A road-warrior kit: Dell Pro keyboard, mouse, briefcase & backpack
It’s always interesting to see if a new keyboard option can make a difference to working life.
After all, it’s hard to beat what is (arguably) the gold standard in the form of the MX Keys from Logitech.
That said, the Dell Pro Wired Collaboration Keyboard KB525 has some appeal. It is said to be the world’s first collaboration keyboard certified by Zoom, featuring dedicated keys. We got hold of it alongside the Dell Pro Compact Silent Keyboard and Mouse KM555 and Dell Pro Compact Silent Mouse MS355.
And here’s the funny thing, given that we’re often “gifted” around a dozen vendor-branded backpacks a year at various events and conferences (rest assured, these do all invariably go to charity) – and I had been hanging on to the last VMworld backpack because it was compact and handy and had good straps – we actually rather liked the Dell EcoLoop Premier backpack and briefcase that came with this bundle.
A collaboration keyboard
Launched in August last year, the Dell Pro Wired Collaboration Keyboard KB525 is a “collaboration keyboard” (that’s now a thing, apparently) certified by Zoom, featuring dedicated keys allowing users to quickly turn video or microphone on and off, screen share and chat while on a conference call. It also has 15 programmable shortcut keys and quick access to Copilot in Windows, an AI Companion, with a dedicated Copilot key.
Dell promotes this product as especially silent, which is supposed to be a benefit for those people working in an office that want to cut down on their noise pollution.
Given that those of us who are professional writers (*ah-hem*, if you will) that circulate with a good amount of software engineers who are known for their love of “clacky-clack” old style keys, this may be be the most appealing product for all, but for corporate use it obviously has relevance.
Plunger, with lubricant, sir?
The Dell Pro Compact Silent Keyboard and Mouse (–KM555) and Dell Pro Compact Silent Mouse MS355 offer “plunger keys with a lubricant” for silent effect and silent switches, it eliminates all the distracting background noise that can otherwise be detrimental to office productivity.
The wireless Silent Keyboard and Silent Mouse offer a battery life of up to 36 months and a three-year Advanced Exchange Service for complete peace of mind.
Dell provides us with some research stats to back up its products. Some 80% of users (apparently) say battery life is a key consideration when purchasing a Wireless Keyboard or Mouse, which does make sense. A suggested 50% of users in a Dell study thought that noise in the workplace interfered with the ability to get the job done.
Dell says it maintains its commitment to the environment – the Collaboration Keyboard is constructed of up to 65% post-consumer recycled plastic (54% for the Silent Keyboard and Mouse).
100% OceanCycle Certified™
The Dell EcoLoop laptop and briefcase are also (almost annoyingly) nice i.e. I wanted to be able to consign more of these bags to charity as I have enough of them, but this is super tough and made to a high-quality grade.
“They are built to protect the planet too. With remote work becoming the new normal, these backpacks and briefcases are the perfect blend of security, convenience and environmental responsibility,” notes Dell. “The backpack and briefcase feature exterior main fabric made with 100% OceanCycle Certified™ recycled ocean-bound plastic from 19 (backpack) or 8 (briefcase) recycled plastic bottles collected within 50 miles of shorelines – helping to reduce ocean waste.”
Both the briefcase and backpack use a solution-dyeing process with 97% less greenhouse gas emissions, 96% less water, and 98% less fossil fuel than traditional dyeing methods. From the “hang tag” to the plastic bag, the packaging is crafted from 100% recycled materials. All of which is good stuff right?
The backpack and briefcase are an appealing option, the mouse units are well made (but still don’t compete with devices from Logitech or Razer) and they keyboards are good quality… even if we would prefer noisier ones.
