Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Review

What’s in the Box
The Conqueror features every key on a standard keyboard minus the numpad, page up/down, home, end, insert, and print screen. Although there are four programmable buttons that you can configure to make up for the missing keys. The feel of the keys are soft on your fingers because they’re rubber-like, but they aren’t too squishy or feel like they’re going to break. There are left and right click mouse buttons above the keyboard. Each is indented a bit making them easy to press. The controller/joypad layout is similar to the PlayStatiom 3’s, but the triggers are replaced with buttons. The bottom of the Conqueror includes the charge port and a storage area for the wireless dongle.

Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad

The bundled lithium-ion battery is relatively small and lightweight. It can power the Conqueror for about 20 hours of consistent use while taking a fraction of the time (3 – 4 hours) to charge. To charge up the Conqueror, you can use the supplied USB cable. It’s only about 3 feet long but it’s a pretty hefty 24 gauge cable. Lastly, the USB dongle is a glossy black and has a blue LED that illuminates when it is receiving data.

Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad

Setup & User Interface (UI)
Setting up the Air Keyboard Conqueror couldn’t be any easy. I plugged the wireless dongle into a USB port, Windows 7 immediately installed the drivers, I turned on the device and I could use all of the features (besides the programmable buttons). It’s awesome that the Conqueror works right out of the box, making it easy to use it on any computer without having to install drivers. Setup on the PS3 was equally as easy. Although, the programmable buttons can not be used on the PS3.

Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad Cideko Air Conqueror Keyboard / Gamepad

The only UI you’ll experience with the Conqueror is if you want to map keys or set the programmable buttons. The mapping software doesn’t have to be installed to use the device, but installing the software does give you a lot more control over how the Conqueror functions. For instance, I have assigned the programmable buttons to be show/hide desktop, center cursor, home, and end. You can also use the analog sticks to control the mouse cursor. Doing so will move the mouse cursor a bit slow, but it provides a lot of control over the mouse cursor. You can also have up to three custom profiles, just in case you’d like to use the Conqueror in vastly different scenarios. As a reminder, you must leave the key mapping programs open to get the desired effect. They don’t run as a service.