Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000

Rating: (4 / 5)

Last fall Microsoft released their new top-of-the-line keyboard called the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, or "the ultimate keyboard". This slick Bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo has been in the works for a long time and comes with some very nice features. It’s even optimized for Vista...or is it?

I was able to do an extended review of this product which is something that doesn’t happen very often. Typically one would spend a couple weeks or even maybe a month on a review like this, but the long term stamina of the unit can’t possibly be discovered in that time. So I’m really glad to have been able to work with this keyboard for several months to see how it stands up to a lot of usage. Some interesting things have shaken out of a review of this length though so it’s a good thing I did it.

First of all, this keyboard is made to be used in several ways. You can leave it plugged into the charger and just use it from your desktop, or you can hold it in your lap up to 30 feet away. Let me start by saying that this keyboard solves a huge problem introduced by other wireless keyboards. The problem is how to take the keyboard from the desk to your lap and still use the mouse. Because most wireless keyboards don’t have a touchpad or anything, you have to keep leaning forward to use the mouse sitting on the desk. Well, this keyboard solves that problem by housing a very sleek kind of touchpad/button type thing called the navigation pad. It’s a combination of five flat buttons – the four directions and center – which you can use to guide the mouse, but you can also use it as a touchpad that picks up your movements and passes them along from one button to the next. It’s really incredible and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen on a keyboard.

The keys are smooth and very crisp and light to touch. They’re angled very slightly to the outside so they give you a light ergonomic feel. The function keys are really cool too. They’re actually just small tabs or divots, kind of like the divots you find on the homerow keys. The thing that’s so great about the function keys is that they activate with such a light touch you have but to tickle them with your fingers. Normally, punching the keys at the top of the keyboard puts your fingers at an awkward angle. What can I say? The function keys are really great.

As for special features, well, the 8000 has a few that I really like. Of course, it has the standards like volume control, mute, etc. But it also has a magnifier button that comes in really handy when you’re typing on the couch and your monitor is still on the desk. It also has a couple of Vista features like a gadgets button and a bright Windows button down by the spacebar. I’m not sure everybody will like the location of the Windows button though. It’s taken me quite some time to get used to it and since it’s not down there in any other keyboard it’s still hard to talk myself into getting used to it. But I do like it more than I used to.

Perhaps the crowning jewel of this keyboard is the beautiful backlight display. It’s adjustable and there’s a motion sensor that turns on the lights when you step up to type. It’s simply the best backlight I’ve ever seen on a keyboard. There is a bit of a downside to it though. There’s no number pad on this keyboard; all of the numbers are to be used on the normal keys while holding the function key. The problem is that none of the numbers themselves are backlit. They’re all just painted onto the keys, so if you’re typing in conditions where you need the backlight, you can’t see which numbers you’re typing. And the offset of the keys doesn’t help this situation either. You end up either using the numbers across the top row or turning the room lights on. The same goes with other functions. They’re just painted onto the keys and are just impossible to see unless you have full light in the room. I really wish someone had bothered using this for a couple months in the dark before deciding on this because it really kills the feature. Still though, if you don’t use these functions that often, and don’t mind using the numbers at the top of the keyboard, then you won’t mind this shortcoming.

The power source is really awesome. The magnetic charging pad attaches itself to the keyboard whenever you put it on the desk. The mouse also sits on top of the pad to charge. This is one of my favorite features on this keyboard because I hate having to change out batteries. One thing that’s upsetting though is how little battery life I got when I’ve got the backlight turned up high. I like bright keys and I get less than an hour of keyboard if I use the backlight to its fullest while on battery. Oh well, at least I can charge it easily on the desk.

One of the biggest downsides of this keyboard is that it doesn’t seem to be made for a lot of use. I got my keyboard probably back in Feb and already some of the keys are losing their paint. The C is smearing right through the letter and the N is losing paint around the edge. I can also see signs of wear on some of the other keys. Had I paid the $300 for this combo I would be pretty upset that it doesn’t look like will last me for years to come. I’m fairly easy on it as keyboards go though. Sure, I type on it a lot, but I don’t come at it with wet hands or anything dirty. I just type a lot, so to have two keys already starting to show wear is disappointing.

The Bottom Line: This keyboard is sleek, sexy, thin, light, and beautiful. By far, even with its shortcomings it’s my favorite keyboard to date. I love the feel and the action of the keys better than any other keyboard I’ve had my hands on. They’re short and they never stick. It’s just wonderful. I think the keyboard should either have a number pad or should backlight the function numbers so that I can work with it at night like it’s clearly meant for. Like I said though, I just love the whole thing as a package and typing on other keyboards just doesn’t measure up.