Well, there isn't a whole lot that came in the box. There's the keyboard obviously, and a little microfiber cloth to help keep the Crystal nice and clean. As for first impressions, the Enermax Crystal keyboard is simply striking in appearance. The circular diamond cut finish is gorgeous, and I quite like it. Quickly sliding my fingers across the surface tickles a little bit, and the zipping sound it makes is kinda neat.
The first thing to notice with the Crystal is the weight. It weighs nearly twice that of a regular keyboard, and with good reason. Honestly, the only plastic to be found on the keyboard is that which comprises the keys. Everything else is solid Aluminum through and through. This keyboard should honestly, last years, if not decades. Here's a quick rundown on some of the specs, right from Enermax.
| Enermax Crystal Keyboard (KB001U) |
| Interface |
USB |
| Audio I/O |
AC97 |
| Power Source |
USB +5V |
| Weight |
1150 grams |
| Dimensions |
L 407 x W 168 x H 23.5 mm |
Upon quick visual inspection, there was something I just had to take apart. On the bottom of the Enermax Crystal Keyboard is an Aluminum plate that is held in place by four Phillips flat head screws. Well, since I have a screw driver handy, I might as well pop it off and see what lies beneath. I did, and found nothing, absolutely nothing. This plate is nothing more than a logo, oh well.
But as usual with me, I just had to dissect this keyboard to its furthest. Now I know that I said that this keyboard is of all Aluminum construction, but there has to be some plastic somewhere. So, eight screws later and the Aluminum portion of the keyboard was off. I hope Enermax forgives us for this, but we simply had to look inside.
First of all, I advise that home users not do this. You can if you really want to, but it will void your warranty and could stick you with a dead keyboard. On the other hand, curiosity will always get the better of everyone. There was this little 'Do Not Remove' sticker one the bottom of the Enermax Crystal, covering up one of the screws. That little label went bye-bye and eight screws came out. This allowed the Aluminum top of the Crystal to be removed. As you can see, there isn't much to the innards of a keyboard, just a bunch of keys. And though I could, I'm hesitant to try and pop off the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) to which the keys are attached.
As you can see, all of the keys on the Enermax Crystal have an extremely low profile. It does feel like a laptop keyboard, but with a slightly denser spring to the keys. Obviously, the throw of the keys is much shorter than that of any other conventional keyboard. Your fingers don't have to descend as far to tap and type. The reason for this lies beneath every key in the Crystal. Enermax has employed what they term as 'Scissor Technology'. It sound impressive, but it is actually quite simple. As you can see in the preceding two pictures, there is this scissor type device beneath each key. This allows each key to descend evenly. It also reduces the height of the keys as the buttons underneath can be of a lower profile. Typical keyboards will use buttons with springs, and those springs are pretty tall. The first picture is from Enermax, showing what their 'Scissor Technology' looks like. The second is one that I took myself. I had popped off one of the keys just to get a closer look.
Conversely, the layout of the keys is far tighter than a conventional keyboard. As you can see, the keys of the Enermax Crystal are smaller and slightly more cramped than the keys of a our other Microsoft we had laying around. Something else to note is the lack of any 'Hot Keys'. You know, that single key that will launch an Internet browser, or e-mail client, or even the calculator. These are nice, and having volume controls right at the keyboard is even nicer. Sadly, the Crystal doesn't have these convenient little additions. This may be the one greatest negative of the Enermax Crystal. I asked a number of people, and many had said that they use hot buttons all the time. Personally, I don't use them much at all. For most, this simple lack of convenience would have them shy away from the Crystal.
And, there is yet another difference to the Enermax keyboard as it pertains to its key design. If you look closely, you'll notice that some of the keys have been moved around. We're all familiar with the standard directional arrow keys and that cluster of keys just above it. Well, they've all been squished together and slightly shifted around. I had found it irritating not having the Control (Ctrl) key on the right hand side of the keyboard. I am right handed, and use that Control key in a number of applications. But looking closely, you will notice how the Insert key has usurped the Control keys home. Insert is quite rarely used, but has its place. Perhaps Enermax could have gotten rid of that second Windows key. That key is pretty useless.
Then there are the customary LEDs above the Num Pad. They are simply there to tell you what is activated, whether it be the Num Lock, Caps Lock, or Scroll Lock. Not too special, but nice. But as you can see, there aren't actually any LEDs on the surface of the keyboard. The LEDs are surface mounted to the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) of the Crystal. The clear plastic diffuser simply carries the light to where you can see it. I've seen it on printers and other peripherals before, and believe it or not, it actually helps. The light is softer and there are no wires to run, cutting construction costs.
Now if we look to the left hand side of the Enermax Crystal, we will find two audio ports. One is for Microphone and the other for Headphones. On the end of the Crystals USB cable are two 1/8" audio jacks which you simply plug into the sound ports. It helps having these ports here so you don't always have to explore through the jumble of cables in behind just to find that one little I/O.
One more thing that is a big seller for the Crystal is the included rear USB 2.0 ports. Yes, there are two USB ports on the back of this keyboard. Incredibly handy for tossing in a USB Thumb Drive to drag files about. They are a bit out of the way and a little odd to plug into, but just like any USB port, you get used to it. And finally, there are a couple of tilting rubber feet. Pretty much every keyboard made has these feet to raise or lower the tilt of the typing surface. They do their job well enough and help to keep the Crystal from slipping and sliding across the desk.
The Enermax Crystal keyboard is a beauty to behold, with some minor differences. We'll have to see if the size and configuration of the Crystal make any real difference at all. So let's see what can be done to test the Crystal.
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