Closer Examination

The Adesso AKB-636UB comes with a plastic clamshell cover on top to keep it tidy and clean when you remove it, and then there are multiple plastic wraps on the top and sides that need to be peeled off. Once done, you can get the full dose of the glossy, shiny keyboard design. The chosen black and silver colors fit fairly well and do not come off as gaudy if you so feared. The silver is more of a trim cover on the sides of the keyboard, and I was surprised by how well it hid my fingerprints. I would go so far as to even call this a semi-glossy finish, so do keep a microfiber cloth nearby. Something AZIO did was to include one, which was a nice touch, and I did find myself needing one by the time I was done testing the keyboard.


The keycaps are among the biggest selling points here, and they have a golden (or silver) trim to them to match the keyboard's color scheme. The legends themselves are actually not as large as those on the AZIO, with placement more central and in the bottom half. The font would be right at home on an MS Word document using a generic Times New Roman or Arial font, but works well enough and with no backlighting, so I have no real issues here. I did like the added detail of having button-style LED notification lights, though, which is another neat little touch.


Not much going on at the back. There are four rounded feet with a softer plastic bottom, but these feet are not rubberized, and there is some slight movement if you deliberately move the keyboard horizontally on your desk. The two feet at the top can be raised for tenting the keyboard, but it is different from the usual flip-to-raise style and needs to be demonstrated differently from another angle. But before I do so, notice that the cable is non-detachable and non-braided and terminates in a color-coordinated male USB Type-A connector. USB 2.0 is plenty enough for operation here because at the heart of it all, the AKB-636UB is a minimalist keyboard when it comes to function.


Time to take a look at the feet in action. As I mentioned before, these are different from the usual and use a twisting motion to raise or lower the keyboard instead. It works really well and does not have the disadvantage of having to flip or at least angle over the keyboard. The mechanism seems sturdy enough to last through a lot of actions, and over the course of the four weeks I was using the keyboard, there were no issues. There are two different height adjustments in addition to none at all, and between the three, you should find something suitable to your specific needs. Also note that the keycaps are fairly flat as far as their side profile goes, with no row different from another.


The keycaps are ABS plastic, but of multiple rather than a single part. The base is black in color, the legends are then pad-printed on, and the glossy silver trim is attached in place around the base. The trim itself has some minor processing marks from the coloring on the bottom of all the keycaps, but none that are visible from the top. Note also that these switches are not compatible with Cherry MX style stems even though the switches themselves appear to be a clone of the Cherry MX style mechanical switch. The switches have a blue stem but no visible branding, or identifier, and that is because only a small part of it is visible from under the top-panel piece. There is a raised housing that surrounds each switch, and this means that the keyboard is dust and splash proof. So a small liquid spill may not be the death of it after all, but do not take this as a promise of it being waterproof - that is another thing entirely. The switches used here are actually Outemu Blue switches, as we will see on the next page, and are clicky and tactile switches similar to the Cherry MX Blue switch. Larger keys have what looks like Cherry-style stabilizer as well. Given the nature of the keyboard, replacement keycaps will not be on the minds of prospective customers, and I do not recommend it either for compatibility reasons - the switch housing will prevent nearly all Cherry MX compatible keycaps from fitting.