The PERIPAD is designed to be a simple product that does one thing well. In this case, it is purely to act as a number keypad to supplement any existing form of data entry. It is more common these days for computers to have compact keyboards in line with the various compact laptops which have no separate number pad.
Im a big fan of the Apple wireless keyboard which while comfortable and easy to use, is not the ideal when it comes to inputing a lot of numbers. The same extends to the keyboard on my MacBook Pro.
This white version of the PERIPAD-202 complements the Mac keyboards very well indeed. As well as following the colour scheme of the Wireless keyboard with white on silver livery, the keypad is virtually the exact same dimensions as the Apple keyboard with only the slightly shallower angle of the keypad being the obvious physical difference.
Build quality is as is expected for the asking price, firm and sturdy but fabricated from plastic which mimics Aluminium. The keys are an identical size to the Apple keys but more surprisingly, they feel almost identical in use. Under the finger they feel as precise with the same amount of travel. Only the slightly hollow tapping sound highlights the lower quality plastic construction but things still feel firm with no flex under normal use.
The PERIPAD connects to the Mac via a normal USB connection - the cable being around 70cm in length. One added bonus with this connection is that Perixx have very thoughtfully integrated a 2 port USB hub with a socket on either side of the keypad. This is especially beneficial to the likes of the retina MacBook Pros that only come with two USB ports to start with. You give one up by adding the keypad but you gain that port back along with one more to spare.
When you first connect this to a Mac, in my case running Mavericks, a prompt warns you that this keyboard has not been correctly identified and asks if you wish to identify it. You can cancel this prompt because at this point, the keypad is working fine. The PERIPAD has a numlock key which is initially enabled - indicated by a green glow. In this mode, all the keys work fine including non standard numbers keys like 00 and the Tab and backspace keys. Turning off the numlock button, puts the keypad in what could best be described as navigation mode. This allows you to use some of the keys as cursor keys for moving up down, left and right as well as a delete key. Other functions are also included such as keys for page up & down. These alternate key functions are listed in the included user guide however they are unfortunately not labeled on the keys themselves which adds a small learning curve.
Performance of the keyboard is just as you would expect for a wired connection, the onscreen key response was instant with no perceptible lag and no missed strokes.
For the money, the PERIPAD offers great value and is a great addition for any Mac user who would benefit from a dedicated number pad. The added bonus of the two included USB ports make this the perfect keypad for MacBook Airs and retina Pros.
Video review:
http://youtu.be/haYVJaXf37o
Im a big fan of the Apple wireless keyboard which while comfortable and easy to use, is not the ideal when it comes to inputing a lot of numbers. The same extends to the keyboard on my MacBook Pro.
This white version of the PERIPAD-202 complements the Mac keyboards very well indeed. As well as following the colour scheme of the Wireless keyboard with white on silver livery, the keypad is virtually the exact same dimensions as the Apple keyboard with only the slightly shallower angle of the keypad being the obvious physical difference.
Build quality is as is expected for the asking price, firm and sturdy but fabricated from plastic which mimics Aluminium. The keys are an identical size to the Apple keys but more surprisingly, they feel almost identical in use. Under the finger they feel as precise with the same amount of travel. Only the slightly hollow tapping sound highlights the lower quality plastic construction but things still feel firm with no flex under normal use.
The PERIPAD connects to the Mac via a normal USB connection - the cable being around 70cm in length. One added bonus with this connection is that Perixx have very thoughtfully integrated a 2 port USB hub with a socket on either side of the keypad. This is especially beneficial to the likes of the retina MacBook Pros that only come with two USB ports to start with. You give one up by adding the keypad but you gain that port back along with one more to spare.
When you first connect this to a Mac, in my case running Mavericks, a prompt warns you that this keyboard has not been correctly identified and asks if you wish to identify it. You can cancel this prompt because at this point, the keypad is working fine. The PERIPAD has a numlock key which is initially enabled - indicated by a green glow. In this mode, all the keys work fine including non standard numbers keys like 00 and the Tab and backspace keys. Turning off the numlock button, puts the keypad in what could best be described as navigation mode. This allows you to use some of the keys as cursor keys for moving up down, left and right as well as a delete key. Other functions are also included such as keys for page up & down. These alternate key functions are listed in the included user guide however they are unfortunately not labeled on the keys themselves which adds a small learning curve.
Performance of the keyboard is just as you would expect for a wired connection, the onscreen key response was instant with no perceptible lag and no missed strokes.
For the money, the PERIPAD offers great value and is a great addition for any Mac user who would benefit from a dedicated number pad. The added bonus of the two included USB ports make this the perfect keypad for MacBook Airs and retina Pros.
Video review:
http://youtu.be/haYVJaXf37o
