Posted December 31, 1969 by Scott Parrino

Saitek comes around with something that is sure to enlighten your desktop.

The standard keyboard serves your basic needs without so much the need of an add-on. You?ve got all the letters of the alphabet, your number row, spacebar, etc in a nice and neat package in front of you and if you?re a major typist, a cozy wrist rest in front of it. But after years of use, the letters are wearing off, some keys are sticking or not working, and if you were like my friend a few years ago, smashed in half or suffering from the effects of ?I lost this game so I will take my anger out on you Mr. Keyboard? syndrome. You can go out and buy another ho-hum keyboard or you can slide on by to Saitek?s site and purchase their Eclipse Keyboard.

The Eclipse is the concept of backlighting the keys on your keyboard rather than having a desk light on or squinting through the light your monitor provides to see where your keyboard is. While previous Saitek keyboards have just backlit the panel the keys are on, the Eclipse takes it one step further to illuminate all the keys with blue LEDs. What this provides is not only one of the coolest looking keyboards to have on your desktop, but a functional and practical use of the backlighting to assist you while in low-light environments (AKA its dark). I say this in all truth because as of recently the ceiling fanlights that provides the sole source of light in my room when the sun sets went out a month ago and so now I deal with a desk light. The amount of light from the lamp is not a lot, but the blue lighting on the keyboard help in keeping my work area (read: keyboard) visible.

That being said the Eclipse isn?t tacky looking. It is based off of Saitek?s previous PC Gaming Keyboard minus the extra keypad. Now covered in a sturdy black finish all around, the Eclipse looks professional on any desk. Silver keys with the blue LEDs actually match pretty well and went it is completely pitch black don?t affect the visibility of the keys. In fact I am typing with all the lights off in my room and can easily see all the keys without any problems. If you don?t want the blue lighting during the day or you wish to dim it, no problem. You can select from off, semi-lit, to full lit with the convenient button on the keyboard. Also along that row in the upper right is a mute button and volume up and volume down buttons for those who want to keep it quiet at night. Speaking of quiet, the key presses are smooth and are nearly silent. The Eclipse also has a rather large spacebar, but you?ll find that it comes in handy as it provides a rather comfortable rest for your thumbs and ease of use. For those that like support the Eclipse comes with an adjustable wrist supporter. The keyboard also has the stands to raise it up at an angle, but for me it seems as if it is not enough. After about a week though, it didn?t matter as I adjusted quite easily. Installation of the Eclipse was a breeze with its USB connection. The only problem I had was which USB to use.

Overall the Eclipse keyboard is perfect for gamers and normal people who operate at night or in dark places. The sleek and sturdy Eclipse offers everything a keyboard can and then spices it up with some great blue LEDs. The Eclipse currently costs 60 dollars, a high price when compared to basic keyboards that you can find anywhere else, but if you want to have a great looking keyboard without going through the trouble of modding your keyboard for this look, it is worth it.