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If you're looking to hook your PC up to your home theater, you're going to need a nice portable mini keyboard that you can set in your lap for keyboard and mouse functionality. We're taking a look today at one of many mini keyboards, the Adesso WKB-3100UB.

The Adesso WKB-3100UB is a compact mini laptop-style keyboard measuring 11.75" x 6" and less than one inch thick that is perfect for home theater PC use. It also has a built-in optical trackball with an 800dpi resolution that eliminates the need for a large trackpad or separate mouse (which isn't ideal for a HTPC anyway). It connects to your PC via a mini USB receiver using the 2.4GHz wireless RF frequency. The mini receiver can be stowed on the bottom of the keyboard for traveling.

If you're familiar with a laptop or notebook keyboard, the WKB-3100UB uses the same membrane-type key switches that are both low-profile and quiet.

When it came to set up, all we had to do was plug-in the USB receiver, turn on the keyboard and hit the connect button. It wasn't always smooth sailing when we used it for a longer period however. Trackball performance was erratic and most of the time the keyboard couldn't even be detected by our Windows 7 test bed machine. On the other hand, the keyboard was very responsive and did not flex while typing, unlike other notebook keyboards. This may have been due to wireless interference from our 802.11b/g network operating on the same frequency, but you may experience different results.

There aren't many shortcut keys available besides the standard Windows key on the WKB-3100UB but with a third-party utility you may be able to assign them to different tasks.

The Adesso WKB-3100UB Wireless Mini Trackball keyboard is available (as of press time) for around $57 from Amazon.com. Get more information at Adesso's website on the WKB-3100UB.

Pros

• Compact design.
• Mini USB receiver.
• Easy setup.

Cons

• Performance can be erratic.

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