Clever Keypads

A desktop PC's keyboard usually has a built-in extended numeric keypad, which is useful for inputting a lot of numbers. Laptop keyboards don't afford the same convenience. Now you can add a separate numeric keypad to your notebook with either of two $45 USB options: the Targus Wireless Keypad & Mouse Combo or Kensington Technology's Pocket Keypad Calculator. Kensington's model is particularly versatile since it doubles as a battery-powered calculator, with or without a PC connection. A mode button toggles between the keypad and the calculator, and a send button exports the number on the keypad's screen directly to the cursor point in a document. The Targus keypad doesn't calculate, but neither is it tethered to the PC by a cable. The unit communicates wirelessly with a finger-size USB receiver that also works with the included miniature, optical, scroll-wheel mouse. Both keypads include a previously omitted Backspace key.