Looking for a well-built exterior keyboards to connect to your MacGuide Pro, or simply about any machine? Jack Wallen opinions the Kolude KeyHub and concludes that it may be the one.
Image: Jack Wallen/TechRepublic
I like keyboard–almost an excessive amount of. I liken my connection to keyboard to the connection an expert athlete has to their favourite game-day footwear. When you pound keys day in and time out to supply over one million phrases a 12 months, the keyboard used is of nice significance. The proper keyboard makes the job straightforward, whereas the fallacious keyboard can put a serious dent in your productiveness.When I discover a keyboard that helps make my job simpler, it is as if the whole lot within the universe comes collectively in that second and all is properly. For that second. Because there are at all times different moments, ready within the background, able to wreck that bliss.When a new-to-me firm reached out to ask if I’d be enthusiastic about kicking the tires of their all-in-in keyboard “hub,” I accepted with trepidation. Why? Because most of those cellular sorts of keyboards are usually on the less-than-effective facet of productiveness. They’re both poorly designed, too low-cost to final, or operate on a degree that is higher suited to those that simply need a keyboard to transform their tablets into pseudo laptops.The field arrived and I instantly opened it like a child at Christmas, as a result of tech excites me. The second I pulled the KeyHub out of the field, all of these preconceived concepts flushed from my system. This keyboard was solid–crafted out of aluminum (high and backside), this child was constructed to final.But the KeyHub has one significantly useful trick up its sleeve, past its stable construct.
SEE: Hardware stock coverage (TechRepublic Premium)Unboxed, plugged in, and able to goI determined I did not wish to join this laptop computer to a cellphone or a pill. Instead, I needed to offer it the complete remedy and plug it right into a desktop. Thing is, nothing goes to drag me from my Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHK) on my major desktop.It simply so occurs that I’ve a Beaglebone board and a case prepped for evaluate as properly. I put that collectively, plugged the keyboard in, and put in Ubuntu Desktop 20.04.
I had the whole lot able to go and commenced the testing. In truth, I’m typing on it proper now and it’s clean as silk. Kolude has put collectively a keyboard that’s an absolute dream for typists, from the important thing structure (which, I have to confess, is decidedly Mac-centric) to the important thing journey and sound. So good is the KeyHub, I’d say it is some of the pleasing keyboards I’ve ever typed on. In truth, if the corporate made this in a cut up design, it might simply take the place of my Happy Hacking Keyboard. The keys are specified by such a manner that I do not really feel the same old fatigue discovered with so many cellular keyboards, be they laptops or these used with tablets and telephones. That does, after all, imply the keyboard keys are spaced out a bit greater than I’m accustomed to. Because of that, your fingers will take a beat to acclimate to the layout–unless you have been utilizing a laptop computer bigger than 13″. Even the sound of this keyboard is pleasing. I’ve grown so used to the clickity-clack of the HHK, that all other keyboards are discerningly quiet. The KeyHub lives in that perfect space between too noisy and too quality, yet doesn’t have the same plastic-y sound associated with many laptops I’ve experienced. It resides in that Three Bears-ian “good” territory.This keyboard should come with a trigger warning. The keys use a scissor for actuation. If, like me, you purchased a 2016 MacBook Pro with those dreaded scissor keys, you instinctually cringe at the utterance of the phrase “scissor key.” However, these keys feel completely different than those that plagued Apple hardware. I’ve watched dust and other tiny debris settling on or near the keys, without the KeyHub crumbling in defeat. With my MacBook, I have to use every possible caution to keep those pesky particles from rendering the keys stuck or rrrrrrrrrrepeating over annnnnnnnd over.The “hub” part of KeyHubOkay, this is about mobile options, right? What is it about the KeyHub that makes it stand out, besides the build quality and key layout? On the front-facing edge (that which would face your monitor) of the device is a row of ports (Figure A). Figure AThe KeyHub’s superpower is right in front of your eyes.The KeyHub includes the following ports:HDMITFSDUSB 2.03 x USB 3.0PDUSB-CPlug the keyboard in your device (for me it was USB-C to the Beaglebone) and you can then make use of the rest of the ports for whatever you need. That new MacBook Pro you purchased, the one that has a severe lack of available ports? Dock that laptop with this keyboard–which is actually quite an improvement over the Apple keyboard–and you’ve significantly extended the available ports on your laptop. That’s a big plus. Those additional ports don’t noticeably increase the size of the keyboard–it’s still fairly compact, coming in at around 16.29″ lengthy and 5.19″ deep.Other features include:The Kolude KeyHub is sure to please just about any type of user. The caveatsIt took me quite a while to find a nit to pick about the KeyHub, and what I found isn’t something that will even register with most users. Because this is a very mobile-centric keyboard, it would be nice to have the ability to attach it to multiple devices like a laptop, a phone, and/or a tablet, and switch between them. The KeyHub was not designed for that purpose. If I’m being fair, this is a non-starter of a caveat, seeing as how it’s not a feature the hardware boasts of. The KeyHub is also not Bluetooth compatible. But, again, that’s not an advertised feature, and I find that Bluetooth keyboards can be problematic with some operating systems.That’s how good this keyboard is–I had to “invent” issues to seek out one thing to not like.The priceIf you are within the KeyHub, it’s going to set you again $139, but it surely’s price each penny. Given that it is the vacation season, this might be an amazing present for anybody who would get pleasure from a cushty, well-built keyboard. You should purchase the KeyHub from the Kolude website in both Space Grey or Silver. The KeyHub will work with Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
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