Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard

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ob_knoxious@reddit

Logitech K400 is like the only product in this space and just seeing the size of the trackpad already makes me want to get the framework.

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Frexxia@reddit

K400 has physical buttons for left and right click. I wish this one had that as well.

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JackhorseBowman@reddit

Also the extra mouse click button on the left on the k400 is goated.

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screwyou00@reddit

The k830 is the real goat. Just fucking sucks that Logitech canned it.

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zopiac@reddit

It's still available on (US) Amazon! For 7.5x the original price...

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alelo@reddit

k830

is it that good? i got it a few years ago when i looked into using my desktop with my frame TV, havnt touched it in like 2 years, tho iirc the KB felt ok

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I've tried a few Rii wireless keyboard+touchpad units and it's one thing I learned I can't live without. Maybe fine for general use if it's a glass trackpad or proper force sensitive one with haptics, but a dedicated right click button is still pretty key for me.

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Plank_With_A_Nail_In@reddit

Why do you need to use logitechs software? Just don't install it.

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zopiac@reddit

Really just to switch the Fn row back to F# keys instead of media buttons (they're useless to me). On Linux Solaar works well.

I guess I can say that I mostly mentioned it just so say that I'm not a fan of Logitech for the past ~15 years or so.

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Thotaz@reddit

Have you used a good quality trackpad? My work HP laptop have physical click buttons and I appreciate it because the trackpad isn't the best, but I don't miss them at all when I'm using my personal Surface type cover because tapping always works properly.

I'm personally interested in this because I'm pretty disappointed with the trackpad quality of the K400 and this looks like a modern laptop trackpad so I'd expect similar quality. I'm also hoping for sensible defaults that don't require additional software running to change (scroll direction and FN lock state).

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Interdimension@reddit

Same thoughts. My first experience with good trackpads was with MacBooks. They don’t use a diving board hinge design, so you can click anywhere with equal depth and click. Three-finger drag. Two-finger click to right-click. You can have different behaviors for tap and physical clicking, each dependent on how many fingers were used. Then add in different functions depending on whether you force clicked in layer in, or two layers in. It’s like having one of those MMO mouses everywhere you go!

Haven’t missed physical buttons on trackpads ever since.

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Frexxia@reddit

Yes, I have, but I still appreciate physical buttons when there's space for it.

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Shadow647@reddit

that's offset by the fact that K400's trackpad is completely unusable garbage piece of shit

source: I own one

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Frexxia@reddit

Yeah, I do too. But it's still a shame that this is a downgrade in certain aspects.

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Shadow647@reddit

good touchpad with no buttons (e.g. the MacBook Pro that I'm typing this on) is a huge upgrade over shit touchpad with keys

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Frexxia@reddit

I didn't say otherwise, but why not both?

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imKaku@reddit

At least the trackpad is better then the keys. Those are really the worst thing I’ve ever used.

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Tasty-Traffic-680@reddit

Microsoft makes one too which IIRC supports more native windows gestures on the touchpad. I somehow manage to find k400s on clearance every few years though so I have three or four of them.

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panckage@reddit

Yes sure, but the MS ALL IN ONE wireless keyboard prevents DP monitors from turning off when Steam is running in the background. No turning off "usb device wake" or whatever it is in devive manager doesn't work.

Because of this annoyance, I use the k400, which is literally a worse keyboard....but at least it doesn't have the show stopper listed above.

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dahauns@reddit

Have you tried that one?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10TechSupport/comments/ayjzz4/microsoft_wireless_keyboardmouse_combo_preventing/jnrvue0/

Only thing that worked for me.

And thank god, because the MS All-In-One is the one-eyed among the blind. Well - WAS, since they stopped making (most) peripherals...:(

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panckage@reddit

Yep I've tried that. In good old MS fashion, it works... for a few minutes at most... I have no idea what windows is doing, but after that short period of time, its back to my monitor flashing back on a couple seconds after sleeping it.

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Loose_Skill6641@reddit

why anyone would use a trackpad though it's nuts

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A_Monkey_FFBE@reddit

Couches and relaxation exists

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ob_knoxious@reddit

Couch usage is where I use mine.

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ww_crimson@reddit

I have two k400s, one upstairs and one downstairs. I personally think they suck. Even at 10-12 feet from the receiver, I'll have to hit a button like 5 times to get it to register.

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ssalp@reddit

I have the K400 and the touchpad is just awful. The software sucks too.
I'd like to try the framework but my guess is it will cost a lot.

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Kyanche@reddit

Logitech K400

K400 Plus*

We used to have NUCs connected to all of the conference room TVs in our offices so people didn't have to carry their laptops. The problem was that every NUC had a K400 keyboard. It was like a rite of passage to be hosting a meeting and get frustrated with the keyboard lol.

The original K400 has this stupid arrow key alignment where the shift key is made tiny and the up arrow is where the shift key would normally be.

It always drove everyone nuts lol.

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reallynotnick@reddit

Left-shift only gang here, I’ve had that keyboard for like a decade, while I don’t use the keyboard a ton I don’t think I ever noticed that. Definitely see how that would be annoying for people though.

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Kyanche@reddit

I imagine it's possible to never have an issue! I owned one myself for a while, for using with my tv pc. :)

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gatsu01@reddit

I have the Logitech K400 plus. Yes, the small trackpad is extremely annoying.

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XavandSo@reddit

I found a K600 a few years back at a local thrift store for $3. Works amazingly for my HTPC, but the trackpad is dodgy. Feels uncanny.

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MewKazami@reddit

The K400 is like what 30$ or something, how much will this be?

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CarVac@reddit

Another alternative is the Lenovo trackpoint keyboard II, but it's sadly been discontinued.

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webjunk1e@reddit

That and the Logitech is ass. I desperately want Razer to bring back the Turrer, but this Framework is as close as I've seen.

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xeoron@reddit

The question is... what is the cost? They are not listing it.

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JackhorseBowman@reddit

It's framework so 175% as much as you think it's worth.

My guess is probably north of $200

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wombweed@reddit

Anyone know if this uses hot swap mechanical switches? I know it’s low profile, so Cherry compatibility is not likely, but as long as it’s not just crappy membrane or fragile scissor switches, I’m game.

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Frexxia@reddit

With 1.5mm key travel it's almost surely not mechanical.

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wombweed@reddit

Disappointing coming from a company known for repairability. I don’t want my whole keyboard to become useful just because a bread crumb lodged under a key 💔

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Alicia42@reddit

With this it just looks like a replaceable battery, which is still an upgrade from what is on the market. They're selling the mainboard for it as a separate item though so it is only a matter of time before someone makes a mechanical keyboard with the board.

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snollygoster1@reddit

I mean, my K400 also has replaceable batteries in the form of AA's. It would be nice if lower power devices went back to just using standard batteries.

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LockingSlide@reddit

It is very disappointing to see companies like Framework or Fairphone use proprietary batteries in devices that could easily use a standardized one.

I'm not asking for them in laptops or smartphones, but this keyboard or Fairbuds XL could easily use standardized cylindrical cells that you could source from anywhere, that fact you can't undermines what these companies claim to do, to me at least.

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Frexxia@reddit

I don't know the dimensions of this, but I'd imagine it's fairly thin. That would make cylindrical cells tricky. Even if you could fit them, you would need a large number of them. Pouch cells make way more sense in this kind of application.

On the bright side, Framework will cell battery replacements for this.

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snollygoster1@reddit

Circling back to what I said: my K400 uses AA batteries and its thinness is absolutely fine. Sure, I can't use it to shave or cut vegetables but it's a keyboard. It's maybe 15mm thick at the most. Plus generally thinner keyboards are way more flexible.

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Frexxia@reddit

It's maybe 15mm thick at the most

23.5mm

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snollygoster1@reddit

Cool, again not thick enough to bother me.

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LockingSlide@reddit

You could just have a small "tumor" above the function keys. 14500/AA are not that thick ultimately and with basic circuitry you could make it accept Ni-Mh/Ni-Cd, alkalines, 1.5V Li-ions and 3.7V Li-ions.

It's true though keyboards don't need to be charged often so the battery will last nearly forever, still rubs me the wrong way when these companies use proprietary batteries.

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wombweed@reddit

Oh, that's actually neat. If the pcb ends up substantially cheaper than the full board, I'd consider buying one to build exactly that.

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Frexxia@reddit

If this is like most laptop keyboards it'd be very hard to get something under a key. The clearance around each one is tiny.

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Plank_With_A_Nail_In@reddit

They make laptops, they have the technology to put the trackpad in the middle below the keyboard with palm rejection. But no they put it off to the side.

No 17 in laptop goes with the trackpad to the side, the tried and tested place at the bottom is still used, why is this keyboard deviating from that?

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Jedibeeftrix@reddit

excellent.

my Logitech K830 is now 12yrs old, and there has simply been [nothing] to replace it with until now.

will buy.

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burninator34@reddit

Pretty wild that a keyboard has a faster computer than the Apollo missions.

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global-gauge-field@reddit

Magic of exponential functions

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LiteratureMindless71@reddit

Hmmm....I really need to update this iogear lol.

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swatsqad@reddit

After a lot of research and an alternative to the plastic logitech trash i found the kinesis form - metal construction, backlit, trackpad built in, but it has severe flaws - the bluetooth is very succeptible to interferance, the trackpad splits the keyboard and is quite shit, the backlight timeout cannot be changed and wont activate from motion so basically useless, and of course its very expensive for what it is. Maybe this framework one can be a good replacement

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enizax@reddit

Finally something to replace the discontinued Microsoft all in one I've been babying for years

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svbtlx3m@reddit

Thankfully that thing was built like a (plastic) tank. Mine's seen around 70,000 hours of usage and still works perfectly.

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enizax@reddit

I intend on handing mine down to my next of kin if my handling of them go well enough 😆

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SeriousSignificance@reddit

I really wish someone would make a keyboard with a trackpad built into the bottom. Basically like the lower half of a MacBook. Give it both dongle, Bluetooth support, and a haptic trackpad.

Would be so nice to never have to lift your hands off the keyboard just to move the cursor.

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antifocus@reddit

I almost always use my left hand for the trackpad despite being a right-handed person, so this config would be ideal.

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Kyanche@reddit

On my desktop I use a split keyboard, and I keep my apple trackpad in the middle of the two halves. It's very very comfortable that way.

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Noble00_@reddit (OP)

Same, everywhere I look they're like cheap bluetooth flimsy products used mostly for tablets/iPads

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SeriousSignificance@reddit

There are some pretty hacky ways to get something like this. People sell 3D-printed cases where you can slot in an Apple Magic Keyboard and mouse to mimic that setup. The main issue is the trackpad doesn’t really have proper palm rejection. Some of these setups try to work around it by slightly elevating the keyboard above the trackpad, but I’m not sure how well that actually works in practice.

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The mouse track pad was really good.

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Frexxia@reddit

That's the most 2005 looking thing I've ever seen

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reiyume0@reddit

IMO it would be awesome to have a variant of this keyboard but with the trackpad right in the middle, splitting the keys in half. It's more ergonomic!