How about ejecting a disc at startup?

Again it worked, holding down the mouse during startup ejected a disc in Big Al's drive.

How about turning the AWB mouse off then on with the computer running? Hmmm...no go. We got a message that the connection had been lost when the AWB mouse turned off but it did not automatically reconnect when turned on. To reconnect, we had to go to the Bluetooth menu icon, select "Browse Device...", choose the AWB mouse and click the "Browse" button. [Update: Several readers noted that simply clicking the mouse after it is turned on results in a reconnection. We tried this and it worked every time on Big Al and Power Mac G4 DP 1.42 GHz using a D-Link DBT 120 B3 Bluetooth module but only occasionally on a G4 Cube using the same D-Link DBT 120 B3 Bluetooth module.-ed.]

How about starting up with the AWB mouse off and then turning it on? It didn't connect automatically. To connect, we had to go to the Bluetooth menu icon, select "Browse Device..." and choose the AWB mouse just like when we turned it off and back on. [Update: Several readers noted that simply clicking the mouse after it is turned on results in a connection. We tried this and it worked every time on Big Al and Power Mac G4 DP 1.42 GHz using a D-Link DBT 120 B3 Bluetooth module but only occasionally on a G4 Cube using the same D-Link DBT 120 B3 Bluetooth module.-ed.]

So, except for the mysterious initial lack of tracking speed control, the AWB mouse worked as well as any other. We like it's increased weight from the batteries and lack of a cord for general use around the office.

The Apple Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard (AWB kb) was next. It is white and identical to its current wired USB cousin. The AWB kb came with 4 non-rechargeable alkaline AA batteries, User Guide in English and French, the same software disc as the AWB mouse and a one-year warranty.

Inserting the batteries required a coin to open the latches on the battery compartment lid on the bottom of the keyboard. At first, it was a little tricky to get the lid off since we didn't know if there were any plastic stops that might be broken--there aren't. Tapping the keyboard rightside up caused the lid to drop out. We could also easily lift it off by grasping the opened locking tabs with our stubby fingernails.

Since we had already installed the software and Bluetooth Firmware Update, we turned the AWB kb on and went straight to the pairing process. We had to break the device searching loop as with the mouse by clicking "Continue" after a full cycle. The only difference from the AWB mouse pairing process was the need to enter a passkey number on the AWB kb and hit "Return."

The AWB kb worked fine, just like any other keyboard. There are no special keys for Big Al's screen [but the F14 and F15 keys worked to adjust screen brightness and] the sound keys also worked. We finished this article using it.

We have always liked Apple's keyboards and this one is no exception. Unlike Big Al's keyboard, it is not easy to accidentally get multiple letters when typing on the AWB kb--in fact we have yet to have that happen. We like the design of the keyboard and the feel of hitting its keys. It's sound is not obtrusive to us at the speed (slow) that we type.

How about starting up into the startup drive chooser (option key)? Single user mode (Apple-s keys)? Open firmware (Apple-option-o-f keys)? The results are mixed. Big Al booted fine into the startup drive chooser and open firmware and the keyboard was recognized for typing. However, while Big Al booted into single user mode it would not respond to the keyboard thereafter. It still responded to Big Al's keyboard though after using the AWB kb to boot into single user mode. Of course, the AWB kb has to be paired and on when Big Al is shut down for the startup key commands to work.

We tried using them with our Power Mac G4 DP 1.42 GHz and two G4 Cubes. We hit a snag because we had the original D-Link (DWB-120M) Bluetooth USB module which is not supported according to Apple's KBase article. The Bluetooth Firmware Update did not work either. Still, the AWB kb and AWB mouse paired with the Power Mac. The AWB kb paired with the Cubes but no matter what we tried we could not get either Cube to pair with the AWB mouse, either alone or after pairing the AWB kb. During the pairing process the AWB mouse would be discovered and named but the automatic passkey pairing process never completed.

We picked up the latest D-Link USB Bluetooth module (DBT 120 B3) and updated it's firmware. Both the AWB kb and AWB mouse worked fine with both Cubes and the Power Mac, even with the D-Link module plugged into one of the Apple flat panel display's USB port. We repeated all of the tests we did with our Big Al and got identical results, including the loss of keyboard funtionality after booting into single user mode.