball, it will jump. You could call it a "perception is reality" comment. It has been working just fine, and I am sure the 581 works just as well. As I have only had the 561 for a little better than a month, I cannot discuss longevity, but I honestly do not think it is going to go south on me because it is a bit loose.

  • john3347

    Very similar in function to a PC Concepts wireless keyboard that I had sometime around mid to late '90s. The only obvious difference in function from this one to the one I had is that mine had a small "joystick" instead of a trackball. I really liked that keyboard. As I recall, lack of driver for Windows XP was the only reason I am not still using the keyboard. It did have an installation CD that came with the keyboard.

  • http://twitter.com/brcothran @brcothran

    Nice review. It sounds almost exactly like the nMedia keyboard I have, right down the numlock being turned on by default issue. The only thing the nMedia keyboard didn't have was the ability to recharge the batteries via usb.

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  • bazbazzzn

    biggie smalls fuck in the ass