Oree Board Essential makes a statement, even before you begin typing
The Oree Board Essential is both a piece of art and a practical keyboard, ideal for home or office. Crafted from a single piece of hardwood, the Bluetooth keyboard is really lightweight, yet feels great while typing. The letters are engraved into the wood, so they won’t be wearing off, like so many paint-applied symbols on cheaper keyboards. As a matter of fact, it even comes with a lifetime warranty.
Bluetooth connectivity is remarkably easy, and all my devices instantly recognized it. If you don’t have Bluetooth, you can use it in USB mode. The micro USB connection on back is also used to recharge it.
The Oree keyboard is available in two hardwood choices: a light Maple or a darker Walnut. Both woods are sourced from their family-owned forests in the east of France. The beautiful wood graining is noticeable in both. Keyboard layouts are available in standard US layout as well as 21 other countries.
This compact keyboard also work with multiple operating systems: OS X, iOS, Android tablet or smartphone, and Windows 7 or later. I tried it with my iPhone, an Android Tablet and a Lenovo Windows 10 laptop. It worked perfectly with each.
To protect the Bluetooth keyboard from finger oil stains or water spills, the board has a matte-finish varnish applied to all surfaces. It can be cleaned when needed with a slightly damp cloth.
Despite its 78-key, compact size, many specialized keys and functions are included, like:
- Function key along with F1 through F12 keys
- Media keys including Play-Pause, FF, Reverse
- Audio keys for Mute, Louder and Softer
- Windows key
- Ctrl and Alt keys on either side of Spacebar
- Up, Down, Left, Right arrow keys
I got the Windows version, but you can also get a Mac version with standard Apple keys
At the top right of the keyboard, there are miniscule LED lights to indicate Caps Lock, Battery Level and Bluetooth connectivity
While you’re at it, you might want to also add a similarly beautiful touch pad/numeric keypad combination called the Touch Slab. I haven’t tested this yet, but I’d imagine it works just as flawlessly as the keyboard.
For its svelte form, this keyboard has an incredible amount of functionality. There’s a lot to like here — check it out at http://oree.co.
Disclosure: Oree sent us a Board Essentials keyboard to test so that we could prepare this review. Opinions, however, are strictly our own and we were not paid to complete this review.
Originally published at Doug Bardwell.
