Illuminated keyboards are getting to be more and more popular, especially with gamers but also with people who just want a little extra flexibility (and bling) for their computer system. The Zippy BL-741 Illuminated Keyboard promises to provide both things, with a total of 512 different color combinations, hardware hot keys for email, search, etc., and a fairly slim profile. So is the Zippy worth the money?
Major Features of the Zippy BL-741 Illuminated Keyboard
The BL-741’s main calling card is that it is a 512 Color Graduation Illuminated Keyboard. So what does that mean exactly? It means that unlike other illuminated keyboards like the Saitek Eclipse II the user can change the individual intensity of each of the three different LEDs under the keypad. The first four function keys serve double duty and allow the user to adjust each color in as many ways as they wish while the F1 turns the light on and off. The F9 through F12 keys provide even more eye candy by letting the user set the keyboard to change colors randomly each time a key is pressed. Kind of cool to look at for a while, but in a darkened room it gets a little distracting after about fifteen minutes or so.
Negative Aspects of the Zippy BL-741
The biggest problem I had with the keyboard was that the F12 key broke almost immediately, getting stuck in the down position and requiring me to pry it back up with my fingernail. Granted, how often do you use the F12 key, but it is still a concern having happened after only two days of use.
Another more personal issue I had was the keyboard layout. Having used full size keyboards most of the time going from a full size keyboard layout to this more compressed layout was difficult at first. I found myself consistently hitting the caps lock key and not realizing it. Still, for a more compact style of keyboard the layout is workable, and the and the over sized Enter key is a nice touch. On the other side of the coin though the decision to move and then duplicate the pipe/backslash key in two different places on the keyboard is rather confusing.
Given the growing market for illuminated keyboards the BL-741 has a lot of major competition. Still, for a fairly low-cost compact keyboard it might be worth a try. Just be sure to save the receipt in case of problems.
Writer's Note: The Zippy BL-741 Illuminated Keyboard used in this review was provided by the manufacturer for review by the author.
Chad Criswell - Chad Criswell is a professional educator and freelance technology writer for numerous online and print publications throughout the United ...
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