Genius SlimStar 820 Solargizer review

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Verdict:

The solar panel is a nice little trick and means that you shouldn't run out of battery power, but there are better keyboards and mice at this price.

Review Date: 5 Feb 2010

Price when reviewed: £46

Supplier: http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop

Reviewed By: Will Stapley

Our Rating 3 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

The rather odd word 'Solargizer' in Genius' product name, means that there's an integrated solar panel in the SlimStar 820's keyboard. When there's enough light the batteries are automatically charged. For light use, this should keep the batteries topped up; if you run out of juice, there's a pair of AAA batteries that can be changed.

The top row of keys, including the Escape and Function keys, are shrunk to half size, which makes them a little awkward to use. We also found the keys a little slippery, but they're responsive to type on, and on the whole it's a decent keyboard.

All 17 short cut buttons are situated along the top of the keyboard and include dedicated copy and paste buttons, as well as quick-launch buttons for applications, such as your web browser. The media controls are place on a four-way D-pad, but it's not very responsive and we found it too easy to press the wrong button.

A basic, symmetrical laser mouse with a scroll-wheel is supplied and fits the palm of the hand nicely. It's responsive enough for use in Windows. The solar panel means you'll be changing batteries less often, but for this much money Logitech's Cordless Desktop Wave is better value.

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