Two for the PC: Altec Lansings Face Up and Econo-Keys Flips Out
If our recent looks at hard drives and webcams weren’t enough, we round out our set on computer peripherals with something for your ears and, um, your fingers. Altec Lansing’s new Expressionist speakers bring the trapezoid back into style, and Econo-keys puts forth a rugged keyboard/touchpad combo with one on each side.
We’ve looked at a couple of Altec Lansing products before, and so know that they can make pretty good speakers. But our previous looks were at iPod docks, and computer speakers are a little more demanding in some ways. The Expressionist BASS 2.0 system tries to pack a punch in a small package, with two convenient 5×10-inch speakers with built-in subwoofers, and it does show a bit. With only 25 watts of power total, 12.5 per channel, you won’t be blasting a big party with them, but you do get nicely spaced and thumping bass. At higher volumes, the sound does noticeably distort, but at lower ranges was clear and crisp. Also, the controls are a bit inconvenient- there’s no separate control set, so you’ll need to reach for the speakers, and you can’t control the bass/treble onboard. The auxiliary line-in is a nice addition though, but the model doesn’t have a headphone pass-through. Finally, the speaker cable isn’t that long, about 6 feet or so. Our reviewers did dig the design though, as long as you like black or white, and the price is pretty good for those aiming for a smaller unit with serious bass- about $120.
Other keyboards that we’ve reviewed have been aimed at gamers, but the Econo-Keys EK-76-TP is actually aimed at an even more niche environment. “Sealed to IP67 standards to be resistant to dirt, dust and debris”, and using words like “infection-control”, the market for a device like this is more the industrial and medical environments. We think it’s perfect for Burning Man. The device uses USB, and is Windows and Linux compatible- sorry Mac users!
One odd point of concern is the limited warranty- according to their site, they only offer a warranty on the keyboards for 10 days from proof of purchase. Ouch! Now, we did get ours wet, dropped it, dragged it through some sand, and it came out working fine (though the USB port is, of course, relatively delicate). The touchpad had some trouble working when wet, but that’s to be expected. And the keys felt nice and sturdy, even if it is a bit hard to type on (especially the slight offset in the arrow keys and uncentered spacebar). It’s a bit of a pain to have to turn the thing over to switch between touchpad and keyboard, but it is truly small, light, and durable. And for $130, you’ll be able to disinfect your keyboard daily without worry. Available primarily online.
