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Reviewing the new Mac Mini with my LG widescreen monitor, I quickly realised I needed the right keyboard and mouse for the Mac. I did not have the Mac Magic keyboard, mouse, and trackpad, which I find perfect for use on iMacs and other macOS devices. This is why, when the opportunity came to review the wireless Echelon accessories for macOS, I asked them to send me the keyboard and mouse.
The Echelon rechargeable keyboard and mouse are both white in colour and connect wirelessly to the Mac. The setup was quite easy, though not as seamless as it is when you have Apple accessories in front of the Mac. Still, I was up and running in minutes. I would have loved to have a kickstand below to adjust the height a bit more.
The Echelon keyboard is quite slim, and the design aesthetics clearly match those of Apple. This is a full-size keyboard with a dedicated row for function keys and blocks for the cursor keys and number pad. I am not really a number pad user, but I felt this gives you an advantage while working with spreadsheets. Just above the number pad are the Bluetooth buttons that let you toggle between up to three different devices, which is good if you have your iPhone and iPad also set up nearby.
Though housed on a slim chassis, the keys offer the right amount of travel for you to keep working on it for long hours. It also has a bounce that I love in the keyboard; it’s almost like a feedback mechanism. Also, while reviewing sheets with multiple rows, it helps that there is a key that adjusts to show more on the screen. There are also dedicated keys for global search, Launchpad, and even one to bookmark a page with a single tap.
All of this makes it easy to use the keyboard without having to use a mouse most of the time. But our hands do crave a mouse, especially when working on a large screen. The mouse is still your best tool for navigating large screen real estate and making the best use of it.
However, when setting up the Echelon rechargeable mouse, I found that it did not connect to my Mac via Bluetooth as expected. Instead, I had to use the included USB dongle for connectivity. This posed a challenge since the Mac Mini does not have a USB-A port, only USB-C, so I needed a converter before the mouse would work properly.
The mouse has a good compact feel in the hand, and the clicks are soft too. On my desk, it did move well, though the roller button felt a bit stubborn and needed a bit of cajoling to get moving at times.
I am only worried about the white colour, which could turn a hindrance in the long run under Indian conditions.
At Rs 6,490 for the keyboard and Rs 2,490 for the mouse, the Echelon combo is a strong value choice for those looking to enhance their macOS setup. It works almost as well as native Apple accessories at a much lower cost.
