

Those looking for a slim keyboard for use with a smartphone or tablet, the Keys-to-Go board ranks among the best out there. Unfortunately, its thickness may limit how you carry it around.

BEST MAC KEYBOARD FOR WRITERS PORTABLE
At its price point, the Anne Pro ranks among the best portable Bluetooth keyboards on today's market. The Anne Pro offers both USB and Bluetooth connectivity and a compact form factor - for under $100. If you absolutely must buy a Bluetooth keyboard, my advice is to either go cheap or get the Anne Pro 61-key keyboard. Another great application would be an Anne Pro version a razor-thin profile and AAA-battery support. I'm hoping that Logitech adopts the technology for use in a Keys-to-Go successor. It's also a third the size of Kalih's Chocolate switches. Aside from the Chocolate switches, a company called TTC sells switches with a height of 7.1mm, a suitable size for ultra-portable keyboards. One surprising note is that micro-mechanical keyboard switches do exist. If your laptop keyboard stops working, for instance, you may need a Bluetooth keyboard after all. There's no perfect Bluetooth keyboard solution, so you've got to either compromise or not buy a keyboard. Even so, it's the best combination of features available for a wireless, portable, mechanical keyboard. Unfortunately, it's still around 1.5 inches thick. In particular, it has user-upgradeable firmware, a compact 61-key layout, and - of course - works in the BIOS. Not only does it work in wired mode for BIOS compatibility, it also avoids the pitfalls of other wireless keyboards. Two worth mentioning are the aforementioned Plum Nano 75 and the even better regarded Anne Pro 61-key Bluetooth keyboard. Nowadays, only a few Bluetooth keyboards include both wireless Bluetooth and wired compatibility. A handful of Bluetooth keyboards do possess the ability to work over a wired connection in a BIOS environment, but these are almost always expensive mechanical models. Without wired capabilities, it's impossible for a keyboard to function in a BIOS environment.
BEST MAC KEYBOARD FOR WRITERS DRIVERS
Unfortunately, Bluetooth drivers are loaded by the operating system. What's a Basic Input Output (BIOS) environment? On a PC, and some Mac computers, users can enter a pre-OS boot environment and change basic variables, such as CPU frequency and other settings. This is what a membrane switch looks like: Plus, mechanical switches activate when they're half-pressed, unlike membrane switches which only activate when they're full-pressed. See the best mechanical keyboards for some examples.Įasier to Activate for Marathon Typing SessionsĪ common membrane keyboard requires around 70 grams of force to actuate while a Gateron mechanical switch only needs 35 grams of force - practically a feather-like touch.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/81w4WENhwYL._AC_SL1500_-5403db01194849f5b2a177bb52d86e2f.jpg)
Unlike today's membrane keyboards, a mechanical keyboard offers a combination of durable keycaps along with switches that will last for up to 50-million key presses - and the keys for a mechanical keyboard are usually easier to activate and provide a satisfying crunch when activated.

They feel better and last longer compared to membrane boards. And why would you want to use such an old keyboard? For its mechanical switches. With PS2-to-USB adapters, many mechanical keyboards from thirty years ago remain useful today. The keyboard remains one of the few computer components that never goes obsolete. Should you get one? Here are six reasons why you may want to rethink the Bluetooth keyboard. For one, you'll need a Bluetooth adapter if your computer doesn't have Bluetooth built-in.įor example, gamers, coders, and writers should use wired keyboards, which tend to offer better reliability, functionality, and security. While there are Bluetooth keyboards out there worth buying, you should be aware that they come with trade-offs. A Bluetooth keyboard offers a winning combination of portability and cross-device compatibility - but they’re not perfect for everyone.
