The emergence of crowdfunding websites has brought funding sources for emerging intelligent hardware, and the open source Android has provided soil for the development of intelligent hardware, which is why intelligent hardware has mushroomed in recent years. If the Surface Pro is an ultrabook without a keyboard (the keyboard is an accessory), on the contrary, is there a computer with only a keyboard but no screen? Zhiku oneBoard pro+intelligent keyboard is such a product.

On August 6, 2014, ZhikuoneBoard Pro+was officially released in Beijing, and then launched in October 2014 in JD crowdfunding. After that, the crowdfunding successfully started mass production and began shipping at the end of December. It can be seen that for such an Android computer without a screen but with a mechanical keyboard, geeks are also very interested in ZhikuoneBoard Pro+. At present, ZhikuoneBoard Pro+has been sold, The price is 1899 yuan (the current price of Jingdong Mall is 1699 yuan).

OneBoard Pro+Get Started

I have to say that oneBoard Pro+is a very heavy device. Its moving weight makes it difficult for me to connect it with the common mechanical keyboard. It is too heavy than the 13 inch MacBook Pro. In terms of this weight, I gave up the idea of taking it out, so I positioned it as a complete desktop device. In addition, it is a device to be connected to the display.

In addition to the keyboard itself, it also comes with an HDMI cable, a PC cable for connecting PC (one side is similar to DVI interface, the other side is HDMI and USB interface), a power cable and a disassembly kit. The oneBoard Pro+adopts a modular design internally. According to the official statement, it will introduce upgraded hardware to let users DIY themselves. It is a pity that it does not include an HDMI to VGA connector, which makes my old LG monitor not call this device at all.

OneBoard Pro+has different playing methods according to different needs. You can use it to connect the monitor separately and make an Android host; The second is to connect it to the computer chassis and use it independently with the desktop system for dual system use; The third is to use its mechanical keyboard function alone.

But I think the third one is the most boring. Otherwise, why not buy a pure mechanical keyboard? But if you really want to use it as a pure mechanical keyboard, just connect this end of the PC cable DVI interface to the keyboard and the other end of the USB interface to the computer. Since this one is the first version, When using, you need to connect the power cord and HDMI interface to activate it.

Connecting the monitor for direct use is the simplest one. Simply speaking, connect the monitor with HDMI cable, and then it can directly output images to the monitor. Since then, this keyboard has become an Android system host.

In addition to connecting the oneBoard Pro+to the monitor, the attached PC Line cable should also be connected to the USB and HDMI interfaces of the computer. After that, you can use the Tai Chi key in the upper right corner to switch between two systems. According to my use, the switching speed is about two seconds, which is satisfactory. If you unplug the keyboard at this time, you can use it as a purely mechanical keyboard. There is also a strange panda key in the lower left corner of the keyboard. I can't understand what it means just by looking at the icon. Later, I found that it acts as the home key in Android and the windows key in Windows.

The oneBoard Pro+uses a 5V 2A power adapter. If the charger cannot be found, it can also be replaced by a mobile phone charger of the same specification. But remember that the keyboard power supply is a USB Type-B interface.

The black axis mechanical keyboard feels good

As a mechanical keyboard, I will try to use it as a productivity tool. Although the intelligent part is important, the keyboard part cannot be fooled around. OneBoard Pro+has a compact American keyboard layout with 83 keys. It feels rhythmic and flexible. Many people like the tactile feedback of mechanical keyboard. In contrast, the feedback of my own Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard will feel soft. If you look carefully, you can see that there are some strange icons on F1-F12. In fact, these are special shortcut keys for Android system. For example, you can use Fn+F10 to complete screenshots.

The oneBoard Pro+uses Cherry's original black shaft, and the knock life theory can reach 50 million times. In terms of noise, the oneBoard Pro+feels good, but if it is used in the office, the sound of keyboard tapping can be heard within five meters. Personally, I don't think it matters, but maybe some people prefer a quieter office environment. It is said that Zhiku will later launch tea reels and green reels to meet the needs of different people.

Remember when I was a child, the white keyboard commonly used in Windows 95 was used in computer classes. (Little overlord has a lot of fun.) At that time, the keyboard usually had two small brackets. After opening, the keyboard showed a gradient for easy use. Although oneBoard Pro+does not have a movable bracket, it adopts gradient design. Intuitively, the farthest button is one finger wider than the nearest one. This design will make my wrist feel more comfortable when typing.

Finally, let's talk about the interface on the back of the keyboard. On the back, you can see a power interface, an HDMI interface, a PC interface near the middle, an SD card slot, and two USB interfaces on the far right. A headphone connector is also provided on the left side of the keyboard. On the whole, the workmanship of oneBoard Pro+is excellent. Two pieces of aluminum alloy steel plates are spliced together, which is very similar to an Ultrabook (actually more like MacBook Air) from the side. The four corners feel smooth, but a little flaw can be seen at the seam.

In order to provide backlight function to adapt to different light environments, oneBoard Pro+also uses LED light sources of different colors to display keys in different areas. The letters are green backlights commonly used in game keyboards. (Reminds of Alienware's rainbow like keyboard backlight). It can also be quickly recognized in a dark light environment. The keyboard backlight intensity supports 7 levels of adjustment. If you feel dazzling, you can also use the Fn+shift key combination to completely turn it off. Personally, it's pretty cool

Don't trust Android tablet ecosystem

In fact, the biggest highlight of oneBoard Pro+is not the mechanical keyboard itself, but it has a complete customized Android 4.4.2 system. When I use it, I can clearly feel that oneBoard Pro+has some optimization for large screen displays, such as the most important buttons arranged in the lower left corner of its launcher interface, This design is obviously close to the usage habits of Windows users. Whether you enter the program drawer from the desktop or return to the desktop, just click on the lower left corner and it will be OK. Surprisingly, oneBoard Pro+also has a function similar to the Windows taskbar. Open programs will be displayed in the lower left corner and can be dragged up and closed.

OneBoard Pro+has pre installed the App Bao HD store. I think that after years of development, the Android tablet ecosystem has basically been built, but the reality still slapped me hard. Apart from a few video software that are OK, there are only a few pieces of crude "HD" software, some of which have been "XX has stopped running", and QQ HD has been on the black screen since it was opened. But don't think too well of those video software. At least when I used Baidu Music HD and iQiyi HD, they crashed four or five times before my eyes. The lower right corner is the status information such as network and time. Clicking it will also expand the Android notification bar.

Speaking of this, I would also like to criticize the browser that comes with OneBoard Pro+. Although it still looks like that after opening, what is the problem without UA control, so that I can always access the website optimized for mobile phones on the display? I don't know whether I have no confidence in myself. It also gives you the "Dolphin Browser" as an alternative. Now I can get rid of the terrible situation of the mobile interface displayed on the big screen. In addition, the lack of double finger zoom function also makes me feel very inconvenient. For example, when the content of the gallery and the browser page is too small, you should know that double finger zoom is the most commonly used gesture on mobile phones. (See below for temporary alternatives)

Although the official main function is to play mobile games on the display, most mechanical keyboards are also excellent productivity tools. Since most people in China cannot connect to Google Play, I chose the more popular WPS software in China to test typing. The touch is OK, the response speed is OK, and the interface is OK. In addition to the basic function of WPS, the random code is OK. Impression Notes is another app I tested. The interface has also been optimized for the large screen and changed to two columns. It feels very similar to the web version, but it responds more quickly. So my conclusion is that oneBoard pro+is barely a productivity tool, and simple code words are still OK. However, due to the immature productivity software, the feel bonus brought by mechanical keyboard has been weakened.

One upgrade saved the mobile game operation

Before testing the game, first understand the basic configuration of oneBoard pro+. After all, no matter whether it is a PC platform or a mobile phone, as long as you play the game, you need some basic configuration to play well. OneBoard pro+uses the RK3288 platform processor of Ruixin Microprocessor. The four 1.8GHz Cortex-A17 cores have strong performance and do not support 64 bit operations. In terms of GPU, Mali-T764 is adopted, and the main frequency is 600MHz. In terms of performance, it is difficult to run large-scale 3D games at high resolution. Mobile online games and ordinary 3D games can be easily eaten. The built-in 16G storage space is smaller.

Well, now it's time for the official promotion of the main selling point, that is, playing mobile games on the big screen. Let's start with stand-alone games. The game I used to play more with the keyboard was racing games. Now I want to review my feeling at that time, so I decided to download "Top Speed 17" from "Thumb Play", the most commonly used game store in China. But after more than half an hour of downloading, I only got one sentence: CPU incompatibility. (Just smile at this time: -). However, how could I be intimidated by the difficulties and resolutely change to "Real Racing 3" to continue. But the result is still the familiar word "incompatible".

OK， The next fighting game "Cardinals" finally looks normal, But then I found that the keyboard was almost useless , can not be used to operate tasks, and using the mouse to operate combat games is simply a disaster. Later, I also tested the online game "Hunter Alliance", which is a horizontal 2D scroll action game. It was the time when keyboard operation showed great power, but the keyboard still did not play its role. I also tested the "Nationwide Assault", and the "World HD" did not work, so the "World HD" played well with the mouse. This result makes me feel that I need to recheck my IQ.

Everything in the world has a turning point. What I'm going to say next is very important for oneBoard Pro+to play games. When I first got this smart keyboard, I saw that it had a system upgrade, but at that time, the game test was carried out without an immediate upgrade. After I met with a rebuff, I decided to upgrade first and then look at it. This upgrade of Zhiku introduced an important function - Wankong. In short, Wankong is to map the three functions of mouse clicking, gesture sliding and rocker operation to the keyboard. In the game, you can click the floating window icon of Wankong or press F9 on the keyboard to start the Wankong function. After mapping the virtual buttons on the screen to the keyboard according to the wizard, the whole operation is completely different like flowing water. From the previous mouse click to the crying instant, the enemies are all cut down like cutting melons and chopping vegetables, Like the previous fighting games "Cardinal" and "Hunter Alliance" that could not be operated with the keyboard, they can now run perfectly, and use the keyboard as quickly as touch without delay. Unfortunately, the "National Assault" requires high accuracy, and the effect of Wankong simulation is still poor, which makes it impossible for me to target the enemy perfectly.

For vertical design games, such as the classic airplane game "Thunderbolt" series, oneBoard Pro+provides a "center" screen mode. Through F10, you can switch between horizontal, center, and vertical screens, allowing users to choose the most suitable method for application use.

In addition, most simulators have their own keyboard mapping function, so they play basically the same way as under Windows. I tested using Gensoid to play the classic fighting game "Youyoubaishu: Magic Power United War" on MD, which is very OK. I regained the feeling of computer abuse before, but remember to change the keyboard to English status when playing all games, otherwise it will be recognized that typing affects operation.

The Wankong function also provides a temporary solution for the double finger zoom. The sliding gesture is set according to the double finger zoom, and then it can be operated by pressing the key. According to the communication with the official, the next upgrade firmware can support the mouse wheel zoom. Before upgrading, use this function to replace it.

summary

The black axis mechanical keyboard of oneBoard Pro+is excellent in feel. Although the green axis is traditionally preferred in typing, the general typing requirements can also be well fulfilled. The compatibility of game functions has been greatly improved since the launch of the Wankong function. Even the mobile games of combat and action can be well controlled. The overall workmanship is also excellent. Although the weight is a bit surprising and does not have portability, it is reasonable to buy a mechanical keyboard with Android system for 1899 yuan.

In the final analysis, the significance of this product is not above the mechanical keyboard itself. The mechanical keyboard is just a carrier, and more importantly, it creates an entrance for mobile Internet applications and mobile games on the desktop. There is no problem in the idea of providing tablet software with a more PC like experience and mobile game users with more convenient control methods. However, the problem is that mobile applications are optimized for touch operation. From operation to interface, they are all designed to get rid of the existence of the keyboard. Reluctantly putting on the keyboard can only obtain a nondescript experience. Especially now, the Android tablet application ecosystem has not yet been built, and the operation of mobile applications is quite different from that of PC applications, It is also doomed that oneBoard Pro+is difficult to get a better experience in the environment of independent use.

What kind of people should recommend this smart keyboard? Maybe only those heavy mobile game enthusiasts who are tortured by touch operation will like this keyboard. In fact, in the process of using, I have thought for countless times that if this keyboard is not equipped with Android system, but a complete Windows system, what will it be like to use it.

Good comments:

1. The keyboard feels good

2. With multi-level adjustable backlight

3. The starter is optimized for large screen

4. Connect the display to display excellent mobile game picture

5. Wankong software can operate most games well

Poor comments:

1. The keyboard itself is too heavy

2. Android tablet application ecosystem is immature

3. Lack of double finger zoom function

4. Compatibility of some applications and games to be improved

Computer scoring: ★★★ (75 points)