Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000

This mobile keyboard comes with a novel addition: besides the main keyboard section it includes a separate numeric keypad in the box. The two devices are separate with two different Bluetooth connections required to use both.

No Bluetooth adapter is supplied, so the keyboard set will only work if your computer can already connect to Bluetooth devices, or if you buy a separate adapter. So ease of connection will differ depending on your computer’s Bluetooth software and hardware, but we didn’t have any trouble. Buttons on the back of each keyboard section are used to put it into a ‘discoverable’ state to allow connection to the computer.

The keypad takes one AAA battery and the main keyboard takes two, and there are power switches on both to prevent unnecessary drain.

The keys on both sections are quite shallow (the keyboard itself is only 1cm thin), but they were still reasonably comfortable for typing. The keyboard uses Microsoft’s Comfort Curve design so its edges tilt backwards, forcing the user’s hands a touch further apart than normal.

It’s less wide than a standard keyboard, even without a keypad, and it’s small enough to sit on a lap besides placing it on a desk or table. It’s also light enough to not make too much difference to overall bag weight if you are taking it travelling.

The recommended price of £80 is high but at the time of writing it’s available from Amazon at £40 which is a good deal.

The thinking behind the separate sections is that you can leave the numeric part at home when you don’t need it. Few people will need the numeric keypad, but even if you won’t be using the it, at £40 this is a good-value mobile keyboard – as long as your PC or Mac already has a Bluetooth connection.

As well as working with computers the Mobile Keyboard 6000 (and the number keypad) will also work with mobile devices such as phones or the Apple iPad.