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Posting from iPhone FTW! :-)

yes, that is all.

If you own Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, you may know they recently gave users the ability to chat to one another over the Windows Live network (Previously, MSN Messenger), on-top of the already-in-place messaging system between Xbox owners, along with this there are text input opportunities in games which require the players name or anything similar. Previously users were to choose from either using the horrid on-screen keyboard, which took forever to type anything, or connect a USB keyboard which is great if you have your console set up on a desk or in any other close vicinity to your seating area.

Given the nature of the wireless controllers it would only make sense to attach a text input device to the controller itself, which they have indeed done. The keyboard fits snugly onto the bottom of the controller, and can be easily thumbed at whilst playing games. When I first saw the chatpad I thought that it may impede on both the weight and comfort of using the controller in general, however this is not the case. Fixing the chatpad to the controller is a simple affair, aligning the headset connector and pushing until everything clicks into place. You will certainly notice the chatpad is connected, not only due to the now seemingly gargantuan size of the controller but also because you can feel the rear of the device raised up from where you fingers would normally fall on the back of the controller.

Using the chatpad is as you would expect... press the letters and in the appropriate places, they appear on screen. The keys are presented in a QWERTY layout, though some keys such as backspace are on the bottom row rather than at the top, thumbing at the keys gives you a satisfying/annoying (delete as appropriate) click-y noise, offering audible and tactile feedback similar to an old mobile phone keypad.

Obviously due to space restrictions you're not getting a full keyboard laid out on the face of the device, instead you're given what are effectively two shift, or function keys, which alter the input of most other keys when pressed, these are presented in the form of an orange button and a green button located in the bottom corners of the input area.

When using the chatpad, to my surprise and delight, when pressed the keys illuminate a feature I had not previously read about, or even expected. Much like my new Apple Keyboard, it takes a little while to get used to the keys and getting anywhere near up to speed with typing full sentences is something I'm nowhere close to achieving, perhaps Microsoft should make a dashboard achievement for attaining a certain level of words per minute when using Live Messenger.

The device is great, though I feel much like the Live Vision Cam - which I also own - it's use is very limited, most of it's life will be spent entering text into Messenger, which I use primarily on my Mac rather than my Xbox, therefore I think that the Chatpad may be a worthwhile purpose if the price is right for such a limited gadget, or if you're a heavy user of messaging feature on the console otherwise if you're able to use a USB keyboard with your console... stick with it.

One of the new toys accumulated over the festive season was an Apple Wireless keyboard.

In my Apple owning years I have gone from the original Apple "Pro" keyboard with my PowerMac G4, to the not-so-nice-in-my-opinion bluetooth wireless keyboard. I have now got my paws on the all new - to me, at least - aluminium notebook styled wireless keyboard.

I remember first using my PowerMac G4 keyboard and thinking it was quite possibly the nicest and most satisfactory object anyone could ever hope to lay their typing fingers upon. Regrettably, I then sold the damned thing and had to put up with a horrendously awful keyboard made by some (Apple orientated) company, whose name escapes me at present, that was until I later upgraded to the wonderful world of wireless. The original wireless keyboard, whilst styled in a similar style as the original Pro board, was somewhat lacking, I could never put my finger on if the problem, be it the differently shaped keys, the every-so-slightly adjusted layout, or perhaps even bizarrely the lack of a wire and USB ports... though surely that couldn't be it. Either way, the wireless model simply was never as nice as it's wired brother.

Skip forward a few years and it seems Mr. Jobs has become obsessed with all things thin and metal-y. The new, or rather current, range of keyboards available for Macs are crafted from - what I assume to be - aluminium, and have oddly spaced keys taken straight from a MacBook.
As with the any sort of change, the new board takes a little getting used to, as I'm sure any iBook to MacBook migrator already knows. I don't think I am quite up to the full typing speeds I can achieve on my iBook yet, however practice makes perfect.

The new board offers not more, but in-fact less, than any previous keyboard I have connected, or paired with my machine. Apple's present offering not only lacks a numeric keypad on the far right, but also all the surrounding buttons accompanying those familiar digits. So there is no period key, no plus, minus, oblique, or asterisk. They even removed everyone's favourite enter key.

Not content with butchering numerals, they took to the F-keys. Whilst the none-mac-using folk out there may not know this, Apple keyboards don't stop at F12, they can go on and on and on, all the way up to F16, however this is not so true of the board I am typing this upon, I only have access to a mere 12 F-keys, though I never really saw the point, or even had use for those remaining four.

Also victim to the hack-saw are the direction keys, and the small block of page-up/down home/end, etc. These keys are of course still on the board, however they appear to be an after-thought all squashed up on the bottom right hand corner, or only accessible by the newly added "fn" key, which you may have already guessed operates as a functionality toggle when held down.

These points are not problems though, simply differences. After only a few hours of use, the small directional arrow keys become second nature, and you become more used to utilising the top row of numbers with both hands instead of pawing in digits with your right hand on the number pad. So with no real disadvantages, does the keyboard offer any advantages?

Of course! There are some fancy new little icons on those F-keys I previously mentioned, and they perform some very handy features such as adjusting the brightness of your display, activating expose, opening your dashboard, skipping and pausing iTunes, adjusting the volume, and last but not least, ejecting your optical media. These new function keys take a little getting used to, where I used to rely on three separate keys to get my expose fix, I now have just one, altered by holding down modifier keys to obtain different results. The same could be said of Dashboard, previously, and since Dashboard was first announced, the default key for opening dashboard was F12, now it seems some bright spark has decided to put it on F4, my hand has hovered the wrong key a few times before my brain kicks into gear re-routing my movements to the left.

On top of these new features, thanks to the designers hack-saw, the keyboard is as you would expect, a lot smaller than a regular number-pad, directional-key toting model. Some people may find this off-putting or perhaps just a little odd to begin with, I personally found it very strange as I am now able to position the board on my desk at least a good three inches to the right. However this new found positioning has not only given me space to place my coffee cup in previously occupied territory, but also adjusted my typing position, for the better.
To top it off, be it a side-effect of the shrinking, or simply a designed feature, the keyboard now only requires three (AA) batteries compared to the older requirement of four. This can be a little awkward as batteries are usually retailed in even numbers, however I am using rechargeable batteries, so it's not a great concern.

Overall, after a little practice and every-day usage, the keyboard is a joy to type with. It's certainly a little strange to get used to initially, however stick with it and you'll be happy with the outcome. I'd definitely recommend one to anyone who wants to save space, venture into the realm of wireless technologies, or simply wants to upgrade their current keyboard to something a little different.