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Apple Wireless Keyboard Review

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

For the past year or so I have been using the older style wireless keyboard from Apple.  I have been quite pleased with it, but after a year of daily use it seemed it was time to replace this.  Since this keyboard is used with my Mac Mini, I headed out to our local Best Buy and picked up one of the new wireless keyboards.  Looking in the aisle you really wouldn’t imagine a keyboard was in a box this this small, but hey, small is what this keyboard is. 

Apple Wireless Keyboard

I was a bit hesitant getting the wireless version because I often use the numeric pad and the wireless version doesn’t have that, but the wired version does.  However, I like my desktop to be as clutter-free as possible, so wireless it is!  As usual, Apple keeps it’s packaging to a minimum with the contents just being the keyboard itself, instructions, and a pack of batteries.  The first thing you notice is how thin and light this keyboard is.  Comparing this to my previous Apple keyboard was one of the first things I did, and as you can see in the images below there is quite a difference in size.

Apple Wireless Keyboard

The keyboard itself looks like it was pulled right off a MacBook, and feels the same way as well.  It was a bit awkward at first using this keyboard, as my hands seem to cover the entire board, but after a few hours of us that was all behind me.  The keys are smooth and very easy to type with.  One of the things I especially like is the fact that this keyboard is quiet.  Even during a heavy typing session, nobody else in the room would have known I was typing.  Using this with Leopard, the only other thing I had to get used to is the keys for items like activating the Dashboard are now mapped in different locations, but they are clearly marked so it really wasn’t that big of a deal. 

Apple Wireless Keyboard

Overall I am very happy with this keyboard.  There really isn’t anything I can complain about other than the lack of a numeric pad.  If you are looking for a compact and light keyboard with Bluetooth capability, then I can highly recommend this product.

Apple Wireless Keyboard

Link: Apple Wireless Keyboard

5 Favorite Web Apps for the iPhone

Monday, March 10th, 2008

For anyone who has an iPhone, or an iPod Touch for that matter, I’m sure you know all about web applications that were designed specifically for the iPhone.  Apple.com has a dedicated section of web apps where people can submit their own, and it’s a great place to find some of the best.  The list is growing day by day, so I wanted to take you through my 5 favorite iPhone web apps.

1. Accuweather

The included weather widget with the iPhone is nice, but it’s not very informative.  That is why I turn to the Accuweather web app.  It has a simple interface that you either switch to a 15 day forecast, or an animated radar image of your selected area.  It also has your daily forecast, along with a 4 day outlook.  One feature that really stands out is that Accuweather will display weather alerts for your area.

2. Tic Tac Toe

If you ever get tired of waiting for your dinner to get to the table at your favorite restaurant, no worries, just fire up the Tic Tac To