Product: Washable Wireless Keyboard by Unotron
Description: Have you washed your keyboard today? Unotron has answered office geeks' prayers by offering a slew of washable products! We tested the Washable Wireless Keyboard. The keyboard is protected by a patented SpillSeal surface, allowing you to run the keyboard under water when you spill something on it. It's also dust-proof.
How It Works: To set up the keyboard, turn it over and install the included batteries. Set the keyboard upright, and then connect the 2.4GHz wireless receiver to your computer's USB port (system requirements: Win 95/98/2000/XP). The receiver will then flash yellow and red lights to set up the keyboard's ID code. After ten seconds, the keyboard should be ready to use. No software required to set it up either! Like most keyboards, it offers 15 multimedia and hot keys, such as Favorites, E-mail, Mute, Calculator, and Refresh.
Performance: I'm used to typing on my Microsoft ergonomic keyboard, so typing on the Unotron Keyboard took some getting used to. And now for the real test: Can you really wash it? Placing the keyboard in our office's kitchen sink, we decided to spill some hot coffee and Entenmanns' Marshmellow Devil Food Cake on it. I made sure that I smeared the icing from the cake all over the keyboard too, so that it would get caught in the crevices. Then, I turned on the warm water and poured some dish soap into the sink to soak the keyboard.
After a couple of minutes, I used a sponge and started scrubbing the keyboard. At this point, Blogging Molly and I didn't think the keyboard was going to survive! I managed to get all of the crumbs out of the keyboard, and then laid the keyboard on the dish rack to dry. The next morning, I came in and crossed my fingers, hoping that the keyboard still worked.
Verdict: After an intense wash and scrub, I'm happy to report that the keyboard still works! In fact, I'm typing on it now as I'm writing this. So Unotron, I believe you when you say, "Can withstand being immersed in antibacterial solutions and rinsed under a tap."
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS!
Overall: If you're accident prone, or just a germ-a-phobe, then I highly recommend the Unotron Wireless Keyboard for your cube or office. I'm always eating over my keyboard, and I wish that I could just run my regular keyboard in water to clean it, not to mention get rid of those nasty germs lurking on it.
Buy the Unotron Wireless Keyboard for $79.99. It's worth it!! Keyboard available in black or grey.
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October 4, 2006 2:34 PM
I'm definitely digging the ability to run your keyboard under a tap and clean it. I mean, think of how long you can keep a dirty freakin' keyboard if you can run it under warm water and take a sponge to it?! Glorious!
October 6, 2006 9:23 AM
The solution for the kitchen is to use a Tablet PC. I have used 2 different Compaq (HP) Tablet PC's in the kitchen over the last 3 or 4 years. I DON'T use the keyboard, just the pen and touchscreen. All my menus and recipes are in the PC - and I can check email while dinner cooks. I have mine in a cookbook holder and admittedly do not intentionally spill liquids on it, but it has been splashed with batter and dusted with flour quite a bit. It's great to keep the kids working on homework too.
October 9, 2006 2:20 PM
It's easy enough to just take apart my keyboard, separate the top portion from the internam mechanics (keyboard controller, printed plastic circuitry, etc) and wash the keys with soap and water. Plus, I can do that with just about any keyboard! (unless it's a Mac - in that case you need a special hex screw driver) NOT worth the $80 unless you really think that the convenience of this keyboard is worth the difference between the keyboard sitting on your desk and this $80 'water-tight' device.
October 9, 2006 7:38 PM
I work in a Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory. You don't want to know the kind of stuff that gets on our keyboards. :) I think this could be pretty handy in that application, though convincing the boss to fork over $80 might be a problem.
October 10, 2006 5:54 AM
Back in 2002 I build a computer and selected the Microsoft MultiMedia keyboard [wired, standard] and after 4 years it was pretty filthy. I bought a Microsoft Wired 500 keyboard. I decided to try the experiment on the no longer essential old keyboard. Took it to the kitchen sink and sprayed 409 in on the keys while holding it vertically. That really started tyhe flushing and softened all the oils, hairs [bare forearms shed]. Then I used the spray nozzle and flushed it under a pressure wash. It look brand new. Allowed it to dry for two days and it ran perfectly.
October 10, 2006 8:58 PM
$80 for a washable keyboard?I've got a ocean front bridge in Arizona for just a million five!!Guaranteed to be water-proof too!!To avoid such problems,I keep all my slobby friends away from my computer and also have a four ninrty-five clear cover that fits it perfectly.If it gets a little dusty I just peel it off and run it thru a cycle in the dishwasher.Next time you feel a need to waste some of your bosses money,just send it to me so I can invest in a better computer!! Oh,by the way,you can also use about five cents worth of saran wrap and do the same thing but it does alter the feel of the keys somewhat.
October 11, 2006 1:12 PM
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October 14, 2006 4:45 PM
Washable keyboard: Great Idea. Not Mac compatible: Useless. I am the queen of spillage, this would have bee EXTREMELY useful for me--I would probably even pay the $80 bucks for it--but alas--you left Mac users out of the loop.
March 7, 2008 10:42 AM
I called their office in Dallas and it works on mac's too, awesome.
Now to convince my boss