Introduction

Razer has always been known to produce some of the best gaming mice, but it wasn't until late last year that they decided to venture in to the keyboard market with their Tarantula keyboard. Razer's slogan has always been "For Gamers. By Gamers". It says it all in my opinion.

Razer's products lineup has been expanding rapidly after the successful launch of Razer Pro|Solutions, which is a sub-brand that specializes in high-end 3rd party gear for use with existing Apple products such as the iPod and other Apple products.

Common for all of the Pro|Solutions products is that they are styled like Apple hardware. The Razer Pro|Solutions Pro|Type that I will be reviewing today is held in the sleek pearl-white color. Compared to traditional Apple keyboards the Pro|Type is somewhat loaded with features. Where the Razer Tarantula is aimed at gamers, the Pro|Type is aimed at Apple users and iPod owners, therefore it has the Apple icons for opening the CD-bay and so forth.

The Package

The package that Razer delivers this Pro|Type keyboard in is quite heavy. On the front of it you can see the keyboard with a 4th generation iPod in the dock. This is actually representative of what is in the package because Razer has decided to supply this keyboard with dock adapters for only the 4th generation iPods. Since the dock itself is standard iPod dock form factor you can use the dock adapters supplied with 5th generation iPods along with this keyboard.



On the back of the package the layout of is explained, so that even a novice can find his or hers way around the multitude of functions that this keyboard has.



One of the things that surprised me a bit was how thoroughly the keyboard is packaged. Not only does the cardboard box have a styrofoam inlay but the keyboard is also in a plastic bag. As a final safety measure all of the gloss finish areas of the keyboard are covered with a plastic tape that you have to peel off before use.



With every Pro|Type you get a little user's manual. The user's manual is actually nice to have with this keyboard. Right after unpacking I was a bit confused, because the keyboard has a "line-out". But after browsing the manual I found that the "line-out" is for the iPod dock. I will explain this in more detail later in the review.



The Razer Pro|Solutions Pro|Type keyboard ships with the following items: user's manual incl. driver disc, two dock adapters for use with 4th generation iPods.

Closer Examination

It's clear that Razer has tried to give the Pro|Type the same aesthetic qualities as Apple's own keyboard lineup both in terms of color and the look of the dock system. I think that Razer has succeeded with this design. Not only does it look great it also incorporates a lot of decent functions besides the docking functionality.



One of the most interesting aspects of the Pro|Type keyboard is by far the iPod dock which is conveniently located top center on the keyboard.



As you can see it looks just like one of Apples own iPod docks. The iPod connector is tilted a bit so that you can look into the display of the iPod you have mounted while using the dock.



The dock can be used even without the proper adapters although it's not recommend and will probably void warranty since the iPod connector at the bottom of the dock bay is pretty weak.



The adapters for the dock ensure that the size of the hole fits your iPod. They are easy to install and remove, all you do is insert a nail or screwdriver into the recess and it pops right out. The two adapters that come bundled with the keyboard are for 4th generation iPods, but they can probably be used with 5th generation too although I haven't tested it.



I have tested this keyboard with an iPod Nano and it worked perfectly. All I did was install the smallest of the adapters even though it was too big it looked alright, of course the optimal solution would be to buy the proper inserts to ensure a snug fit. The iPod is a bit off center this is due to the fact that the port underneath the Nano is placed on the left side of the iPod instead of in the center.



One of the things I like about the new Razer keyboards is that they connect to the PC via two USB connectors instead of just one. This means that you can plug in two power consuming USB devices to the keyboard without the USB-hub power supply being overloaded.



The Pro|Type looks much like its Razer gaming sibling the Tarantula gaming keyboard. The major difference between the two is that the Pro|Type has an iPod dock where the Tarantula has a battledock where you can install Razer's own web cam or a lighting system called "Battlelight". Another thing worth noting is that the Pro|Type doesn't come with any special character keys, or a key remover for that matter, so if you are looking for a customizable keyboard the Pro|Type isn't going to meet your needs.



One of the things that surprised me a bit is that the line-out on the back of the keyboard actually is the line-out for the iPod you have mounted. This means that you can connect the keyboard to your room's sound system, effectively bypassing the PC's audio system. Besides the line-out this keyboard has two USB connectors.



Besides the L and R macro keys the Pro|Type sports some media controls and "Windows picture viewer" controls. The keyboard also has a "Home" button and a Sleep/Standby button on the left side. After using the keyboard for a while I began to appreciate both the handy media player controls and the "Windows picture viewer" buttons, both sets of keys are extremely neat to have and facilitate the use of media and picture processing programs. Below the media player controls the keyboard features a volume control button and a shuffle and mute button. Especially the volume control is quite nice to have at hand when you, like me, use a pair of headphones without a cord controller.



The design of the media and picture viewer controls is identical, giving the keyboard a symmetric look.



Another key feature of the Pro|Type is the R and L keys. They are essentially back lighted buttons that you can assign macros to. The only problem with the macro function is that you can only assign up to 8 keystrokes to it.



Since the keyboard is held in a pearly white color the blue back lighting behind the L and R keys are reflected up from the key bay. It looks like blue light gently flowing out from beneath the buttons. The effect of the back lighting can be seen both in daylight and at night.

One of the small Razer details is the pulsing Razer logo in the wrist rest.