Bluetooth Keypad WKP-1314 Review

Bluetooth Keypad WKP-1314 Review -

The missing piece

I can finally dust off my Apple Wireless Keyboard and use it -- and it’s all thanks to LMP’s ingeniously designed Bluetooth keypad. For me, numpads aren’t optional -- reaching to the right to bash numbers, symbols, and that big fat Enter key is permanently hardwired. This clever keypad un-amputates the Wireless Keyboard by snapping easily but sturdily onto the edge of the keyboard, gripping it firmly enough to make the pair feel like one device. Don’t worry about ripping them apart to power down your keyboard, either -- pressing a button on the keypad’s right side extends a bar from the left that switches off your keyboard without breaking the seal. It’s so cool and works so well that we wish LMP sold just the connector as a stand-alone way to attach a Magic Trackpad to a Wireless Keyboard.

We knew we’d left the other half of Apple’s Wireless Keyboard laying ‘round somewhere…

Once you power up the keypad, it connects to your Mac via Bluetooth, but it’s wise to turn on the keypad after the Mac has fully booted up. The keypad sleeps sooner than Apple’s peripherals, and booting up OS X takes just long enough that the keypad often snoozes before syncing, requiring another tap of its power button to connect. Also, because OS X views this duo as two separate keyboards, commands that require simultaneous presses on the keyboard and keypad (like Command-+) can’t be entered. Adjusting to both quirks was painless and worthwhile -- the keypad otherwise works beautifully, adding sorely missed keys like Forward Delete, Page Up/Down, and F13–F17 to the standard number pad. While the keypad is made of plastic, it looks and feels like Apple’s aluminum keyboard, including the smooth action of the keys.

The bottom line. Peaches & Herb put it best: reunited and it feels so good!

(Via Mac|Life all.)