We don’t believe we’re alone looking to the advent of working from home during the pandemic and realizing how much attention and effort we dedicated to optimize our home office for utility, comfort, and admittedly a good Zoom game back then. One thing we prioritized was making the most of our limited desk space. Migrating to a 65% or 75% sized keyboard delivered a satisfying tactile experience while also reducing the physical footprint a full-size keyboard would normally occupy, and we still use an abbreviated sized model today. But if there’s one thing we do miss as someone tasked to add up data on the regular, it’s a dedicated numerical keypad. One option we’ve found is the Meletrix ZoomPad Essential Edition keypad.
Admittedly this type of peripheral rates more as a want than an actual need – a desire derived from Meletrix’s playful range of colorways offered across the entire ZoomPad Essential Edition line. The Sky Blue edition gives off a graphical Playmobil vibes, while the subtly hued Milk Tea and Brown Sugar Boba editions offer tasty-named organic alternatives. For those with colorful personalities and desks, the vibrant Cyber Yellow, Scarlet Red, and Anodized Orange editions each offer spirited means of brightening up the workspace while retaining a tool of productivity. Even without an iota of color, the monochromatic Cool Grey keypad lives up to its cool moniker.
Beyond a range of colors, Meletrix offers a range of knobs and weights, backplate covers, and LEDs to complement the ZoomPad’s Aluminum Top and Bottom Case construction. ASMR junkies will also love the sound and feel inputting data using an add-on wireless rechargeable keypad. And left-handers take note: the Meletrix is available in a southpaw edition.
There’s one catch that might make casual typists hesitate – you’ll have to build your ZoomPad yourself, and provide your own switches and keycaps. That’s not a bug, but a feature. For mechanical keyboard enthusiasts piecing together your own peripheral is all part of the charm. But the abbreviated keypad does offer a simpler and more affordable entry point for anyone looking to build their own keyboard for the first time.
ZoomPad Essential Editions start at $85. For additional information and available models, check out meletrix.com.