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Kensington PilotBoard Laser Wireless Desktop Set 64390 | List Price: $67.99
Discount Price: $44.99
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Brand: Kensington
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 5 years warranty
Features: - Laser Wireless Desktop Set--Keyboard, Mouse, Receiver
- Wireless technology lets you position both keyboard and mouse in their optimal position -- up to 30 foot range
- Tilt-scroll wheel for 4-way directional scrolling side to side and up and down
- Advanced laser technology responds quickly to micro movements
- Five year warranty
Unacceptable Performance, Great Customer Service [Posted on 2008-02-13]
I purchased the mouse/keyboard combo from Best Buy and it had the same problems that everyone has listed here with the dropped signal, choppy mouse movement, etc. I dealt with it for a few weeks until it became unbearable. I contacted Kensington Customer Support and let them know what was happening and they contacted me within 2 business days and set up a warranty replacement through email. Once the initial response time passed, they actually responded to other emails within less than a day. It was a great experience with their customer support. I received my replacement within about 5 business days and it seems to work better. The mouse has smoother tracking and the signal loss of the keyboard has occurred but rarely happens. I think the problem was with the usb dongle transmitter because the replacement seems fine. Kudos to customer support but I wish I never had to contact them in the first place =)
Nice look and feel - NOT FULLY VISTA COMPATIBLE [Posted on 2008-02-24]
I purchased this set when my Logitech wireless set quit working after many years of use. At that time I was using the Kensington product on an XP computer.
I then purchased a new computer with Vista with a standard multimedia keyboard thinking I would use the Kensington wireless KB and mouse on the Vista computer.
It turns out that the Mouseworks software from Kensington is NOT Vista compatible. Their knowledgebase answer to any Mouseworks and Vista compatibility issues all state...
"...there is no further need for the Mouseworks application as key features and functionality formerly provided by Mouseworks is incorporated into Vista. Vista supports programmability and configuration needs such as acceleration, application launch (keyboards), settings for right or left handed users, scroll speed, et cetera."
I have searched and searched and I cannot find anywhere in Vista where you can program the mouse buttons. The mouse has 3 buttons on the side and a wheel button and the standard left and right buttons. I always have the wheel button set to double-click. The 3 buttons on the side are now useless without 3rd party software. See TIP below.
The Mouseworks software also had settings for the speed when you are moving the mouse slow or moving it fast. I cannot find this in Vista either. I believe there are a few more features in the Mouseworks software that are not in Vista but I do not remember them.
Kensington says they are NOT making the Mouseworks Vista compatible.
TIP: For those in the same position as I am, you can download and install AutoHotKey and program 5 of the 6 mouse buttons. You will not be able to program the side button closest to you without the Mouseworks software at this time. ** Use at your own risk **
On top of all of this, I emailed their support department over 2 weeks ago asking how to program the mouse buttons since they say everything is built in to Vista. Their site says you will get a response within 48 hours yet it has been over 2 weeks. NOTE: I emailed them again yesterday and also sent it to customer service.
The soft feel of the keyboard does take a little getting used to and the primary mouse buttons have a nice feel and response (which I do like). The keyboard looks very nice with the leather wrist (??) pad (although it is a little small and is actually more of a "palm pad"). The mouse feels comfortable in your hand as well.
If it was not for their attitude about the Mouseworks software and Vista, I would have given this product a 4 star rating. If I did not find the AutoHotKey program so I could program the mouse buttons, I would have given it only 1 star.
I am still only giving it a 2 star rating because I still had to install other software in order to use their product.
I would not recommend any company that will abandon their customers like Kensington chose to do. During my search for answers there were a number of people looking for the same thing for other Kensington mouse products. Some were able to use either Microsoft's Intellipoint or Logitech's mouse software. These did not work for me with this product.
If you are using Windows XP and do not plan on upgrading to Vista, then use the rating of 4 stars. If possible, check the feel of the keyboard keys before purchasing. I did not particular like the feel but most of the keyboards available that I found felt basically the same anyway.
good response from keyboard and mouse but... [Posted on 2008-03-29]
typing is not fun. the keys are very stiff. typing is tough. ONLY buy this keyboard if you are not gonna use it for a lot of typing. i gotta go ice my hands now.
This is not the same as the older model! [Posted on 2008-05-23]
A lot of reviewers are confusing this model (64390) with the older model (64385) and it's not a fair comparison! The newer model addresses all the problems of the previous version and is actually an excellent product. Yes, the 64385 did drop signals and act erratically, but the new one repaired that problem. The "missed keystrokes" have also been dealt with in this new version of the Laser Wireless Desktop.
It's unfortunate that the two models are cosmetically identical, but believe me: As an owner of both versions, I found a HUGE improvement going from the old model to this 64390 version of the set.
Anybody who has the older one and a receipt to prove it should call Kensington and get it replaced with this one under their excellent 5-year warranty. That's how I got the new model, and it was worth the effort.
High praise to Kensington for hearing the customer complaints and dealing with the issues with the original model of this keyboard.
Great wireless desktop -- Don't be fooled by the negative reviews [Posted on 2008-07-29]
Like somebody said earlier, the newer models of this desktop set completely address the problems that people have complaining about. For me, there have been no dropped signals, and excellent response times with both the keyboard and mouse.
This set actually has a huge advantage over the logitech sets that I've purchased in the past... Range. I have an HTPC hooked up in my living room, so alot of my web surfing is done from my couch at about 15 feet away. Every logitech and microsoft model (minus the bluetooth sets) wouldn't even respond past about 6 feet. This one works like a champ, and costs much less than the bluetooth models.
The only con I really notice is the mouse is a bit "clicky" (meaning pretty loud when it's clicked). The rubber grips are kinda weird, but hey.. at least they're trying to be innovative. The construction feels pretty good.... not top of the line, but not definitely not cheap either.
I wouldn't really recommend this set as your main keyboard and mouse, but it certainly performs as advertised, and at a very reasonable cost. A great buy in my opinion.
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