Wireless Peripherals for the Wealthy

The sales pitch for the Intel Wireless Series of input devices is that it tames the rat's nest of cables on your desk. But buy the whole set--keyboard, mouse, game pad, and base station--and you shell out nearly $250 to rid yourself of just three wires.

Aimed at home users, the devices require a USB connection and Windows 98 or Me. To use any of the peripherals, you need the $60 base station, which can connect as many as eight Intel wireless products. Initially I had difficulty getting the shipping units I tested to talk with the base. But once the devices were up and running, they easily worked from as far away as the promised 10 feet. Unlike the various wireless products that use infrared, Intel uses radio waves; as a result, no line of sight is required.

The $65 game pad has some cutting-edge appeal as the first wireless entry in the category, and it's a pleasure not to be shackled to the PC while you are gaming. I liked being able to move around the room while playing, not to mention getting a little body English into my commands.

Nevertheless, some of my testers found the game pad's horseshoe design uncomfortable. Moreover, hard-core gamers may balk at the risk of their commands being delayed by wireless transmission.

Nongamers have even less reason to buy this series. The mouse is designed to accommodate righties and lefties, but it's uncomfortable for both. And because you must purchase the base to use the $80 keyboard or the $60 mouse, the package gets pricey.

If you're interested in wireless peripherals for the desktop, check out the offerings of other manufacturers, such as Logitech, whose less-expensive wireless mice and keyboards also work with radio waves and whose base stations are included in their price.

SUMMARY

Intel Wireless Series PRO: The star of the series is the cutting-edge wireless game pad. CON: Very expensive. VALUE: Worthwhile only for trendy gamers who don't like wires. List price: base station $60; game pad $65; keyboard $80; mouse $60; package of base station, keyboard, and mouse $180. Intel www.intel.com/wireless_series