Episode: 4427
Title: HPR4427: Tale of Two (Wireless) Keyboards
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr4427/hpr4427.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-26 00:34:56

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This is Hacker Public Radio episode 4,427 for Tuesday the 22nd of July 2025.
Today's show is entitled Tale of Two Wireless Keyboards.
It is hosted by Moss Bliss and is about four minutes long.
It carries a clean flag.
The summary is, comparing my old Illogitek 400R with my new REI K22.
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Hi, my name is Moss Bliss and this is Hacker Public Radio.
This is my third HPR solo podcast and you can also hear me on Mintcast and Full Circle Weekly
News most weeks.
I watch TV at home via streaming on a Lenovo Think Center M700 tiny.
I change streams and services using a wireless keyboard from my or cleaner across the room.
For a couple years I was using a Logitek K400R and it worked pretty well.
Good keys, nice touchpad, a couple extra features.
It was kind of flimsy though with lots of flex and keys popping off from time to time.
Not so much of a problem as they popped back on as well.
And then the plastic on-off slider just wore out.
It had a raised strip on the plastic slider with served as something to grab with a nail
and it just eventually wore down.
So I went looking for something perhaps a bit sturdier.
What I found was a re as RII model K22.
The box had some different numbers in addition to that and a label on the keyboard also had some
other numbers but the best way to find it is to look for the K22.
It was a solid mostly metal keyboard so I bought it.
No flex to speak of and the keys are made to not pop off.
There are some caveats.
The volume up down and mute buttons are part of the touchpad not physical buttons and are not
lighted.
In a dark room with a black keyboard and touchpad that can be easy to hit the wrong area of the touchpad.
Also I have yet to get the scroll feature supposedly the right side of the touchpad
to work properly but most of the time I can scroll with two fingers on the touchpad.
Also and I have no clue why it sometimes brings up a menu I've never seen before getting this
keyboard. Yes it's pretty easy to make it go away but still.
Unlike the K400R the K22 has a rechargeable battery built in and charges via USB-C.
Also the touchpad is significantly larger than that of the K400R.
I have had no problems with the touchpad's responsiveness other than the issues already mentioned.
I'm not really very good with touchpad so perhaps I just haven't learned the features.
I paid 18 bucks at Walmart for the K400R although currently on Amazon it is going for 3989
with a cheaper model available for 1999. The cheaper model has fewer buttons and a few cutbacks
on design features. The K400R has a 4.2 star rating with 67% 5 star and 16% 4 star.
The Amazon AI reports, quote, customers find the keyboard functional and easy to use.
They appreciate its responsive keys and convenience setup. Many find it a good value for the price,
lightweight and convenient to use from the couch. However opinions differ on the size
and touchpad responsiveness. And quote, Logitech is Wi-Fi only but it does come with the ubiquitous
Logitech Wi-Fi dongle. The ReK22 is currently 2499 minus a 15% coupon as of this writing.
It has a 3.9 star rating with 56% 5 star and 15% 4 star.
Amazon's AI reports, quote, customers find the keyboard works well on all devices and has a
responsive touchpad. They appreciate its compact size and good build quality. However,
some customers have reported issues with missing keystrokes and keypad malfunctions.
There are a mixed opinions on the touchpad, battery life and typing experience, end quote.
The re-keyboard can use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth easily and comes with a Wi-Fi dongle.
While I'm a touch typeist, I don't use this keyboard for typing so I can't comment on its missing
keystrokes. I'm sure there are use cases where the ReK22 would not be the best fit but for my use,
it is a huge step up from the K4 Underdare. The build quality and materials alone make it perfect
for my use, where I sit in my recliner and use it to maneuver my browser in streams,
then toss it in the corner when I'm done. If you have need for a wireless keyboard,
I hope you will look at the ReK22 but that's it for me this time. Thank you for listening and
I hope to be back soon. Thank you for listening to Hacker Public Radio.
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