Re: OK, let's put ya to the test..
Originally posted by gn85
Alright Mark,
Let's see how ya are at answering puter questions. 
I'm thinking about getting wireless keyboard and mouse (my keyboard died).
-- Should I stick with a good ol' wired keyboard??
-- If not, what's a good price to pay for one and know I'm getting something decent?
-- Brands, I should look for? Brands I should avoid?
-- What's the range on those things?
-- Battery life?? Rechargeable?
Hehe, I guess you could say I'm hijacking your post, but I'm not.. just seeing how useful your idea for a PC forum is. 
Ok... here we go..
Wireless is fine - unless you are gaming, You shouldn't use wireless peripherals (especially the mouse) if you are doing any fast-paced gaming, especially First person shooters. They have a small amount of lag which would be delay in an FPS game. Also, make sure it's RF (radio frequency) and not IR, IR is line of sight and not very good. Almost all are RF now.
*I* don't care for wireless simply because I'm never far enough away from my monitor/PC, and I don't want to have to worry about batteries, interference, etc. I can't justify the additional costs either.
Brands? Logitech is the best, and the best wireless optical mouse is the
Logitech MX700, not cheap, but truly a great input device. I don't care for most of Microsoft's wireless mouse offerings, I don't find them very comfortable. (I use an old Intellimouse Optical - wired)
The effective range on most wireless units averages 6'.
The MX 400 above has a recharging cradle, but you have to remember to put it in there or dead mouse the next day.
Other than that, expect 3-4 moths use on regular batteries w/average use.
