I'm no keyboard expert but I have seen my fair share, though most have been rather dull experiences. There's just not that much that can be done to make a standardized device unique. Until recently anyway. Microsoft is most notable to me for their release of the Natural Elite, my personal favorite on account of comfort, response, reliability, the list goes on. Not too long ago Auravision released the EluminX backlit keyboard. While a novel and certainly appealing concept, it had a few shortcomings and with a $100 price tag was out of reach for most enthusiasts, let alone day to day users.
Zippy Technology of Taiwan decided to throw in their coppers with the debut of the EL-610 mini lighted keyboard. Running for half the price of Auravision's offering and even improving upon their design, this just might be a winner. There's a sense of business starting with the package. Instead of the usual monotone cardboard box, you get a ribbed transparent plastic container. The keyboard is secured inside by a pair of molded pieces. The rear of the package lists features and points out the non-standard buttons as well as their various functions.
As you may have guessed this is a USB version, though it would have been preferable to include a PS/2 adapter, as some people might not have enough empty ports. The wire length isn't terribly long like that of the MS Natural Elite, but at 1.5 meters, long enough to stretch behind and around a "normal" sized computer desk. The silver casing with semi-transparent white keys will match most black/beige/silver/combination systems. The white is more of a cool tint than the puke-cream that's so prevalent.
Since this is a mini keyboard, the layout is obviously different from standard models. For one, it lacks the extra keypad. A few of the not so common buttons are also in different locations. It's very similar to a laptop setup with a few subtle differences like the toggle quasi-keypad which I'll discuss shortly. At the top there are three status LEDs on the left side and three buttons to the right. Unfortunately the former are green and I would much rather see blue ones to accompany the glowing keyboard.
Replacing them yourself might pose a problem, since I was unable to disassemble the keyboard even after removing the screws. I didn't want to force my way in for fear of breaking something. Speaking of screws, there are four around back. Additionally, there are two rubber feet to keep it stationary as well as flip-down stands for angular elevation. This is a very useful feature especially when dealing with upper row buttons which become hard to reach if it's laying flat. Anyway, here are the specs from Zippy's website:
As you can tell from the dimensions, this is a very small keyboard with very small buttons. So if you have large fingers, there's a good chance you wouldn't want one of these. Though mine are pretty small, I still found myself slipping and hitting surrounding keys on accident once in a while. Coming in at 460 grams, it's also incredibly light; perfect for LAN parties or business commuter transport. Another unique feature is the switch type: scissor. Most keyboards use a rubber dome layer beneath the keys which connect a pair of matrix sheets below; they pop back into place after the key is released.
The EL-610, on the other hand, uses a spring loaded scissor mechanism for each key. This significantly reduces keystroke noise. Another advantage to this is that every button is removable for cleaning, etc. Likewise, if one were to accidentally pop out, it can easily be replaced. On the other hand, this approach makes the keyboard more vulnerable with regards to spills and other particles, as there's not much of a protective layer between the keys and the electrical traces.
