Pro's
- $20
- Super light weight and at it thickest probably about 2 1/2 - 3 American Quarters in depth
- Personally I use this for my Asus Netbook that runs Windows 10 and on my iPhone 5S just for the sake of testing. (The iPhone usability actually came in handy as I'm using this Keyboard right now to write my product review on through my phone.
- Beautiful array of keyboard colors
- Battery seems to hold a charger very wel although I can not say how long. But I can say that I've used it moderately for about 5-6 hours in one sitting playing a strategy game, so this should be good for almost anything you need to do until you're done doing what you're doing until it needs to be plugged in.
Neutral
- The instructions included were actually better than most products I have seen in the past with devices like this but as always I wish there were more information in regards to troubleshooting connectivity issues.
Con's
- The only indication of how much battery is left is when a blue battery indicator light constantly blinks letting you know that it's going to die soon. I wish when it connected to my Windows 10 device that it told you the exact percentage as I've seen with similar products.
- The backlighting is excellent but to save power it turns off the lighting after 10-15 seconds when not in use. This is a minor inconvience to me as I sometimes like to play an old strategy computer game called, "Stronghold Crusaders." The mouse is mostly used but the arrows keys are needed to scroll through the game map. So you can see how this can be annoying. I don't see anywhere in the instructions on if there's a setting to change this feature.
**Updated the Con about ESC key** - Manufacture was prompt in telling me after I wrote this review that pressing the "Fn+E" keys after I pair the device would solve this issue. I did as instructed and it solved my ESC button issue listed below. It's also mentioned in the instructions to do so. User error on my part.
**Issue Resolved**- I haven't really tested the ESC button on other programs but I did notice that while playing that game, if I just press the ESC key, it minimizes the game and loads and Internet Explorer window. I have to press the Fn+ESC to get the Menu options I want in the game without it minimizing.
- Lasty, this may be just a fluke thing with the construction of this keyboard I got but I've noticed that I have to press the, "L" key with a bit more force as compared to all the other keys.
**Updating this to 5/5 because I respect a company that promptly follows up with user issues even though I wasn't complaining to them. My Con's list other than the ESC button issue still stands though.
I give this a 4/5 only because of the minor Con's I have listed. Other than that this works great. I only hope this has longevity but at $20 if it works for a year I'd still be happy and recommend it.
Pictures included are with backlighting on and of the size comparison to my Asus Netbook.
UPDATE 5/09/2017 - Customer service reached out to me after reading my review. They were very helpful and replaced the keyboard immediately free-of-charge, even after I explained that I had been able to fix the original one.
Sometimes good customer service is everything - and certainly provided it this time. Added 1 star for Customer Service. Thank you!
So far so good on the battery life. I will update again after I get a few thousand words more typed out on it.
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Ordered as a travel keyboard for my trusty Surface2. Most importantly it has a much better feel than the sketchy cover keyboard I used for years.
It is small, causing even more typos than I usually make, but not so many that it would bother me.
However, since I bought it to "travel", I am disappointed in the durability.
First trip out, with the keyboard nestled gently next to my Surface in a padded backpack, two keys fell off. (see pics). Disappointing because being my first trip, I was far more gentle than I would normally be packing up to head from work, etc...
After several minutes of fiddling, I was able to get the keys snapped back into place, and am currently typing this review using the keyboard. But if it can't survive the first trip unscathed, it isnt going to last long. =(
The back-lit colors are a neat feature. I hope the battery life is solid.
First impressions- Wow, this is small. After using this device for a little bit, I found the small size convenient. The keys are actually placed proper to type in a regular manner.
Impressions after extensive use- This does respond to key strike input at ms rates, very impressive response time. I almost fell in love with this until I started to experience the disconnect issues. Once this keyboard disconnects, it is a permanent problem with windows 10. You are looking at turning this on and off and pushing the connect button to get it going again. To bad, it could of been great. It just disconnects, and it takes a bit to get it connected again.
Update- the unit died after 8 months. Arteck customer support was good. they sent a replacement keyboard, not this paricular one but a similiar keyboard in size that utulized a wireless usb connection versus the bluetooth. so far so good. good customer care support for their products.
I'm a designer who uses a Wacom Cintiq pen display. I always struggled with where to put my keyboard so I could access it for quick keys and shortcuts in programs like Photoshop or Sketchbook Pro. This keyboard fits perfectly in-between the stand legs and is so easy to access while drawing now.
Works great, and the back-lighting is great, however when you first turn it on each time it back-lights for a second then you have to fumble in the dark to find they keys to turn the back-light on again, it would be much better if it would remember your preferences and turn back on to how you last had it set. Also I'm not sure yet if this is a keyboard issue or an Android issue but when I am programming sometimes I press the { key right after a tab it just makes a space so then I have to delete that character and type another letter then { then go back and delete the letter, I will need to hook up another Bluetooth keyboard sometime to see which is causing that issue.
Update: The vendor sent a replacement keybaord saying the first one was defective and not working as expected. I got the new keyboard connected and the backlighting setting I last used is remembered now which helps a lot when I'm using it on my tablet after my wife has gone to bed.
Feature Product
- 7 Unique Backlight Color: 7 Elegant LED backlight with 2 brightness level and auto sleep feature to maximize power usage.
- Broad Compatibility: Use with all four major operating systems supporting Bluetooth (iOS, Android, Mac OS and Windows), including iPad Air 3 10.5-inch (2019) / iPad mini 5 (2019) / iPad 9.7 inch iPad 6 2018, iPad 5 2017 / 10.5 inch, 11 inch and 12.9 inch iPad Pro, iPad Air / iPad mini / iPhone / Android Tablets like Samsung Galaxy Tab, Google Nexus / Windows / Mac, etc.
- 6-Month Battery Life: Rechargeable lithium battery with an industry-high capacity lasts for 6 months between charges (based on 2 hours non-stop use per day and backlit off)
- Ultra Thin and Light: Compact size (9.7 X 5.9 X 0.24in) and light weight (0.37lb) allows easily carried and packed backpack, messager bag or case.
- Package contents: Arteck Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard, USB charging cable, welcome guide, our 24-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Description
Let there be Light
Elegant blue LED backlight with 2 adjustable brightness level, 7 different colors(deep blue, soft blue, bright green, soft green, red, purple, cyan) making typing that much more enjoyable and awesome to look at. Backlight will auto turn off when idle to conserve power for when it is most needed.
Cross Platform Compatible
Fully functional to all four major operating system: IOS / Android / MacOS / Windows, and features system-specific function keys for each operating systems. Any Bluetooth supported devices such as tablet, smartphone can easily paired and gain quick access to common functions, such as volume level, playback control, copy paste text, and more.
Comfortable, quiet typing
The whisper-quiet, low-profile keys bring a whole new level of comfort to your fingertips. What's more, keep all your most-used functions and media controls closer than ever Windows-dedicated hot keys.
Keyboard with scissors kick construction can be used more than 3 million times continuously.
Portable Keyboard with Zinc body
Sleek, ultra-slim design makes for easy portability. Just 0.37lb weight, makes this wireless keyboard extremely portable & the perfect travel accessory.
Stylish design with high-grade anodized Zinc Alloy back shell ABS plastic brushed finish front panel.
Rechargeable Battery
Built-in industry-high rechargeable Li-polymer battery provides 6-month use on a single charge. (based on 2 hours non-stop use per day and backlit off)
Note:
1. This keyboard doesn't support the Win 8 Mobile.
2. For Android 4.4 users: The Caps Lock indicator may not light, but will still function normally.
Update: Upgrading to 4 stars. Two months after writing the update about the erratic performance of the keyboard, Arteck's customer service contacted me and offered a replacement. I'll see if this one performs better over time. I appreciate the attention to customer service and the replacement, although a two-month lag time is a bit slow..
Update: Downgrading to 2 stars. The keyboard has become ridiculously sensitive. I am a touch typist, and I don't pound. Even being very careful with the lightest touch once it started repeating a letter 2 or 3 times with every word, it has become maddening. And of course... too late to return.
I bought this along with the Arteck Protection Case & Stand for Arteck HB030B Bluetooth Keyboard (Bluetooth Keyboard not included) and was initially a little irritated that they were sold separately instead of as a unified package. I got over it. They're affordable individually and together, and the keyboard is awesome!
1) Perfect size. I'm a touch typist with fat fingers, so finding a tablet-sized keyboard that allows me to type 70wpm with gusts to 80--without a huge number of fat-finger typos--is challenging to say the least. This does the trick. It's small enough to put into my purse, but large enough to accommodate my pudgy digits. Oh, and it also has a really nice touch.
2) Bluetooth: compatible & pairs easily. I mostly use this with my Samsung Galaxy Tab 8 (Android), but sometimes with my iPhone (iOS). Yay for compatibility!
3) Long battery life with convenient USB charge. 'Nuf said.
4) Easy to use. I can be kind of tech-y, but if something has too many buttons, circles, & arrows I get overwhelmed. The Arteck keyboard is so simple & intuitive, I could probably teach my grandmother to use this in about 2 minutes or less. (Well... if she were still with us.)
5) It's very cool with the colorful back-lighting. I'm easily entertained. Oh, look, it has colors. I would be totally happy with regular back-lighting, but the colors add to the fun factor.
I'm quite impressed. Much better design than a mainstream Belkin model I previously had. Connects quickly, and reconnects from sleep mode very quick. Doesn't drop connection, no observable lag when typing. Very light and thin, uses internal battery charged by USB. These are all desirable traits for a travel keyboard. The buttons are a little bigger than similarly sized keyboards, so it's a bit more comfortable to type on. The keys are more tactile and feel sturdy, feels more like a real keyboard rather than a membrane style keyboard.
Little rubber feet are provided and were needed to keep the keyboard from sliding around on the desk while typing. Solid enough to sit on my lap too. The backlight is nice, but haven't had to use it yet. Battery life is good so far, with casual use I haven't run it down in over a week.
Being a touch typist, I have missed the ease of typing on a keyboard on my iPad. So when I invested in the 5th generation iPad, I decided to explore the idea of a keyboard. I didn’t hold out much hope that I would be happy with one because I am very, VERY picky when it comes to keyboard feel. As a typist, I have always chosen typewriters - yes, typewriters - and now computer keyboards - by their feel. We need to be a match or it’s over. If it does not have that special something that I always look for, I pass on a keyboard - or moan and whine until I get it replaced.
Right out of the box, I knew that this was a match practically made in heaven. For one thing, it is not one of those flat silicone things that pretends to be a keyboard. This one has a bounce in its step with the scissor spring of the keys. That was very important to me when I chose to try this and I read the reviews as carefully as I could to discern what I could about the keyboard feel. The reality does not disappoint because I absolutely LOVE this keyboard.
I will not pretend that I have explored every aspect of it because, at this point, all I care about is that we can get along with feel and speed. It passes on those counts beautifully. Paring it via Bluetooth was virtually a breeze. I was up and running as soon as I fully charged it and began the connection process. As far as the other reviewers complaints that it disconnects when left too long, I am not planning to use it in a stop-and-start fashion. My main goal is to word process and I have absolutely no complaints so far with disconnection. Time will tell, but I will do a work-around should that be a problem. I will try to anticipate long delays in use.
For around $20, all I can ask is, what have I been missing with my last four tablets? I should have done this sooner and I would surely have started with the Arteck here because it really is just what I want.
Happy camper! Happy keyboarding!
Keyboard arrived today and was intended to be used with a Samsung S2 9.7" Tablet. Very disappointed. Am getting repeat keys on many words in a sentance. I am a heavy hitter slow touch typist. Tried many different typing methods including hunt and peck. If I was super careful to touch very lightly and only for a very short time I could reduce the duplicate characters somewhat. Could never find something that was comfortable for me. Asked me wife to test, she is a very good touch typist but even her faster and lighter keystrokes still did not stop the duplicate letters but it was better than I could achieve. Neither one of us found this keyboard acceptable. I could type better on the screen of the tablet w/o duplicate characters. Also the caps lock key did not light up the indicator as it should. The owners manual says it may or may not work on Android devices. It didn't. Lost the Blue Tooth connection several times upon first connection but that seemed to settle down. I purchased this to replace typing on the screen of the tablet. I can do better on the screen of the tablet. Absolutely no duplicate keys. Also the Key Board does not have a way to raise the back side to give a better typing angle. Knew that before purchase but now that I have some limited experience with a small key board like this I now know that is needed. Sending it back immediately.
Update, 4/16/17.... Arteck contacted me within one day after I wrote the above review. They are sending me a replacement KB to try. Will see if the replacement KB will work better. So far....prompt and appropriate customer service.
Update 4/22/17 Received the replacement unit. No more repeats. This Key board is acceptable. I have changed the rating to 4 star. Would rate it av5 if the first one had workEd like this.
i initially gave this a 3star, because the backlight went out after less than 2 weeks, but hey, the keyboard still worked. csr service contacted me based on my 3 star review, and offered to replace it. i thought, wow, that is good csr service. i accepted their offer, but i now keep getting e-mails about "uh, hey, did you do this, did you do that?" hey, i didn't contact you, you contacted me. if you want to replace the damn thing, replace it, and i will appreciate it, but if you don't, fine. i never asked you to replace it in the first place. this is a keyboard that is worth what you pay for it, and don't expect anything less than b/s from the csr service.
addendum: I've changed my rating from 1 star to 4-star. I never asked for a replacement, but after the arteck people initiated some back and forth, they sent me a replacement, and despite me being a little put-out with the back-and-forth, they did make everything right, and I appreciate it. as I stated initially, I did, and still do, like the keyboard and I especially like the backlight feature. I will update (again) if I have any other problems with the new keyboard, but so far it works great.
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