The business of making computers user friendly has been and still is a major focus of computer manufacturers around the world. This concept reaches beyond components, hard drive space, memory size or display clarity. Every user, particularly those that interface with computers as part of their work or study, are limited to two primary input devices – the keyboard and the mouse. Of course there also exist microphones for voice activated software and video cameras that also qualify as input devices, but so far as the input of hard, usable data, most users around the world rely on these two primary methods of input.

Keyboards and mice started out as fairly ordinary accessories for computer use. Keyboards were mostly basic, rectangular shaped components large enough to replicate the size and feel of traditional typewriter keys. As capabilities for connecting to computers evolved beyond serial input cables and the reliability of wireless connectivity improved, keyboards, as well as mice, began to take advantage of these added benefits in PC technology. A typical wireless keyboard is the exact dimensions and shape of a normal, non-wireless keyboard. As a matter of fact most wireless keyboards are simply the wireless version of a standard USB-wired equivalent.

These keyboards, and their associated mice, have generally an operating range of up to six feet. This allows the user to avoid a potential tangle of wires in their workspace, as well as the flexibility of typing from a distance not normally afforded by a non-wireless keyboard. Some people enjoy this flexibility particularly when using a non-traditional workspace, such as their television as a display device. Thus with a wireless keyboard and mouse, they are able to operate their computers from their sofa, for example, at a distance far enough away to enjoy the wider viewing area of their television or other projection device.