Xebec Tech htpc keyboard review

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Xebec Tech is a newly founded company which originates from the UK and today has offices in the UK, China and Taiwan. The company currently focuses mostly on high end peripherals. A few weeks ago we had a look on their itouchpad diamond keyboard, a versatile product designed to mimic a laptop-sized keyboard and touchpad. Today we are going to have a look at a different piece of equipment which Xebec Tech baptized simply “htpc”, a multi functional controller for media center PCs, gaming consoles and other devices.Manufacturer features and specifications

• 10-15m wireless range due to a 2.4GHz nano receiver
• 2.4GHz nano receiver fits into USB port of your computer
• Plug n Play installation- a specific driver is not required
• Power saving On/off switch
• 73 keys- 13 hotkeys (including 11 media hotkeys) and 11 further enhanced function keys
• 11 media hotkeys are: www, e-mail, back, forward, previous track, next track, play/pause, stop, volume up, volume down and mute
• 11 further enhanced function keys activated via the "fn" key.
• 6 MCE hot keys: My music, my video, my picture, my TV, my radio and DVD
• Gestures on the touchpad include 2 finger scrolling
• Built in and ergonomically placed rear positioned left and right click buttons
• Weight: 170g
• Dimensions: 163 x 121 x 28 mm

Read more: Xebec Tech htpc keyboard review by VR-Zone.com

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Xebec Tech supplies the htpc keyboard inside a small and relatively simple cardboard box, featuring a white theme with a picture of the product itself printed at the front cover.



Inside the box the keyboard and its small bundle are secured inside clear plastic. The keyboard is also partially visible through a window if someone opens the front cover of the packaging.



The bundle of the htpc keyboard is very basic and consists of only of a very basic user’s manual, a set of batteries and a tiny USB received.

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The htpc keyboard is a very small device measuring only 16cm long and 12cm wide, hardly larger than a console game controller. It weights only 170gr but without the two AAA batteries which power it. The piano black surface gives it a very classy look, yet it also gets dirty very easily. It is based on the typical QWERTY layout, although there are no arrow keys and no numeric keypad. There is also only one CTRL key at the left side of the keyboard and one ALT key at the right side of the keyboard. Despite their small size the keys are very soft to push, have a comfortable movement range and are quite responsive.



The touchpad found on the keyboard looks basic but feels very smooth and it supports gestures and two finger scrolling. If you are used to working with a touchpad from using a notebook, it will feel very familiar and easy to use.



At the right side of the touchpad there are four multimedia buttons forming a cross with the most basic media player commands (play/pause, back, forward and stop). After pressing the Fn button, the same four buttons are being used for internet-related commands (browser, mail, back and forward). Three small round buttons between the touchpad and the cross offer volume control.



At the left side of the touchpad Xebec Tech placed an 8 way cross similar to that used on game controllers, which also works as one if the keyboard is connected to a game console. While connected to a PC, the cross is being used as an arrows keypad or for document movements (home, end, pg up and pg down) while pressing the Fn key. Three small round buttons can be found between the touchpad and the cross, one being the Fn key, one serving as a Windows media center quick start and one for quick movements between windows.

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After pressing down the Fn key, the top row of keys serves as shortcuts for multimedia actions as well. For example “6” will start the DVD player application, “9-0” are the zoom/x-zoom buttons and so on.



Three LED lights can be found at the left section of the keyboard. The top LED light is the CAPS lock indicator and the middle LED is the Fn key indicator. The lowest LED light is the low battery indicator and comes on when the batteries need replacing.



The back of the keyboard is made of soft, rubberized plastic which is very smooth to the touch and the grooves keep the user’s fingers from sweating, making the htpc really comfortable to hold for prolonged periods of time. At the middle of the keyboard’s underside there is a slot for storing the USB receiver.



Xebec placed two buttons at the underside of the keyboard which operate as the left and right buttons of a mouse. The buttons are placed at each side of the keyboard, resembling the trigger buttons of a game controller. For simple clicks however the user will probably find it more comfortable to simply tap the touchpad.



At the top side of the keyboard one can find a tiny on/off switch with which the keyboard can be turned off in order to avoid draining the battery and accidental keystrokes.

[siopao1984]

During our testing, the Xebec Tech htpc keyboard exceeded our initial expectations. The keyboard is very lightweight and extremely comfortable to use, even for typing relatively lengthy texts. The learning curve of the keyboard was remarkably small; you might even be amazed about how quickly your hands will be adapted to its size and layout. It is a great device for controlling a multimedia system or even a gaming console from a distance. The htpc keyboard was usable from over 7 meters away from its receiver, which is probably much further than any user will ever go from the source. It might take a while to completely memorize the special commands/shortcuts initiated after pressing the Fn button without having to look at the keyboard, however we believe that each user will only learn the commands he or she uses most frequently only.

The small size, adaptability and versatility are the most positive attributes of the htpc keyboard. It can be used to control a htpc, a gaming console and virtually any device with an USB port. It would even work great when connected to (with the use of a USB to micro USB adapter) Android tablets running Honeycomb 3.1. The latest Android tablets running Honeycomb, such as the Motorola Xoom and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 which we both tested, will also recognize and allow the use of the touchpad. When it comes to value, the Xebec Tech htpc keyboard is priced at about 30GBP (about 45USD or 60SGD at the time of this review), which is nothing short of a great value for the features and versatility it offers. Without a doubt, the Xebec Tech htpc keyboard is one of the most versatile and feature packed media PC and console controllers we have ever tested.









Read more: Xebec Tech htpc keyboard review by VR-Zone.com