A few weeks ago when I was in Seattle for the Microsoft MVP Summit, I went to the MS staff Store and bought myself one of the new Arc keyboards. Here is my two minute review.
Specifications
Battery Life Indicator
Glowing light tells you when battery is low. Press function + escape to easily turn the keyboard on and off.
Clean lines and eye catching shape
Show it off with an eye-catching shape that complements your style.
Lightweight and Compact
Works here, there and everywhere.
Stowable Nano Transceiver
Leave the transceiver plugged into your PC, or stow it in the keyboard.
2.4 GHz Wireless
Be free with wireless technology.
Requires a PC that meets the requirements for and has installed one of these operating systems: Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows XP or a Mac OS X v.10.4–10.6.
What’s in the Box?
The box contains the Arc keyboard in a few nice carry bag. There is also a set of AAA batteries and some documentation. There is no drive disk because Windows will automatically install it when connected.
A Closer Look
The Wireless USB dongle is on the underside of the keyboard and can easily be removed for connection to the computer and then placed back when you are finished.
Just to show how small the keyboard is, here is a picture of the keyboard next to my iPhone 4.
Using the Keyboard
First you have to put the batteries into the keyboard, which is simple. Then you take the USB dongle and plug it into your computer.
Windows will automatically download and install the correct drivers for you so there is nothing for you to do (just make sure you are connected to the Internet).
And that’s it! Now you can just use the keyboard just as you would do any other keyboard.
Final Thoughts
The Microsoft Arc keyboard is really easy to use and very comfortable as well for its size.
The keyboard is small enough to carry around so the case was a really nice addition to keep it clean and safe.
The Arc keyboard costs $59.95 so it won’t break the bank.
You can learn more about the Microsoft Arc Keyboard from the Microsoft website