Chances are the keyboard that came tucked into your hulking desktop box is about as responsive as National Rail Enquries. Which is why nabbing yourself a neat new one is where it’s at. The Microsoft Arc is the all new design-led effort vying for that space in front of your monitor. The question is, does it cut it? read our complete Microsoft Arc review now and we’ll give you our tuppence worth.
Intended as a companion to the best-selling Arc Mouse, the Microsoft Arc keyboard is actually a lot subtler and more elegant than its scrolling sibling. Instead of the mouse’s Maccy-D’s-esque arch, the keyboard features a gentle curve that’s never thicker than an inch and boasts compact 310 x 155mm dimensions.
This two-tone piece of class is styled in glossy jet black on the surface and Apple white on the base. The Microsoft Arc keyboard is powered by two AAA batteries (which can be turned off by using the Fn button) and discreetly tucked into the magnetised pocket in the base is the tiniest of USB dongles which is a 2.4GHz transceiver designed to give wireless connection from any PC or Mac.
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It works up to three metres way from your machine. The only downside with the tiny transmitter on the Microsoft Arc keyboard is that it can’t be used to control the Arc Mouse at the same time, so you’ll need to have at least two USB ports available.
The keys themselves are a joy to work with. They’re the ‘chiclet’ style that have significant gaps between each other and are so responsive that your fingers will fly over the surface. The layout on the Microsoft Arc keyboard, though, may cause a few eyebrows to be raised as the small size means some notable concessions. The cursor keys, for instance, are now reduced to one four-in-one rocker key – also there’s no number pad, the Del key is more resistant and the first six F keys are doubled up. You do, however, get a big wide space bar which is definitely a bonus over its rivals.
A protective travel bag is thrown in with the package and when you know that the Apple Wireless keyboard is pricier, then it’s hard to resist this chic little gem.
