Reviews for Moshi Luna Backlit Keyboard

Just fired up my nice new Moshi keyboard.
I tried it on my Windows 7 PC but it would not work - would not even boot up.
It came with no info or instructions so I figured it was up to me.
I tried it on my MacBook Pro.
Plugged it in and nothing - messed with it for a while and checked The Google - still nothing.
At my wits end I pressed the Luna key and behold, it gave commands. After a few steps it was finally recognized and working.
But not the mousepad - I had to connect an external mouse for that - which I usually do anyway so no big deal. Just odd.
I like my old Mac keyboard a bit better - slightly more refined key action. But this Luna is still nice.
It is frustrating that keystrokes for cut and paste do not work though - have to use the right mouse button for that. Or is there a fix for that too?
I am a writer and I love the backlit keys on my MacBook. It allows me to work at night and on the plane on long trips. I just ordered a MacBook Air because of that - I would have tried the new Microsoft Surface but they do not offer backlit keys. Mac is always a step higher in design quality it seems.
But why don't they make an Apple backlit ext. keyboard? Bizzare.

8 of 21 people found this useful

I have waited years for an illuminated keyboard with Mac keys, and the Luna does not disappoint. I like the keyboard very much, and I can now work with dim lighting ion my office as I prefer.

It's not perfect, however. There is one design "feature" that is causing me problems. That is the illuminated "luna" in the bottom left corner of the space bar. The problem is that when I want to press the Command key I am used to looking for the first symbol to the left of what is normally a blank space bar. I am using my peripheral vision, so I am not seeing details, I am just seeing the symbols on the keyboard. Because the space bar has "luna" on it, I see that as the first symbol and end up pressing the space bar instead of the Command key. Or I end up pressing Command instead of Option when I'm looking for the second symbol to the left of the space bar. I'm going to have to figure out how to cover over the illuminated "luna" without making the keyboard look ugly in daylight.

There are a few other problems. The keys in the bottom row don't line up the same as they do on the Apple keyboard so I sometimes hit the wrong key because I'm not used to the spacing. The Fn key is inexplicably stuck between the Option and Control keys on the right side. The volume keys worked for a while, but now don't do anything.

The clear plastic around the edges of the keyboards can be damaged, so it should be treated carefully. My first keyboard arrived with a chunk of the clear plastic broken off and rattling around in the box. Apple replaced the keyboard right away, but it made me a bit concerned about the ability of the keyboard to withstand any accidental bumps.

13 of 15 people found this useful

I wish this was a mechanical keyboard with Cherry Red MX switches, but maybe I am asking for too much. As rubber-dome keyboards for Mac go, this is one of the best keyboards out there. One, the look and feel of the keyboard is slick and very Apple-esque. Two, the backlights are fantastically laid out and just look downright sexy in the dark. The white light bleeds to the edges of the clear plastic and looks like something out of Tron. Three, it is a full sized keyboard, meaning all buttons are given proper size. One thing I hate, is how small the arrow keys are on official Apple keyboards. This Moshi Luna offers a full size numeric pad as well.

Cons? Not every keyboard is perfect. Due to how shiny and reflective the black and clear plastic surface is, this keyboard is prone to finger prints and hand smudges. If you care how your keyboard looks, you might be finding your self wiping this keyboard down more often than not. As a plus, in the box, they provide a nice micro-fiber towel that covers the keys on your keyboard while you are away.

There are a total of 5 light settings for the backlights on the keyboard. [f5] lowers the brightness setting while [f6] increases the brightness.
1 - OFF
2 - 25%
3 - 50%
4 - 75%
5 - 100%
Pressing [f6] over 5 times does not forcibly cycle through the brightnesses. Instead it just stays at 100% until [f5] is pressed, and vice versa.

The keyboard requires a quick set-up when plugged into my Mac. The Mac kept detecting the keyboard with a Japanese layout, but just forcibly selecting US Keyboard was easy enough. I've been using it for a few days now and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

I have the philosophy that user interface peripherals need to be comfortable and functional. Don't worry about the cost; buy the best you can possibly afford and make sure your typing experience is a good one.

This review was typed with the Moshi Luna Backlit Keyboard and I am loving every keystroke.

13 of 15 people found this useful

I have tried a half dozen, at least. Moshi replaced my Razer Black Widow. Seriously. Back-lighting control is exquisite, and the keyboard is visually a thing to behold. Keys are solidly set and the board itself is quite heavy and substantial. There are 4 levels of back-light strength. #4 is very bright but not overwhelming, although I normally find #2 perfect. There is a clear plastic "flange" that borders the left, right, and bottom of the keyboard, that casts gentle back-light in a useful working pattern along the perimeter. Elegant and clean. I love this keyboard. I am using this keyboard on my Mac Pro, but I plan to buy another one for my PC as well.

It's that good.

24 of 24 people found this useful

I'd been looking for a solid lighted actual-Mac keyboard for ages now, and at around a hundred bucks I figured the Luna was worth taking a gamble on. As others have said, it looks fantastic. The lighting is perfect adn the design is great.

Two things - one is that on Mountain Lion the dashboard softkey does not work at all, and there appears to be no real troubleshooting that I can do for it.

Secondly - the keys feel a tad on the cheap side. I was hoping that they'd be macbook-quality in terms of build and feel, but they feel much thinner. It's not a big problem for me but if you are rough on your keyboards I think this might break pretty easy on you.

For the price it's worth it, just be aware of the shortcomings.

10 of 13 people found this useful

I purchased this keyboard for the following reasons (in order of importance):
-Backlit keyboard
-Mac/Win Compatible
-Reviews

While I'm pleased with the backlighting and the fact that I can use it with my A/B switch (Mac/Win), it's the "feel" of the keyboard that is on the top of my list.
Regarding the feel, Moshi managed to strike the perfect balance between a short travel distance and the tactile response that a key has been struck.

The only thing that I would change is the size, it's large. Personally, I'd love to see a version of this keyboard sans the numeric keys.

Overall, one of the best keyboards I've ever used. Kudos, Moshi.

10 of 10 people found this useful

I received Luna as a gift from my colleague cuz he really liked it and bought another one for me afterwards. I use it with my iMac at work and there is just something different using it. It feels really good typing on them as it has just the right pressure on keys and they have a great feel to it.
Besides its functionality, I would say that it is one of the best looking keyboards I have seen. I got it as a gift and now I am going to buy one for my friend as a gift also.
You can't go wrong with this keyboard.

4 of 4 people found this useful

This keyboard is amazing. I use it at home with my MacBook hooked up to a second monitor. I play a lot of games on my MacBook so Windows is essential, and the luna makes it really easy.

The luna has a nice little function button that lets me use the F1-F12 keys like they're intended when I have bootcamp running Windows. When it's running OSX, I can just hit the function key again and bring up my dashboard and all the other functions as normal.

What I love about the luna is that it's both beautiful and functional. The keys are really responsive and the texture is great. They have the perfect amount of resistance so I can rest my fingers on them without fear of accidentally pressing them. The layout has perfect spacing and it's at an angle that's comfortable for my wrists.

Really, it's just a great keyboard all around. It has different light settings for my eyes, whether there's light in the room or not. The clear border has a really nice glowing effect in the dark and the black keyboard contrasts well with it, which is really important when I'm gaming. Fingerprints may appear on the clear part, but they're really easy to wipe away.

59 of 63 people found this useful