Astrum Elete Tpad Mini TouchPad Keyboard Review

The Elete Tpad Mini from Astrum Holdings is a mini keyboard with a touch-pad on the rear designed to use with SmartTV, PC, laptops and Tablets. Working on a 2.4GHz wireless frequency, the keyboard connects to the devices with a USB dongle that comes out of the box. Smaller than the regular mini keyboards, the Astrum Elete Tpad makes for casual keyboard and touch control and is portable and lightweight.

What is it?

A compact mini keyboard with a quirky design and a track-pad on the rear. It offers a good side grip and is powered by two AAA batteries. A wireless keyboard, it works on a 2.4GHz transmission and pairs to the devices with a USB dongle through GFSK Auto link Technology. It features 61 keys layout as well as 9 multimedia keys spread on the top. It also has left and right function switch button. It has 360 degree of operation angle. The box contents are pretty basic with a user manual, USB dongle, two AAA batteries and the keyboard. The user manual though is not user friendly but lists the technicals of the device. Surprisingly, the user manual does not even list the battery compartment position which needs to be figured out by the user themselves. Though the keys are small in size, they are well placed, tactile and good enough to tap and feed the casual inputs. The handheld gaming console type design though is not very good for serious and long typing. On the rear there is a touchpad, so you would not require a separate mouse. For handheld operations, the rear side touchpad is quiet ergonomic. The touchpad has good sensitivity. It took a little time for me to figure out the battery compartment. Once you find it out, you does appreciate the positioning of the batteries tucked behind the grip handles.

How does it perform?

From the design it is clear, the Elete Tpad is not a serious mini keyboard but for casual purposes. The keyboard is not suited for long typing but it would works great when combined with Smart TV. With the Touchpad on the rear, it is clear it is meant to be handheld and for Smart TV it is a great controller. Working on a 2.4GHz transmission and a USB dongle, it pairs with almost all devices and is not bluetooth dependent. For impromptu office presentation on laptops or PC’s it comes handy but will you be carrying it around to work would be a question here. As the user manual clearly mentions, it is good to combine with Smart TV rather than computing devices.

What it lacks?

1. No backlit 2. No laser light pointer for presentation 3. No power notification LED

Conclusion

So do you have a SMART TV?  Then you can consider this Astrum Elete Tpad Mini Keyboard but if you intend to buy it solely for laptop / PC / tablet, you should be thinking of suitable wireless mini keyboard.]]>