Small, portable keyboards are extremely useful for not just tablets, but laptops as well. If you’re the type of person that travels a lot or uses your laptop hooked up with external monitors in the workplace (like I do) a good, small, keyboard is a lifesaver. The SlimStar T8020 is a sleek, comfortable and light wireless multi-touch keyboard that excels in so many ways, it’s hard not to recommend. Whether it be word processing, office applications, note taking, tablet utilization or even light gaming, this keyboard can do it all.
The SlimStar T8020 may not be an adequate replacement for a fully-featured gaming keyboard, but it’s a great jack-of-all-trades that has the added benefit of sporting specific Windows 8 gesture functionality.
One of the coolest features present in this package is the versatility of the number pad, which also doubles as a gesture-based touchpad as well as a laptop-style touch pad. This means you can not only use this for your Windows 8 powered laptops, desktops and tablets, but also any other computer without losing access to a full number pad and a versatile touch-based mouse. All of those features can be toggled with the press of a button. Check out the full feature list below:
- Wireless multi-touchpad keyboard with scissor key structure
- Supports basic gestures in Windows 7 / Vista / XP
- Number pad / touch pad / mouse pad toggled with press of a button
- Switchable between multi-touchpad and numeric keypad
- 11 function keys for media control, internet access and power off computer
- 2.4 GHz wireless USB signal
Gestures supported include closing applications by swiping down, opening your application list by swiping up, switching applications by swiping right and opening your charms by swiping left. The actual keys themselves are some of the softest feeling I’ve ever seen, but are also incredibly small and hyper-sensitive. As someone that is used to larger gaming keyboards, it took some getting used to, particularly for my relatively large hands. However, once you adapt your style and positioning, it’s nice having everything so accessible.
Final Verdict: Great
The keyboard most definitely works best for office-type applications, word processing, note-taking, general browsing and tablet use. I would not recommend the SlimStar T8020 for gaming, even light-laptop gaming, as it brings nothing special to the table. The light weight is awesome and getting the gesture commands is great for Windows 8 (especially if you’re using it on a traidtional desktop) but it’s not much a heavy hitter beyond those features. This is expected, however, with the low price point and target audience sitting in the more casual crowd. All in all, the SlimStart T8020 is a versatile and capable keyboard. Check out more details over on the product’s official page right here.
This review is based on a physical review copy of the keyboard provided by Genius.
