Make no mistake about it: manufacturers are increasingly keen to move your computing away from a standard desk and into the domain of media and lounge-based computing. Microsoft's latest keyboard and mouse set, the Entertainment Desktop 8000, attempts to straddle both environments, but ultimately struggles to satisfy either. The package itself, on top of the stylish keyboard and mouse themselves - both wireless, thanks to Bluetooth technology - features a recharging station, and it's this box of tricks that Microsoft is pinning a good deal of its hopes on.
The station connects both to the mains and a spare USB port, and by resting the keyboard on it, the unit charges up. Likewise, there's a pad built onto the station that the mouse can sit on to charge up, and a couple of USB ports are mounted onto it for good measure. The station also comes with a USB port into which you need to fit the supplied USB Bluetooth adapter. It's a box of talents, albeit one that would be an odd fit for the average living room.