Adesso’s keyboard is flexible, but breaks too easily

DALLAS – Any company that touts its products as being “virtually indestructible” is asking for trouble.

That’s the case for Adesso Inc., which recently released a new line of keyboards that it claims are both flexible and tough. They’re indeed rubbery. But durable? Hardly.

Walnut, Calif.-based Adesso says the keyboards are ideal for hospitals, libraries and marine applications where water or germs are a factor.

Made of a silicone material, the foldable keyboards come in either a full-size model with 109 keys or a mini version with 85 keys, both for $29.99. The test units I received were charcoal colored; white models are available, too.

I managed to defeat the full-size model in just a few days.

For some reason, the “8”, “i”, “,”and “k” keys suddenly stopped functioning. As a writer, this was a problem. A company spokesman said it was the first problem he’d heard of with the keyboard, but he said no replacement loaners were available for me to try another.

It wasn’t like I was furiously stomping on the poor thing. It was more like a quick, casual step, really.

Before it broke, I found the full-size version a pleasure to use – and perfect for travelers.

I never had any mechanical issues with the mini version, but it was too small for my hands and not much of an upgrade from the puny buttons on my laptop.

Weighing a scant 12 ounces, the full-size version – while it worked – felt surprisingly responsive to my fingertips, though the keys were perhaps a bit on the mushy side.

There was ample spacing between keys to prevent me from hitting the wrong key while taking notes, and the soft, pliable material made for a very quiet typing experience.

It was a definite improvement over the keyboard on my laptop. And best of all, it’s easy to fold up and toss in my backpack for trips.

You get all the normal function keys along the top, plus keys to wake up, sleep and power down your system. No drivers were provided or required for the USB keyboards. I simply plugged them into my laptop running Windows XP Professional and I was all set to go.

Since the keyboards are flexible, you’ll have to make sure you have a flat, solid surface to rest it on for typing.

I really like the idea behind this product: a foldable keyboard that’s ready for some inevitable spills and abuse. But it’s hard to recommend something that was so easily broken.