Review: Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard

With tons of keyboards on the market, finding the perfect Mac keyboard can be tough. However, I believe that I may have found the perfect Mac keyboard, the Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard. In a previous article, I touched on having to replace an Apple Wireless Keyboard with a wired unit to fix problems I was having with my new iMac 20” computer system running Boot Camp and Windows. The Apple Wireless Keyboard worked perfectly when running Mac OS X, but I was unable to get it to work and run properly under Windows XP. My only option was to replace the wireless unit with a corded unit and I went reluctantly with the Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard.

I stress on the word reluctantly, simply because I have problems using any Microsoft hardware on Apple computer systems. Something about it just doesn’t seem right and I’m certain other users out there understand how I feel. However, Microsoft does makes Mac compatible keyboards and their software and driver support are top notch, but other then that Microsoft does not go out of their way to make using their units visually easy on a Mac.

What sets Microsoft’s keyboard apart from Logitech or Apple keyboards for that matter is its useful additions as presented above. This keyboard simply rocks if you need things like programmable function keys, quick access to “Play, Stop and Rewind”, and various other aspects that make using Mac simply easier. The media keys labeled WWW, E-mail, Music, etc all work flawless in both Mac and Windows, and from my experience work much better on the Mac side since these software systems were simply designed from the ground up to offer the multimedia experience.

The Zoom Key as referenced in our first image is simply amazing. Ever want to Zoom into an Excel spreadsheet or Word document, and was forced to hold down the Command (CTRL on Windows) Key and + or – to achieve this action? How about browsing websites and needing to get a little closer to the text and material presented online? The Zoom Key is simply amazing for what it accomplishes. Being able to slide the unit forward to zoom in and backward to zoom out just rocks. However, on the Mac side, when you are not in any particular application that provides Zoom support like Safari or Word, the Zoom Key zooms the whole screen.

I’ll be honest, I own a Mac Pro workstation with the standard keyboard and mouse and I don’t really like the Apple’s White Input of Beauty. Yes they are pretty and go well with systems like the white iMac or MacBook systems, but other then that they lack some useful aspects and functionality I’ve come to expect from Logitech, Microsoft or otherwise. Also speaking of usefulness, I get very tired typing on the standard Mac keyboards and consider the keys a little soft for regular input.

Let’s try a test, press the Control key on your Mac Keyboard in the bottom left corner and let me know if yours stick every once and a while. Give it a try and let me know how your Mac keyboard responds. My Mac keyboard sticks and not just the Control key, but other various units as well. I rely on my keyboard day in and day out and think this unit from Microsoft deserves a big thumbs up. It is not perfect, as it is missing the silkscreen logos we are so accustomed to on Mac computer systems, but other then that I could not find many problems to speak of.

Pros:

• Solid Mac Support (Drivers and Software Compatibility) – almost everything can be tweaked and changed via software.
• Cool additions like the Zoom Key - provides newer and more intuitive ways to work, browse, and view items on your computer.
• Programmable Function Keys

Cons:

• No Mac Keyboard Silk Screen Logos – if you are used to seeing the Command/Apple Key symbols, you won’t find them here.
• Programmable Keys – can still be confusing since you can remap items like the ALT key to their proper location as shown on Mac Keyboards, but the key labels will still reference the key in the wrong location. Personally this was not a problem for me since I’m used to ALT/Option location on both PC and Mac systems, but for new users it could be a problem (that can always be fixed with whiteout and a permanent marker).

The Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard retails for $29.95 and is compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows.