Introduction

The Eclipse Wireless Litetouch keyboard from Mad Catz comes with an interesting 3-in-1 LCD touch panel and functions can be assigned to each key like shortcuts to our preferred programs or up to a maximum of three individual websites, all of which will open at the same time and all at the touch of just one button.



I want to thank Mad Catz for making a review of their Eclipse Wireless Litetouch Keyboard possible.



About Mad Catz

“Mad Catz is a leading global provider of innovative products for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz develops and markets accessories for videogame systems and PCs under its Mad Catz (casual gaming), Saitek (simulation), Cyborg (pro gaming), Eclipse (home and office) and TRITTON (gaming audio) brands. Mad Catz also operates e-commerce and content websites for videogame and PC products under its GameShark brand, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary earphones under its AirDrives brand and publishes and distributes video/PC games. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia.”

Features:

litetouch™ LCD touch-sensitive Media Panel.

Trueview™ backlit keys.

Low profile quiettouch™ scissor keys

2.4GHz wireless; Up to 30ft / 10m range

Intelligent power control, extending battery life

Slim profile: A full sized keyboard for a compact space

Product description :

At home in both the living room and the office, the highly versatile wireless litetouch keyboard fuses state-of-the-art technology with minimalist design, producing a keyboard which places you at the center of the experience, no matter what the task at hand.

Communicating over a wireless 2.4GHz connection, the litetouch keyboard features an integrated 360° trackball with left and right mouse buttons, negating the need for a separate mouse and proving ideal for living room internet surfing. Low profile backlit quiet touch™ scissor keys combine with intelligent power control, reducing eye strain, extending battery life and allowing you to operate in a dimmed environment.

Packaging

The Eclipse Wireless Litetouch keyboard from Mad Catz comes in a nice black box with a drawing of the product in the center, the brand name in the upper right, some icons that reflect the main product features and the full name of the product in the lower right:



Here is a close-up on the front icons:



On the bottom part of the box, we can find some of the product features described right on the keyboard itself, in multiple languages:



The top cap of the box can be opened and this way we can reveal what is written under it, some more explanations regarding the display and its indicators:



Inside the box, we can find the keyboard along with its accessories inside a transparent plastic enclosure:



The keyboard does also come with a transparent plastic bag which includes more bundle, the wireless adapter, the power adapter, but also the USB charge cable:



The Wi-Fi adapter does have the QC Passed sticker on top and the Eclipse logo on the lateral:



On the back of the dongle, we can find the model code and the FCC ID:



The power adapter that comes with the keyboard is very useful, because we do not need to keep one computer powered on, just to recharge the battery of the device; this is rated 5V/1.5A:



The rest of the documentation can be found inside a cardboard envelope, which imitates leather and has the Eclipse logo on top:

A Closer Look

Inside, we can find the Wireless Litetouch user guide, a presentation guide of the rest of the Eclipse product line, a CD with the necessary drivers and applications, but also some words regarding the technical support and warranty:



Inside the little brochure, we can find photos and descriptions of the Litetouch keyboard, the Touchmouse and the Mobilemouse, all having very interesting and unusual designs:



Inside the User Guide, which we can also find online, there are instructions on every page, in multiple languages, that teach us how to operate the keyboard and its software:



The keyboard contains a very confortable wrist rest and it features low profile scissor keys, very silent when pressed(this kind of design can be found on many laptop keyboards too).



In the numeric pad area we can see the LED display, which is covered with a drawing that must be peeled of before the first use; a little down we can see the trackball, relatively easy to operate, and the two mouse buttons:



When we peel off the protective plastic film, we can reveal the LCD screen, where the numeric pad and other useful information will be shown:



The trackball along with the two mouse buttons are made from quality components and do not make noise when operated; when we move the trackball, we will also notice a red LED light coming from inside the trackball mechanism:



Here is a closer look on the wrist rest; on the left side we can find a larger Eclipse logo:



When looking from the bottom of the keyboard, we can realize how slim it is; this also traduces in having a low weight:



On the right side of the keyboard, right under the LCD display zone we can find the holes for a little speaker, which makes some clicks if the LCD-drawn buttons are pressed:

In each corner of the bottom of the keyboard we can find rubber feet, to avoid the product scratching the surface, but also to keep it steady on the table:



In the upper part, we can see two moveable feet that can be raised to make the keyboard stay at an angle (for the people that prefer to do that):




On the same side, we can find the ON/OFF button:



On one of the laterals, we can find the mini USB port that can be used for charging the device:



When powered on, the keyboard is lit between the keys and through the letters with a pleasing white light:



The touch panel will also light up with the same color; the manufacturer recommends us to fully charge the keyboard before using it. During this time, the battery indicator on the right will be animated, showing that the battery is charging; after the charge is completed, the battery will be shown in its full state:

The Keyboard Software

After the keyboard is fully charged, we can connect the dongle in a spare USB port and start installing the software on the CD, or we can download the latest software from the Eclipse website:



The software will update the drivers for any attached controllers and install the application with which we can customize the functionality of the product:



After the driver and application installation is complete, we will be prompted to run the Profile Editor:



When the Profile Editor is started, we will get the “Smart Technology” logo on the screen:



The interface of the software is very simple to use; on the top part we can create a new profile, open a previously saved one, save the modifications to the current profile, save as a new profile, test the settings or apply them; in the central part we get to see with white the buttons that we can customize and the ones that are greyed out are non-customizable; in the “my eclipse” mode we can modify all the functions of the buttons, with the help of the right part interface:



In the interface located in the right part of the application, we can select one of the autodetected applications installed in Windows to assign to a key:



By clicking on the magnifier glass, we can search manually for the application in a Windows Explorer like application, but we can also delete the assigned function by clicking on the barrel. To the keys we can also assign web shortcuts by using drag and drop from the browser or we can drag already existent shortcuts from the Desktop to a specific key to assign it:



After we have assigned the applications we want to the specific keys, we can test them by pressing the test button; a test window will appear:



There is one more mode in which we can assign more buttons:



The Volume indicator/modifier has a double function; besides changing the volume by sliding our finger on the touch surface, we can also modify the light intensity. For doing this we must first press the upper little “sun” button:



The “Volume” indication will disappear and the little “sun” will appear near the modifier. When the adjustment is complete, we can leave the modifier alone and the keyboard will switch back by itself to the “Volume” mode:

Conclusive Thoughts

The keyboard from Mad Catz named Eclipse Wireless Litetouch makes a great addition for media center computers or where a remote keyboard with integrated trackball and lighted keys comes in handy, a cramped desk or just on to go. As an added bonus you get the dedicated LCD, and programming the keys with custom functions is easy enough and everyone should be able to do it.

I did not have problems with the Touch Panel responsiveness either; the keyboard responded promptly to each press of the button.

It also has some power saving features:

if the keyboard is charging and it is not used for a while, the lighting intensity will be lowered automatically

if the keyboard is on batteries and it is not used for a while, the lighting system will first adjust to the lowest intensity and after some more time it will turn off.

Including a power adapter is also a nice addition, because we do not have to leave a computer on just to charge the keyboard.

I do not recommend leaving the keyboard on if not used for large period of times (with computer off), because you might find that it will not power on (batteries discharge completely over time). There's a wired version of this keyboard available too, you save about €20 on the price.

There are two problems that we must keep in mind:

keyboard seems to pick up a lot of dust and fingerprints in the touch panel zone;

the price of the product is a little high, and might not be attractive for all people because of that (about 109,90 EUR in online stores for the wireless version).



There are not many products which combine the features provided by the Mad Catz Eclipse Wireless Litetouch Keyboard, so if you're in the market for an easy to use wireless keyboard with back lightening, and don't mind an extra trackball and love to show off a fancy LCD panel, the Eclipse makes for a tempting solution!



I would like to thank again to Mad Catz for making this review possible.