NewerTech Media Coverage One of the dirty little secrets of miniaturization is that small isn't always better. So yes you can carry a smartphone around and look at videos or the Internet no matter where you might be, but having exchanged the big view of a 22" or larger monitor for under 6" means smaller text and more difficulty for all those with eyes over the age of 15. Another negative about the "smaller is better" crowd comes from what is lost. Often something isn't just made smaller like it was hit by a shrink ray but instead has to give something up to make it work. The best example of that is an Apple wireless keyboard. Sure it looks smart and works wirelessly, but if you want or need the keypad for number crunching, too bad. You're out of luck because it's not there. That's where the Newertech Wireless Aluminum Keypad comes in.

Start with its outside and those who find the aluminum gleam of Apple's keyboard appealing will be pleased. The Keypad possesses the same sort of look because it has the same type of materials melded with the same kind of attention to both detail and function. You know how the Apple keyboard has a slight tilt to its design so that it faces you rather than lying flat? The Keypad does that as well. And what about the number keys (and associated keys) themselves? They're just the right size, color and styling to be as appealing as those on the keyboard. So much so that in fact, if you put the Keypad to the side of the Apple keyboard, it not only looks like it belongs there but functions well from that position. So well in fact that Newertech doubles down on this by including a bracket that can connect the two.

The Wireless Aluminum Keypad has Bluetooth technology built in so as to connect in the way we all now understand -- when using this with a laptop it's a seamless procedure that neither interferes nor takes over from an Apple wireless keyboard functioning at the same time. It also has the same kind of battery saving features as you'd expect -- two "AAA" batteries providing a long power usage with an easily replaceable procedure -- then forget about it and just get on with stabbing at the numbers. And for those to whom spreadsheets on a mobile device is the cats meow, well in use the Newertech Keypad is double that meow.

Not to be lost in all this is how the Keypad feels — similar to that of the Apple keyboard, which is to say just the right amount of “bounce” and the impression that those keys will handle being poked for a good amount of time.

Newertech's Wireless Aluminum Keypad retails for $54.95 and performs an unglamorous task in a straightforward and accomplished manner. While many may not consider being able to whip through numbers as the main purpose in life, when you need to have numerics ready and able to be put down, this Keypad is what you need.