Review Lenovo ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II Review: Great for Raspberry Pi, Media Centers

[Admin]

With dual wireless connectivity options, the ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II lets you easily switch between multiple devices, including your PC, Raspberry Pi, media center and tablet.

Lenovo ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II Review: Great for Raspberry Pi, Media Centers : Read more

 

[old_rager]

Very disappointed in this revised product as I wrote to Lenovo over a year ago requesting them to build a wireless trackpoint keyboard exactly for the very purpose of it being the keyboard for my PC being played through our 65" TV on the wall.

I've been using a Logitech K830 for a couple of years now that has a track pad and I hate track pads. But trackpoints after years of using Lenovo laptops, they are the best keyboard designs ever.

For Lenovo after all this time to create such a beautiful keyboard and omit keyboard backlighting, that is a massive fail - especially for home theatre PC use. When your lights are off, you can't see your keys to type. Like really?!? What were they thinking!!! 🤬😖😤

BTW, this report should update it's 'Verdict' section to include no backlit keyboard as a major negative. Again, a massive fail on the part of Lenovo here. At least the Logitech K830 has back lit keys!!! 😞

 

[w_barath]

My Kingdom for a backlit TKL BT wireless keyboard with multiple BT profiles, that takes 4 AAA batteries - 2 for the backlight and 2 for basic operation. Proprietary batteries = pay more for inconvenience and early obsolescence.

 

[weilin]

What's most disappointing to me with the first generation and now the second generation is the inability to swap the Fn and Ctrl keys on the keyboard. Lenovo/Thinkpad still insists on the backwards key placement... This goes against all muscle memory of ANY other keyboard!

You can swap the behavior of those two buttons in BIOS on any ThinkPad since.... like forever... Why can't on this external keyboard?

 

[AlexBltn]

I have this keyboard, and would like to share some thoughts about it. As it turned out, this keyboard is far from ideal. I found quite a few flaws and disappointments, including the Lenovo website and their technical support.

Lenovo ThinkPad TrackPoint Keyboard II

• The proprietary software has not been properly tested by Lenovo on older laptops with Windows 7 32-bit. I have two old laptops with this OS and this software refuses to be installed on both of them. But support for Windows 7 32-bit is stated on the Lenovo website for this software.

• The TrackPoint buttons are very poorly implemented. They are flat and hard to grope. The barely noticeable bumps on the middle button do little to help. On ThinkPad laptops (especially older ones) these buttons are designed much more intelligently and feel (grope blindly) much better.

• And, of course, the scourge of ThinkPad keyboards regarding the Fn and Ctrl keys, which in this case is aggravated by the fact that there is no way to programmatically swap these keys, similar to how it is possible on ThinkPad laptops. Why such inconsistency? Or was this keyboard developed by completely different people?

• The keyboard is bent in the middle. I don't write "my keyboard", because this is not only observed in my instance. I've seen other reviews on the same topic. And here is an example of another user's video that shows this. My keyboard has the same thing.

• This product cannot be found by the serial number on the Lenovo website. This means that there is no possibility to contact Support on the site. This is outrageous.

Lenovo Support in Social media could not give me an answer to my question about how long it takes for this keyboard to automatically go into battery saving mode (Sleep mode). They just don't know it. And there is not a word about this in the User Guide either. But this function is definitely present in this keyboard.

Otherwise I like this keyboard and TrackPoint. Although as a full-fledged work on a Windows computer, I would never use it. But I bought it for my iPad (photo), for which this keyboard is OK. Also, this keyboard is good as a computer remote control from a sofa, etc. One more photo.

 

[Jonas S Karlsson]

I had great hops for this keyboard and bought it early, I think version 2.

WARNING: they keys COME OFF!

You put this in your bag/rucksack and carry it around, keys easily comes off. And it's not like just keycaps that you can put back on, but the plastic special frame and and some strange spiral thing. Unless you're and expert on small clock-style mechanical things, it's almost impossible to repair!

I had so great hopes for this keyboard as I've loved and used thinkpads since 2000! I won't use chicken-scratch surfaces, and the "point" is the way to go. My variant was bought in Hong Kong.

I thought maybe this was a flaw of a chinese copy , but a friend in Norway had gotten the same when I visited, and when he pulled it out of his backpack for the first time, some keys had fallen off to his dissapointment.

During 20 yeas of thinkpad-use I've NEVER seen keys/keycaps coming off! I know they are protected in the bag when you close the laptop, but hey, I do not think their keyboard is this senstive. I don't think just a simple wrapping would protect this keyboard.

It's basically 80USD thrown in the the lake. I can't use the keyboard anymore, and each time, more and more keys would come off.

Great for a desktop maybe, if you don't move it, but this is NOT a portable keyboard that you can bring with you.

I'm so sad.

(PS:Mine does have CTRL key in the right place, I don't know what's up assigning the FN key in the most prominent place, it's not even re-assignable, it's quite difficult to find right keyboards)