-- HP Wireless Elite Keyboard and Mouse

I have come across a few low-profile keyed keyboards recently that made me want to consider switching over to this type of keyboard. I love the keyboards on laptops, and I have always wanted a similar keyboard for my desktop computer. My very first attempt at getting a low-profile keyed keyboard was the Logitech Di Novo, and after my experience with that set and my computer at the time, I was not looking to go in that direction (expensive and Bluetooth). I absolutely loved the way the keys felt on that keyboard, however, and I was skeptical of finding another one that was that pleasing to use.



With my recent purchase of a new computer from HP, I noticed that they had a wireless desktop set for sale that seemed to be similar in form factor to the Di Novo. I immediately took notice of the HP Wireless Desktop Elite as the same model of keyboard that I had seen with the HP Touchsmart PCs that I had tried in my local Best Buy. I did enjoy the look and feel of that set, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.



I have to say without a doubt that this is one of the thinnest keyboards on the market today. It looks and feels absolutely amazing. The keys are easy to push and are super quiet. My previous set (Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000v2) was nice, but they keyboard itself was very noisy. This new set has lower keys and is virtually silent. It is quick and very effortless to touch type on this. I spend a lot of time on my computer, and this helps me with speed and comfort. This is a very straight-forward keyboard that does not have a lot of bells and whistles. It has some media keys, which you access using the "Fn" key. The F row of keys serve as the secondary function keys, and the last three function keys are only for Touchsmart PCs. Other than that, there are no special configurable keys which could either be good or bad, depending on the user.



There is also a volume rocker key and a mute key. There are no status indicators for the CAPS, NUM, or SCROLL lock keys. I believe that HP did this to conserve battery life. This is an annoyance, because there is absolutely no indicator at all of whether these are on or not. it does not pop up in a notification anywhere whether or not they are on. Even with the driver software installed, you would still see nothing about the notification of the toggle of these keys. I had a similar keyboard before (again the Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000v2), but the driver software did include a little notification button that would pop up when you pressed the CAPS, NUM, or SCROLL keys. This desktop set has noting, not even a battery status indicator. In Windows, there is an option under the accessibility settings that allows you to turn on an audible beep and/or flash the explorer window if you press these buttons. I use this as my notifier. It works fine, but I think it is lazy on the part of the programmers not to include this in the driver software.



The driver software that comes with this mouse must be the most useless ever. All it really does is tell you if the mouse and the keyboard have full batteries. There is nothing else that these drivers can do for the set. They do also indicate that the mute or volume is going up or down, on my PC I already have this function built-in, so the indicators this set give are tacky and redundant. It is basically just green text at the bottom of the screen with bars for increasing or decreasing volume, and just text for mute. I think that leaving off battery indicators on the keyboards and mouse was not such a good idea because now the little icons in the system tray are the only way to know if your battery is low (that and the set just stopping working). The batteries for the keyboard and mouse come already inserted; you just have to remove the white tabs preventing them from being used and they will hopefully be paired and will work out of the box. If not you can manually pair them yourself. The keyboard takes AAA batteries, and the mouse takes AA...why they needed to mix the types is beyond me. I think if they wanted to go with AAA batteries in the keyboard, they should have went with AAA batteries in the mouse too.



I have heard a lot of complaints about the mouse. I haven't had any problems with it. It is not too hard for me to press down, but again, every user can have different experiences with the same product. The sides of my keyboard were sturdy as well. The mouse is pretty unamazing. Its a standard two button mouse with a clickable scroll wheel. It does fit nicely in the hand. It has somewhat of a glossy finish, and while this makes it more reflective, I don't seem to find that a problem with mine. It is rather noisy to click, but I am funny in that I can stand a noisy mouse but not a noisy keyboard.



The USB receiver for this set does not stow anywhere, which is understandable for the keyboard but questionable for the mouse. In addition, it flashes a bright blue everytime you press a key or move the mouse even the slightest bit. If you keep the receiver in the back of your computer, this won't be an issue. If you have a laptop you are using this with, or if you want to keep it in the front of your computer, this has the potential to drive you crazy. I intended on keeping this in the front of my PC so that I can switch it on the fly with a wired USB set if I need to for gaming. So this blue light may make you annoyed. You can always cover it over with electrical tape, but I don't know if this would have any effect on the wireless transmission (which it probably doesn't). All the buttons on the keyboard were perfectly functional (except of course the Touchsmart function keys), even the sleep button. I have noticed that in Windows 7, the computer can take awhile to go to sleep, but the keyboard works to make it go to sleep and to wake it up from sleep fine for me.



All in all, there are a few design quibbles that detract from this set, however it is still highly excellent. I have noticed my touch typing to be easier and more accurate on this keyboard. I love how cool it looks and how thin it is. It is very comfortably and very sleek. To make this set excellent, I would get rid of the light on the USB receiver, make it stow in the mouse, raise the quality of the mouse, add some battery indicators to the set, more customizable function keys, make all the batteries the same kind, and have better driver software. These options would most likely result in a significant change in price for the unit. As it is, this is a very good desktop set for the price. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a desktop keyboard that feels like a laptop keyboard.
(72 customers reviews)
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0

More Detail For HP Wireless Elite Keyboard and Mouse

• Silent operation: High-tech scissor switch keyboard design offers a quiet experience.
• Wireless freedom: Free yourself from wires with wireless keyboard and mouse - up to 32 feet. Advanced 2.4GHz wireless technology for less delays or dropouts.
• Get more control: Control your entertainment experience with a comprehensive set of multimedia keys. Convenient access for multimedia controls - 3-buttons for easy volume control. HP TouchSmart PC hot keys.
• High-performance optical mouse: 800 dpi high-precision sensor provides precise, smooth and responsive tracking that works on most surfaces. Symmetric design for right or left handed use.
• Energy efficient: Conserve energy with PC sleep button. Monitor battery level with convenient on screen battery level indicator. Long battery life (keyboard - 12 months typical, mouse - 4 months typical).