Razer Pro Solutions Pro|Click v1.6 and Pro|Type

[PAGETITLE=Introduction] Even if Razerâ€™s products arenâ€™t your cup of tea, you still canâ€™t help but respect the reputation Razer has managed to build among the very upper echelon of PC and gaming enthusiasts. Razerâ€™s products embody an attention to detail which, in this writerâ€™s opinion, virtually no other PC peripherals manufacturer has been able to match. Razerâ€™s products focus exclusively on performance in PC gaming applications; as such, youâ€™re unlikely to find them on the desks of the local H&R Block. Recently, however, Razer rolled out their â€&oelig;Razer Pro Solutionsâ€ brand, whose aim is to bring that same level of design excellence and styling prowess to â€&tilde;professionalâ€™ users. Those who are familiar with Razerâ€™s gaming product line will recognize a few of the Razer Pro products, specifically the Pro|Click v1.6 mouse, which is simply the Razer Diamondback with a white plastic shell and light gray buttons, and the Pro|Type, which is essentially the Razer Tarantula in white. The Pro|Pad is simply a white Razer eXactMat. Like Razerâ€™s gaming product line, these â€&tilde;proâ€™ products target the high-end professional user, and that usually means Macs (hence the glossy white finish). Indeed, the press release (from 2005) which announced the Razer Pro Solutions brand was titled, â€&oelig;Razer meets Mac.â€ However, all models in the Razer Pro Solutions line retain full Windows capability â€“ Vista drivers are already available for the Pro|Click v1.6. Razer released the Pro|Type keyboard at CeBIT, but the Pro|Click v1.6 dates back to the very beginning of the Razer Pro division. Both are based on products which have already proven themselves to be solid performers in the demanding, highly-competitive gaming market, so they already have a significant amount going for them. Finally, with the availability of the Pro|Type, itâ€™s possible to have a full complement of Razer|Pro input devices, which may be precisely what the doctor ordered for those who are looking for more features and functionality than Appleâ€™s own keyboard and Mighty Mouse can provide. The arrival of both the Pro|Click and Pro|Type elicited considerable excitement â€“ with Razerâ€™s reputation for producing some of the very best input devices out there, I set immediately to work, putting both peripherals through their paces. Would the same features that won legions of gamers over to the Razer brand prove useful in a professional, productivity-oriented setting? Read on to see what I found out. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Packaging; Specifications] When it comes to packaging, Razerâ€™s is some of the best. Their retail cartons combine color, form, and even texture to enhance the allure of the product box. Unlike the dark, austere packaging of their gaming products, the Razer Pro Solutions products feature a bright white box with colorful accents, and product photos which give an ethereal impression of the productsâ€™ white finish. My first reaction upon seeing the Pro|Type keyboard was surprise; this is one exceptionally wide and deep keyboard. Iâ€™m loathe to kiss valuable desk space good-bye, which is why Iâ€™ve been using a Dell keyboard that eschews any type of extra space-hogging features, but the Pro|Type is a major step in the opposite direction. Also included with the Pro|Type are a pair of inserts, which allow the keyboardâ€™s built-in iPod dock to support the broad array of iPod form factors that have accumulated over the years. The stylish white finish nicely complements the already clean appearance of the keyboard. The Pro|Click v1.6 box is cube-shaped, and the mouse is nestled inside at an angle such that, when you open the lid, the mouse is attractively presented behind a clear PET shell. The box graphics are somewhat different from the Pro|Type, yet remaining relatively consistent with the Pro|Type, so that one could easily tell that the Pro|Click is a Razer Pro Solutions product. The mouse itself is white, with light gray buttons. Aside from its white finish, itâ€™s no different from the Razer Diamondback that I use on a daily basis. Pro|Type Specifications Spec Comment Model Pro|Type The Razer Pro|Type keyboard is most simply described as a Tarantula keyboard in white, with an iPod dock. The combination makes sense â€“ I wonder why we havenâ€™t seen it before now. Key Layout U.S. 104-Key + 25 function keys Like the Tarantula, the Pro|Type keyboard also includes ten programmable macro keys, and a set of quick-access keys that activate music player and image editing functions. Interface 2x USB This keyboard dominates two of your USB ports, one of which is specifically for the built-in iPod dock. Connectivity Wired Iâ€™m glad to see that Razer opted to go for a wired design. Wireless mice and keyboards require batteries, which can be expensive over time. However, I think the true reason for the wired design is the greater power appetite of the onboard illumination, which is always on while the PC is on. In addition, wired peripherals typically cost less than wireless peripherals of similar quality. Other Features 2-port USB hubiPod dock w/ L. OutAnti-Ghosting Logic The inclusion of a two-port USB hub can help offset the loss of two USB ports on the PC itself, offering an easier and more convenient location to connect mice, digital cameras, and flash drives. However, itâ€™s not a USB 2.0 hub. Pro|Click v1.6 Specifications Spec Comment Model Pro|Click v1.6 The Razer Pro Solutions Pro|Click v1.6 is actually a Razer Diamondback mouse in white, retaining all the features and functionality of its gaming counterpart. Buttons 7 + Wheel In addition to the two buttons and clickable scroll wheel, the Pro|Click v1.6 features two buttons on each side, for a total of seven buttons. In addition, the scroll wheel has 24 individual click positions, for high-resolution scrolling. Interface USB Yup. Itâ€™s USB all right. The connector itself features gold plating, a technique borrowed from the analog signal connectors of high-end audio systems. However, since mice deal with digital connections, this gold plating only serves to increase this productâ€™s bling-bling* quotient. Connectivity Wired; 16-bit data path; 7-foot cord The Pro|Click v1.6 doesnâ€™t go to sleep, or enter a low-power state, so itâ€™s always ready to respond to a sudden movement. This, in combination with the onboard illumination, would quickly drain the battery of any wireless device. I hate buying batteries, so Iâ€™m glad to see a wired interface. This mouse also transmits significantly more data back to the host PC, using a broad data pathway, to support high-resolution, high-speed performance. Hand Orientation Ambidextrous Whether youâ€™re right-handed or left-handed, you can comfortably use the Pro|Click v1.6. Sensor Infrared Optical; 1600DPI, 6400fps The light radiation from the infrared light engine is invisible to the naked eye, so thereâ€™s no red pollution of the blue illumination. The high resolution of the image sensor means more precise tracking of motion, while the high scan rate equates to seamless detection at high speeds of travel. Max. Speed 40ips (15g) Thanks to the high frame rate of the infrared optical sensor, this mouse can sense movement accurately at 40 inches per second, which equates to about 2.3 miles per hour. Thatâ€™s blisteringly fast for the short distances over which a mouse typically travels. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Pro|Type Features] The Razer Pro|Type is the newer of the two Razer Pro Solutions products in this article, having been released on April 6th of this year, so Iâ€™ll take a look at it first. Overall, thereâ€™s little to differentiate this keyboard from the Razer Tarantula gaming keyboard, with the exception of the white color and the addition of an iPod docking connector in the center of the top span. The Pro|Type keyboardâ€™s cable will claim two of your USB ports â€“ the extra USB connector is used for the iPod dock. The cable is thick and stiff up to the point where it splits into two cables, one for each of the gold-plated USB connectors. Between the Pro|Type and Pro|Click, the ensemble will claim three of your USB ports. However, the Pro|Type contains a two-port USB hub, allowing you to connect the Pro|Click mouse directly to the Pro|Type keyboard. The rear of the keyboard also contains a line-out jack for the iPod connector. The Delete key on the Razer Pro|Type is oversized, and the entire Insert-Home-Pageup-Pagedown-Delete key group is rotated 90 degrees, allowing it to fit into a narrower space. To accomplish the double-sized delete key, the â€&tilde;insertâ€™ key is moved up to the top right corner of the keyboard, with the Scroll Lock, Print Screen, and Pause keys. The Pro|Type also does without the second Windows key (labeled â€&tilde;Startâ€™) , allowing the arrow keys to be shifted slightly to the left. The layout changes aim to improve the efficiency of the plankâ€™s usage, but if youâ€™ve got any critical gaming functions assigned to the Insert key or the Insert-Home-Pageup-Pagedown-Delete key group, youâ€™ll want to be sure to revise those settings in your games. The Pro|Type keyboard features the same blue illumination as the Tarantula keyboard, underneath both arrays of macro keys and the â€&tilde;Profileâ€™ key, and under the Razer logo on the wrist-rest. The Razer logo lighting grows slowly brighter and then dimmer, for an effect which may have impressed bling-happy gamers in the case of the Tarantula keyboard, but is somewhat distracting in productivity settings. The Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock lights all use blue LEDs as well. At night, this keyboard glows so brightly that it can light up the ceiling of a darkened room, and the illumination can make it difficult to read the non-illuminated keys in a low light condition. The macro keys on each end of the keyboard can be programmable using the Razer-provided driver software, and independent sets of macros can be created for multiple programs. The illuminated...

Razer Pro Solutions Pro|Click v1.6 and Pro|Type

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