Clever Keypads
Photograph: Rick Rizner
A desktop PC's keyboard usually has a built-in extended
numeric keypad, which is useful for inputting a lot of numbers. Laptop
keyboards don't afford the same convenience. Now you can add a separate numeric
keypad to your notebook with either of two $45 USB options: the
Targus Wireless Keypad
& Mouse Combo or
Kensington Technology's
Pocket Keypad Calculator. Kensington's model is particularly versatile
since it doubles as a battery-powered calculator, with or without a PC
connection. A mode button toggles between the keypad and the calculator, and a
send button exports the number on the keypad's screen directly to the cursor
point in a document. The Targus keypad doesn't calculate, but neither is it
tethered to the PC by a cable. The unit communicates wirelessly with a
finger-size USB receiver that also works with the included miniature, optical,
scroll-wheel mouse. Both keypads include a previously omitted Backspace key.
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