A mini keyboard is great for those who enjoy binge-watching or gaming using PCs from the comfort of the armchair. Rii has brought out the i28C which appears to have been ergonomically designed with gamers in mind.
The Rii mini keyboard can be used to control mouse movements, type, use F-Keys and access basic media centre settings easily. Those of us who use our PCs for watching films, listening to music or gaming can now control everything from the sofa. Is the Rii i28C mini keyboard everything you need in a controller? Let’s take a closer look
Rii i28C Specs
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Touchpad – Supports multi-finger functions
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2.4Ghz Wireless
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405mAh Rechargeable, non-removable lithium-ion battery
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Weight – 181 g
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Backlit Keyboard – Can be turned on or off
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Automatic Sleep Mode – 3 minutes or 2 hours
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Plug & Play Dongle – No driver needed
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Dimensions – 17cm x 9cm x 9cm
In The Box
The Rii 128C mini keyboard comes with a charging cable and instruction booklet. My charging cable also has a full-sized female to male USB connector. This cable allows you to plug one end into your mobile device, the wireless dongle into the other end and use this keyboard to control on-screen actions.
Look & Feel
I like the design and feel of this keyboard a lot. The touchpad which controls the mouse has a very lightly textured feel to it and is quick to respond. Much like the mouse touchpad on many laptops, you are able to tap to left-click and use two fingers to scroll up or down. The i28C’s touchpad is a good size and I like the fact that it sits flush with the top of the keyboard rather than being inset. You are able to tap on the touchpad as a left-click as well as use two fingers to scroll. To disable or enable this function, simply press FN and F8 keys at the same time.
The keys on this are a touch larger than many of the current Rii models. The i28C has cleverly condensed the function keys, numbers and basic symbols to one row of keys. Emulating many classic game console controllers, Rii has also chosen to place left and right-click buttons on the top shoulders of this keyboard. Combined with the direction keys, this makes many games a lot of fun to play on this keyboard.
The keyboard itself feels sturdy, with rubbery keys and solid plastic control buttons. There is a backlight function which is controlled by pressing FN and the lightbulb key. On the back of the keyboard, there are two rubberised, textured panels for grip. I’m not so keen on the fact that I found the back of this almost impossible to remove. This meant getting to the dongle and being able to set things up were a little annoying for me.
Performance
I’ve previously owned an old model of Rii mini keyboard (similar to the i8BT) which connected by Bluetooth. Such keyboards, in my experience, like to lose connection for no apparent reason. They are often laggy and can be a pain to pair with.
Wireless, on the other hand, is an instant connection. Plug the dongle into a USB port and switch the keyboard on. That’s it. I found there was a marked difference in lag between Bluetooth and wireless. It actually has taken me a while to get used to how quickly this wireless mouse moves, by comparison, to the older Rii models. There’s no real noticeable lag in movement, it all feels very natural.
Unfortunately, the cable that I received with my keyboard was faulty. The seller was very quick to respond. They offered to send me out a new cable or reimburse me for one bought on Amazon. So good customer service from Rii and their sellers.
The keys have a nice action to them, especially the solid buttons. You’re not going to be typing novels with this keyboard, but that’s not what it’s designed for. Essentially, this is a multimedia controller and a good one at that. This keyboard connects instantly and easily wakes up from sleep mode with a button press. Mouse action seems smooth and I found I was easily able to play games using this keyboard.
Battery Life
I’m not sure if I should be concerned with the fact that my keyboard came pre-charged, but it did. So far, I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and have not needed to recharge it yet. I personally do not have the backlight on as I don’t need it. Unless you are using this keyboard to type in the dark, I would suggest turning the backlight off to save on battery.
As I mentioned in the specs, this keyboard has an automatic sleep mode. This is set to 3 minutes as standard but can be changed to 2 hours by pressing FN & ESC at the same time.
Charging the keyboard is easily done with the cable that is supplied with the i28C. The charging port is the same as the one on most Android phones. Since my cable was broken and I’ve been in contact with Rii, they have stated that the keyboard can be charged with a standard cable. This is contrary to the information given in the instruction booklet. A wee bit confusing.
More Information
You can buy the Rii i28C Mini Wireless Keyboard directly from Amazon for £16.99 plus post & packaging.
Verdict
Rii are at the top of their game with their latest mini keyboard models, with something to suit almost everyone’s tastes. They are renowned for making quality, mini keyboards and the i28C does not let them down. Those trying to decide between a Bluetooth or wireless model, I recommend choosing wireless. That instant connection and lack of lag makes all the difference as far as I am concerned. If you are looking for a multimedia remote controller, which can connect with your Smart TV, computer and even mobile device, then this is the keyboard for you.