I was looking for a wireless keyboard and mouse combo for the Mac Mini I have in my living room connected to the Samsung HL-R4667W. I searched the Internet for suggestions from other users and for the most part most companies did not support Bluetooth solutions for Mac OS X. I could have gone with the Logitech Bluetooth DiNovo keyboard or the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop set, but all the functions of either of those units are not fully supported in Mac OS X. Looking at the Apple solution of their Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I felt that they did not have enough of the features I was looking for. I don’t know why this seemed to bother me because I use the standard Apple Keyboard and Mouse on a Apple Power Macintosh G5 as well as a Powerbook G4. I guess when I buy things it all depends on what I’m feeling at the time of purchase.

On my search, there were many more RF solutions and this opened up quite a few more possibilities. I had been happy with my Logitech purchases in the past, so I chose the Logitech LX 501 since it was white and it offered many multimedia keys all supported in Mac OS X. This makes a huge difference when you are using the PC as a living room centerpiece. I was able to pick the set up online for under $40. As far as the feel of the keyboard I was pretty happy with it. The keys are quiet and they have a soft touch. I usually prefer ergonomic mice and this mouse seems to fit well in my hand. As far as the setup goes it was pretty much plug and play and I like to download the latest version of the drivers from the company website to program the media keys. I kept the default configuration for the multimedia keys and it seems to work for me.

The one problem I found with the keyboard and mouse combo was the range was pretty weak. I suppose most people use the unit as a desktop set and I was able to get about a 5ft range reliably. I guess that is one advantage of a Bluetooth keyboard is greater range and I will probably upgrade to a Bluetooth set in the near future. Other than that there really isn’t anything to complain about the unit.

For the price and features this keyboard and mouse combo will work for most people. If you were planning to use it with a living room set I would not recommend it. Feel free to post any comments if you have this unit or any questions.