Driver

There is no software driver support for the Adesso AKB-636UB, with all functionality being hardware based. As such, I have chosen to combine the Driver and Performance pages into one.

Performance

There is six-key rollover USB here, as Aqua's test confirms. The product page as well as the retail pages originally mentioned "N-key rollover function which permits up to 6 keys to be pressed at the same time", which is misleading and not accurate. I did let Adesso know, and their representatives quickly acknowledged this and corrected it almost immediately. 6KRO is native to USB and is fine for what this keyboard is aimed at considering that does not include modifier actions in the count (CTRL, Shift, etc.). No key chatter was detected using Switch Hitter, so all is good on that end.

There is not much else to describe here which you already aren't aware of - especially if you read the review of the AZIO MK Retro. This is a fairly standard keyboard in that it does everything expected of a QWERTY keyboard, but better than most office keyboards. The keycaps are unique-looking, but once more I ended up taking longer than I would prefer to get used to them, with minimal support offered and a smaller-than-average concave surface offering little help for touch typing. The earlier experience with the AZIO clearly did not help much as I had to again spend more time on getting used to not relying on the keycaps to navigate my fingers around. Once again, for a keyboard marketed for typists, it did feel like a weakness in the actual typing experience. The secondary functions tied in with the function keys work just fine and were well configured, so I found myself using them on a fairly regular basis once I got the hang of the keyboard itself.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the Adesso AKB-636UB sample at ~80 WPM. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with clicky switches. I did bottom out, although it is definitely possible not do so for a quieter typing experience. In terms of actuation and bottoming out, I have used Outemu Blue switches before, and they were as impressive then as they are now. These are extremely consistent, and I would say smoother than most Cherry MX Blue switches I have tried. These particular ones had an average actuation force of 49.90 cN averaged across twenty keys on the sample provided. Bottoming out seemed regular too, with an average bottoming-out force of 60.15 cN at ~4 mm, and nothing jumped out at me that was any different from the rest. There is also a satisfying, substantial tactile bump, and this keyboard's clicky sound is pleasing to my ears.