Gyration GYM1100CKNA Air Mouse GO Plus with Compact Keyboard Review

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(More customer reviews)*******HOW LONG HAVE I OWNED THE GYRATION GO AIR MOUSE & COMPACT KEYBOARD?*******

I have owned this Compact Keyboard and Go Air Mouse Combo for well over a year. I bought it to replace my IR (infra red) Silitek SK-7551 compact keyboard + pointing device for my Home Theater PC (HTPC).

*******WHY DID I NEED IT?*******

Since I have an HTPC it's connected to my HT receiver in my living room and its used to play back DVD, music, stream online video (YouTube). And usually in an HTPC setup the the actual computer case is next to the TV and HT Receiver while you sit a couple of feet away (11ft in my case) from the set up. So you need a wireless keyboard/mouse and remote to work everything.

I have had some sort of an HTPC for about 6 years and in these years the MOST used device (besides the universal remote) is the MOUSE. The SK-7551 retailed for $25 but is no longer made. The OLD mouse was a pointing device in my Silitek Keyboard which meant I had to cradle the weight of the entire keyboard just to use the mouse. So I realized that I need a separate mouse and keyboard but did not want to spend on high end stuff like Logitech DiNovo. Plus the Silitek Keyboard was IR which means I needed to ALWAYS point to the receiving station (placed under the TV) for me to make it work. *******SO HOW WELL DOES IT WORK?*******

Note the OLD keyboard on my HTPC was an IR or infra red keyboard which means the two sensors MUST be in the line of sight to work. That was the bad news, the good news was that it was immune from interference. Any RF product that run at 2.4 Ghz (like the Gyration Keyboard&Mouse) will have some interference. Even a microwave can cause some interference.

Here are some observations:
1) The Gyration KEYBOARD is a compact 88 keys RF keyboard and it's very light. But I do have some delay between initial keystrokes and them appearing on screen. But once the letters start appearing on screen the delay is minimal. But it can get irritating but you get used to it.

2) If you plan to use this as the ONLY keyboard & mouse connected to your PC you need to enable USB mouse and keyboard in your BIOS. The RF receiver that comes with the product plug into your USB device. Otherwise you cannot use the mouse or keyboard when you are in the BIOS.

3) The RF USB receiver seems to work better when plug it in the front USB ports. This could be because my HTPC has 802.11G PCI card with antenna in the back and plugging it in the back with both devices on 2.4Ghz may not be a good idea. But if you have a toddler in the house like I do, that's not very feasible to put it in the front USB port. So I bought 3 ft USB extension cord and plugged one end in the rear ports but the actual RF receiver is safely hidden in the TV cabinet. Since its RF it works through walls.

4) The STAR of the system in the Gyration GO Air Mouse. It can be used as an optical mouse and if you pick it up it becomes an gyro controlled air mouse. It works "pretty well" most of time. The Go Air tools software controls hand gestures and they work well too. But I cannot get the back and forward swipe motions for Firefox to work. Every time I gesture to go back in the FireFox browser it will do it but it will also open ANOTHER Firefox window. The solution is to open an IE window, minimize it and then use Firefox. When you do this the back and forward motion in Firefox works fine. This is a Firefox specific problem...its irritating but I have learned to live with it.

The above problem only happens with back and forward gestures in the Firefox browser, if you use IE you wont have to deal with it. The short cut to programs are really cool and they work well.

The other problem is with the battery. It does not hold charge that long (and I mean like a standard on your table bluetooth or wireless mouse), the solution is pretty simple keep the mouse + charger as close to your couch as possible this way you use it and when you are done put it back on the charge and its always on the charge till you need it. It will hold a charge for about 2-3 hours enough for you to get through a DVD movie.

*******OK OK...DO YOU RECOMMEND THAT WE BUY IT?*******

I did NOT buy this from Amazon, there was a very very slickdeal for this combo and it cost me about 1/4th of it's current Amazon Retail (at the time of writing).

Do I think its a great product for $100 + ? No, go for a Logitech DiNovo Mini for a little more.

Do I think its a great product for $50-100? Meeh, it depends.

Ok so is it a great product for under $50 ? ABSOFRIGGINGLUTELY :-)

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Product Description:
With Gyration-s intelligent Air Mouse GO Plus featuring MotionSense, the world just got easier to navigate. No strings, no wires, no trick, no gimmicks - just better technology that allows you a more comfortable and versatile mouse to operate in the air or on the desk. Take control of your presentations, entertainment, and Internet browsing with natural hand movements. You-ll wonder how you ever did it any other way. Experience the patented MotionSense technology inside the Air Mouse GO Plus that delivers precise in-air cursor control and convenience. Ideal for any desktop computer user, the Go Mouse features an ergonomic ambidextrous design that is comfortable to use. Use natural and comfortable wrist movements to take in-air control of your computer. Trigger activated MotionSense technology translates your hand movements into on screen cursor motion for in-air operation. Unleash yourself from strain-inducing surfaces. Interference free 2.4 GHz RF technology allows you to take mouse control from up to 100 feet (30m) away with no line of sight restrictions. Initiate application commands with Gyration MotionTools software. Get to grips with customize controls for a quick hand motion that control volume or skip music tracks with multimedia players, or highlight important points in presentations. The Gyration MotionTools software for Windows features over 80 dynamic tools including freehand drawing, highlighter, special effects, dynamic zoom, multimedia player controls, Internet hotkeys, Windows shortcuts, and PowerPoint and presentation tools. And with three additional programmable buttons, in-air application controls, features, and configurable functions are at your finger tips. Gyration-s compact keyboard has an ergonomic, portable design with protective cover. The keyboard features 88 whisper quiet keys plus 15 hotkeys for Internet, e-mail and media access. Technical Support - Phone: 1-888-340-0033 E-Mail: support@gyration.com.

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