First thing’s first. What’s up with the name? I thought cyborg names were a distant past of the age of magnetic drives and flashing LED lights. Intel could have continued their 80×86 naming scheme, which would have been up to about 801186 by now, but they went down the Pentium path because they didn’t want their CPUs to sound like a model of vacuum cleaners. Product names should definitely come without the list of keywords associated with the product, and even less so, a 4-digit number. I also smell a lawsuit coming up.
Second thing. The design rocks. I’m a big fan of laptop-styled keyboard because the keys are not extruded as much, so you don’t have to push your fingers all the way. I have weak fingers OK? Also, they’re super quiet, so you can touch type without waking up the neighbours. The thin form-factor is also very stylish, but it looks as easy to break as a wafer.
The price? Who knows. Knowing this is aimed towards Media Center users and technology enthusiasts, it’ll cost probably more than it should. But this would work well as a “Vista package” for the enthusiasts, a set of launch products including Vista Ultimate, Office 2007, keyboard and mouse and probably some nifty merchandising. I don’t know, just throwing an idea out there.
Update: The retail price is US$249.95. That’s going to cost the same as a gallon of petrol by the time it ships. Review sample anyone? 
Comments for "Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000"
Blake Handler
Here’s the pricing from Microsoft’s Press Release:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/sep06/09-13Entertainment DesktopPR.mspx
Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000: $249.95 (U.S.), available February 2007
Long Zheng
Ouuuuuch. $250. Thats more than the combined cost of every keyboard and mouse in my household (3 computers).
William Luu
$250USD? Woah. By the time it comes on sale here in Australia, it’ll probably retail for at least $350 to $400 AUD.
I like the new (LifeCam NX-6000) webcam though.
Tom
That is pretty ridiculous. Although I guess you do get a million gizmos with it.
What is the difference between this and the cheaper version - is there a wired version? Its not particularly clear if there even is a cheaper one, although I assume the cheaper one has the black keys - the expensive one has the grey styling. Also, do I get the option to have the keyboard without the mouse?
Froog
Well, the chances of a lawsuit are pretty slim, mainly due to the chief reason Intel changed its product names - numbers cannot be copyrighted. back then AMD happily produced processors named 386 and 486 and intel couldn’t do squat about it, so they changed it into Pentium.
What can be copyrighted, in theory, are the words “Wireless Desktop”.. and I think (though I’m not sure) MS had those FIRST, so if anything the lawsuit can come in the other direction .
Long Zheng
@Froog: I’m not talking about Intel when I mentioned lawsuit. Follow the link I had on “lawsuit”.
Froog
I know you meant Creative. You obviously didn’t read what I typed well enough to understand.
The fact that creative has a product called “Wireless desktop 8000″, doesn’t mean creative has any copyright on it, unless they copyrighted “Wireless Desktop” first, and I don’t believe they did.
The “8000″ part of it cannot be copyrighted at all, because numbers can’t be copyrighted.
Thus, the chances of Creative suing MS for this are slim to nothing.
Am I clear enough now ?
Long Zheng
They can trademark “Wireless Desktop 8000″. They haven’t already, but could at any time they wished. And you can trademark numbers.
The chances of Creative suing is pretty slim, but Creative has been known to sue successful competitors before. http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2005/08/creat ive_vs_app.html
Billu
When you can buy a “real” PC for USD 250.00, MS is selling an optional gizmo to support that PC for the same price. Does it make any sense at all? Microsoft knows that we the consumers are “darn idiots!”
Enjoy who wishes to….
Hitesh Sehrawat
Its too costlier, my dream has remained a dream only, it would not be real.
Mark
Ok, here it is, FEBRUARY 2007 and I still can’t find this product on any website or in any store to purchase. Yes, I am going to get it and Yess I will pay the 250 for it. I am also a fan of the the laptop keyboard style. In fact, I might buy 2, one for my home computer and one for work. If it works out ok.
Anyone find it yet????
Thanks
Mark
OK, guess what, i did a little more digging, Amazon.com has it. But they want $299 for it and they say “Coming Soon”. Wow, a $50 markup on it.
Jaxim
I’ve been waiting for the 8000 too. I just looked for the 7000 model which was suppose to be available starting sometime in January, I could only find it on the Dell website. It’s not even available on the Microsoft site yet.
Dell site:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?sku=A0757975&cs= 19&c=us&l=en
Mark
Ok, I am finding some places on the web for it, but, still not at MS or other sites I use like Pricegrabber.com. The 7000 is out on pricegrabber: http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=29009777/zip_c ode=14225/, however, not the 8000. Froogle seems to have found it, but look at the prices. I thought it was suppose to be 250.00. Some of these places are asking 300 for it. http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=wireless+entertainment+desktop+800 0&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&sa=X&oi=froogle&ct=title
Mark
Rumor has it that MS has put a delay on the 8000 release. Production issues?
ewart
almost a year after the review and we’re still waiting for this thing!
ikyouCrow
the latest date is September 2007 (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.asp x?pid=080) still too long to wait for something this cool.
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