Best Keyboard Ever: Rapoo E9080 (oh and it is Mac compatible)

The ultra slim, functional and stylish Rapoo E9080 is a wireless keyboard and a little something else. It has won the IF product design award, which is no small task.  At a full 102 keys, the numerical keypad turns into a trackpad and vice versa after you slide your finger across the 'slide here' button.


Clearly their target audience is not Mac owners as there was no documentation online or even on the box to say it was compatible. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a go and to my hope it worked and to my surprise it beats Apple's wireless keyboard in both function and price. I managed to pick one up from Singapore delivered on eBay for AU $48.00.


It comes with a nano receiver transmitting at 2.4Ghz and 2 AAA batteries. Power consumption is low at 30mA. I was worried that it would clash with my wireless network that also transmits on the same frequency, but there has been no issues.

Don't expect the trackpad to be your replacement for your Macbook trackpad or Apple's Magic trackpad as the gestures are quite limited. It functions more like a mouse, with left click, right click and scrolling. Also the trackpad movement is a little slow, which I am not sure how to speed up on a Mac.


What would make this keyboard even more awesome if the keys had a backlight. But obviously this would add more to its thickness, cost and use more power.


What Would Make It Better
Also the aluminium edge seems a little out of place with a black keyboard. Also a button to turn the device on/off on the side or top where you can reach without having to flip the thing over would be awesome. A white model would also be sexy. The E9070 has a white option with the full 102 keys but it does not have the built-in trackpad.


Bottom Line
The bottom line is a good wireless keyboard that has that numerical keyboard that your Macbook doesn't have. This keyboard is good practice when you transition from a uni student to a professional that will have to input numbers in spreadsheets and tables.


Other Observations
Another observation is that it is light and only 5.6mm (.022 in). I don't even think the Macbook Pro keyboards are even that thin. It feels very comfortable typing on my lap. The keys are large and close together and less force is needed to type compared to a Macbook Pro. 


I kinda laugh at their promotional video but here it is:

If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.
Specs
- Brand: Rapoo
- Model: E9080
- High quality ABS + stainless steel material
- Ultra slim wireless keyboard
- Fashionable design
- Reliable 2.4GHz wireless connection with up to 10 meters working range
- Touchpad and numpad switch design
- You can switch between touchpad mode and numpad mode whenever you like, just need a gentle slide
- Working voltage: 1.5V/30mA
- Supports Windows XP/Vista/Win 7 and don't forget MAC
- Powered by 2 x AAA batteries (included)
- Comes with receiver & English/Chinese manual