Review: Cherry Evolution Marlin Wireless Laser Multimedia Desktop

After over three years of inactivity in the consumer space Cherry has released a new keyboard line-up, with the Evolution Marlin the flagship offering.

It's a wireless mouse and keyboard package with a 10m range. A USB dongle is provided and must be plugged in at all times, which is a shame since some competitors, such as the Logitech's Dinovo Edge, offer Bluetooth-based keyboards.

Pictures of the keyboard give the impression it has a metallic finish and blue backlit media keys. This is not the case though. The silver material is actually matt plastic and media buttons just have a blue-coloured outline. However, it's certainly not bland.

The keyboard is a slim-line device with keys that only have 2.5mm travel and use a scissor-action similar to that of a notebook. While we found it easy and quiet to use, some may prefer the deeper and clunkier feel keys found on conventional keyboards.

There are the obligatory 10 media and program buttons, as well as drop-down legs to give the keyboard a small amount of tilt.

The keyboard works well and, thanks to a five-year guarantee, the Evolution Marlin represents good value for money.

The mouse is made of plastic and rubber, and features a high arch making it very comfortable to use for prolonged periods of time. Thanks to a laser diode, as opposed to a less accurate infra-red sensor, it has sharp and accurate movement. Seven programmable keys are placed strategically around the mouse and it comes with two rechargeable AA batteries along with a USB lead for charging.

A word of warning to those considering buying a cheaper Cherry keyboard though: We've also had our hands on a Cherry Stingray that didn't perform quite as well.

Although the keyboard is identical, it uses a cheaper mouse and a different transmission type for wireless operation. In our office, it was completely unusable due to interference. Although the keyboard worked in a noise free environment, the response was slow and it is a very poor product in comparison.

The Marlin suffers none of these problems because it uses pre-defined, encoded wireless channels to avoid interference.

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