Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Hardware

More Ergonomic Keyboards 84

Posted by michael from the pounding-plastic dept.
tve writes "Back when moderators were real moderators, karma whores were real karma whores and small, furry creatures living in the mould deep down in your keyboard were real small, furry creatures living in the mould deep down in your keyboard, Slashdot ran a story about ergonomic keyboards. Popular keyboards back then appeared to be the MS Natural keyboard, the famous prehistoric IBM keyboards and for the lucky few who had their company buy it for them, the Maltron keyboard. However, times have changed, keyboards have decayed and new purchases need to be made. So I submit to the Slashdot community: what is the current holy grail of ergonomic typing pleasure, where can I get it and is it affordable for a student on a budget?" Actually we've done a couple of stories on ergonomic keyboards, but since this is asked so frequently I suppose it won't hurt to do another.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

More Ergonomic Keyboards More

More Ergonomic Keyboards

Comments Filter:
  • When my old Microsoft Natural Keyboard bit the dust awhile ago, I went on a search for a new ergonomic keyboard and was extremely disappointed with what I found. It probably would have been better had I not developed an aversion to buying Microsoft products since I had originally bought the keyboard. There were tons of Microsoft keyboards that looked simply wonderful, but I couldn't bring myself to allow even a dime of mine slip into Microsoft pockets.

    Some Logitech keyboards looked okay, but all of them that I found were cordless, which is something I don't want. In the end I settled for some cheap $10 non-ergonomic replacement because nothing fit the bill.

    I'm guessing that Microsoft's got some sort of patent on the contour-shape of the Natural keyboard because nobody else seems to have them. Even the Logitech cordless ones weren't quite as good.

    Anyway, there's a few cents worth . . .

    • There were tons of Microsoft keyboards that looked simply wonderful, but I couldn't bring myself to allow even a dime of mine slip into Microsoft pockets.


      Well then, just don't pay for it :)
      • Well then, just don't pay for it

        Yeah, I suppose that's one way of solving the problem. :P Of course, stealing the keyboard would only harm the store, as they'd just buy another one from Microsoft to replace the one they didn't have anymore. So in the end, I may as well have just bought the keyboard. Drat.

        On the other hand, I've fonud that regular keyboards aren't that much of a problem for me (although when the carpal tunnel bug eventually bites me, I'm sure I'll have something different to say about it).

    • I am using a generic ergo bump-off of the Microsoft Natural that I actually think is superior. All keys are full-size, unlike the ones M$ is sellin now, and I like that the 6 key is on the right-hand chunk of keys instead of on the left. The keys press nicely - not too stiff, not too firm, and a nice click to 'em.
      I can't find a manufacturer's name on it and I forgot who made it, but the bottom says, "smart keyboard" and I got it at CompUSA for 30 bucks.
      • Closest I could find at CompUSA's site was this one [compusa.com]. It seems that, from the (awful, low-quality) image, it doesn't have quite the round "hump" in the middle of the keyboard that the MS ones have. (I found a whole bunch that were like that.) I found those to be very uncomfortable. But if you can find out where to get one that does, I'm all ears. :)
        • Mine's not shaped exactly like the Microsoft Natural, but it does have a hump in the middle (not just a split keyboard) and I find it more comfortable. Plus, it's a full-size - no chiclet keys like on the Microsoft Natural.

          got it at CompUSA, I'm sure. Maybe Microsoft forced the company to take the thing of the market.
  • For some uknown reason, the powers that be at Microsoft changed the natural keyboard.

    The function keys are 1/2 the size, and the arrows are a cross instead of an inverted T, and the HOME/END/DEL/PGUP/PGDN/INS keys are 2x3 instead of 3x2

    Ugh
    • FYI

      You can get the Natural with the "Old style" T and 2x3 (Pro model) or the newer style of X and 3x2.

      I have to agree that the cross stlye sucks.

    • You're talking about the MS Natural Elite, which is really not that bad once you get used to it (my work has them so I had to). At home I definitely have the better Natural Pro version. Here is the MS site with all the info [microsoft.com].
      • I had a Natural Elite as my main keyboard for a few months, but in the end there was only one way to use that blasted thing--pry out the freaking insert key that they put where the page down key was supposed to be. Then it was wonderful.
        • I feel your pain, and I have no idea how I got used to it either. But somehow, after a long time, my mind is now capable of switching between the "bad" key arrangement and the good, at work and at home. Again, if it wasn't for the fact that I had to use it at work, and didn't really feel like bringing in my own keyboard to replace it, I probably never would have adjusted. God, even worse than the Insert key (which I use rarely) are the arrow keys, arranged in a cross instead of a _|_ - that's what screwed me up more regularly. What a poor design, oh well.
    • I have been using MS natural keyboards for a long time now and had to keep cleaning mine and "babying" it because none of the keyboards out there were as good as the good old sturdy 3x2, nice wide arrows ones, but MS has finaly brought back some of that with the Natural keyboard Pro [microsoft.com].
      The feature button at the top are actualy pretty nice to have but I haven't found a way to get them to work properly on Linux yet.

      Never the less those new ones bring back the nice arrow keys (if you are like me you don't really use those for games anyways).

      For me it's back to MS natural keyboard pro and this time I bought a few just to make sure I get to keep something I am comfy with.

  • Best keyboard in the WORLD is...

    The Happy Hacking Keyboard [pfuca.com]!

    Not exactly ergonomic in the usual sense of the word, though...
    • ya, but I am still trying to figure out why I should pay $50 for a kbd that had the keypad hacked off.

      I understand that is compact and doesn't have caplocks, but seriously, is that worth 50 beans?

      I personally think they're neat, and I would like to have one, but I would rather shell out a few extra for a nice ergonomic or wireless kbd...

      • Yes, it's worth it. It's not that it doesn't have Caps Lock, it's that it does have Ctrl somewhere that doesn't strain your hand to reach. I am exceedingly happy with it (the Lite2), and if I ever need a number pad I'll just get a USB jobbie for it.

        I switched to Dvorak at the same time, and the pain I sometimes got from typing (particularly using Unix, or writing TeX) completely disappeared.

        • you can however, just remap that ctrl to the CAPS LOCK key in X...savings, $50 :)

          • If you use a PC. If your only use of that PC is in X11.

            I happen to use Irix and OS X most of the time, and they make it fairly difficult - the control key on my iBook is literally incapable of being remapped, and thus far I've missed the special foo that Irix seems to need for it.

            When I'm not using OS X or Irix, I tend to use a vga console on a PC... again, no easy and consistent way to remap CapsLock.

            Do it in hardware: it's reliable, doesn't surprise you, and it's a damn fine keyboard anyways.

        • I have to agree, the Happy Hacking Keboard (Lite2) with the Dvorak layout is the best keyboard I have ever used. I spent almost 90 dollars on mine and it is worth every penny.

          I carry it with me all the time, and I never have to adjust to diferent key sizes/positions.

          I have changed laptops several times, and it is always a pain to compensate muscular memory for diferent layouts, but with the HHK never again.

          But the real ergonomical gain for me was the switch to Dvorak when I got my HHK, it is just amazing how confortable you feel once you learn it, I agree completly with you.
    • Unfortunately, the Happy Hacking keyboard, despite its nice layout, is a membrane keyboard. For good feel, you need individual keyswitches, and when I asked PFU they said they would never offer a non-membrane version.

      The nicest keyboards I know of in that line are from Lexmark. Some laptops (e.g. Dell) have keyboards with a very nice feel, and some companies repackage laptop keyboards separately. However, Dell laptop keyboards (which seem have rubber-dome switches) are very, very unreliable.

  • Try it for yourself (Score:4, Interesting)

    by cwinters ( 879 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @02:58PM (#3242780) Homepage

    There's no one singular answer for this, you really need to try these things out for yourself until you find something that works. For me, the Kinesis-Ergo [kinesis-ergo.com] has been amazing. Not only can I type like a demon and avoid wrist pain, but the thumb-located Ctrl and Alt keys make (X)Emacs that much easier to work with, not to mention easier on my pinkies :-)


    • Also, do note that they always have refurbished keyboards in stock, it seems. I paid about $170 for a refurbished essential... I can type all day on this, while I max out in about an hour on a 'normal' or 'microsoft ergonomic' keyboard. Is it worth $300? Probably. But if you're a student, like I, you can pay a bit less.
    • After about two weeks of transition to the Kinesis Classic, the pain in my forearms was gone. I really love it.

      When programming, your hand motion is very much reduced because the arrow buttons are not off to the right side, they are distributed 'below' the cvbnm,. line on the keyboard, and on the thumbs. The result is that you can really cruise between navigating and typing.

      My only complaint is that the escape key and the F keys are membrane-squishy things instead of real keys. My escape key is starting to break down, and I have to make sure I pressed it every time. Another few months and I'll buy a replacement. Kinesis.

  • Kinesis works for me (Score:4, Informative)

    by nosferatu-man ( 13652 ) <spamdot@homonculus.net> on Thursday March 28, 2002 @03:07PM (#3242855) Homepage
    I have the Kinesis Classic ergo 'board (actually two, one for work and one for home), and it has made a huge difference for me. I can type without having to fear that my wrists are going to start burning.

    That said, a keyboard is like a monitor; be sure to try one out in person before you drop $250 on one.

    Peace,
    (jfb)
    • I prefer the Kinesis Evolution, very nice to look at and very comfortable, though the price is a bit much at $569 USD, but what the price of painless computing and a future without medical problems worth to you?
    • I bought my first Kinesis Contoured keyboard about 8 years ago for personal use. At that time, I paid about $400 for it. I love it, and I still use it daily. I also have a new Kinesis Countoured Professional at the office.

      Nothing else I've tried comes close to matching the comfort and usability of these keyboards. The Classic model can be found for under $200 at online resellers.

      See www.kinesis-ergo.com [kinesis-ergo.com] for more information and a list of online resellers.

      Miller

    • Can anyone compare/contrast the Kinesis ergo keyboards [kinesis-ergo.com] with the Maltron Ergonomic Keyboard [teleprint.com]? The Maltron is quite a bit more expensive (nearly double the price) -- is there anything in particular that makes it worth it? I notice it has the numeric keypad in the center, something the Kinesis keyboards lack & something I tend to like to miss whenever I don't have one (i.e., working on a friend's laptop). Also, I know the Kinesis keyboards use a PS/2 connector, but I find no info on the Maltron site about what type of connector it uses, other than the fact that it is both Mac & PC compatable.

      I'd just like some feedback before I go shelling out two weeks of my pay instead of paying for food -- ahh, the joys of being a college student ;-)

  • Try going for the Goldtouch (Score:3, Informative)

    by netringer ( 319831 ) <maaddr-slashdot@ ... minus physicist> on Thursday March 28, 2002 @03:09PM (#3242869) Journal
    Goldtouch [goldtouch.com] has not only several versions of Ergonomic keyboards [goldtouch.com] but also an Ergonomic Mouse [goldtouch.com] and mouse pad [goldtouch.com].
  • When I bought my first MSDOS PC (a GW2K 386-25) in December of 1990, I used the crappy $20 Chicony keyboard for about 10 minutes before I called NORTHGATE and ordered one of their $110.00 Northgate OmniKey 101 Keyboards WITH THE FUNCTION KEYS ON THE LEFT SIDE LIKE GOD INTENDED! (ERGONOMICS?!?! Ain't no 'membranes' here - them are MECHANICAL switches!).

    It's still my main KB at home - Subspace Continuum wouldn't be the same without it! My only gripe is the placement of the '\' key NOT being above ENTER, but right side of R-SHIFT, and no "Flying Windows" keys. Oh well, CTRL+ESC still works.

    Interestingly, it came with a groovy keycap puller tool and every year or two, I have to pull all the keycaps off and clean them in alcohol and chip the crust off the underpanel.
    • Over the years, I have accomulted five OmniKeys different OmniKeys. My main one survived anything from cats sleeping on it to coke poured into it, pizza falling on it, dropping onto the floor, etc.

      I don't use 'em anymore because my wrists were starting to die. I have to admit that this @#%&( Microsoft Natural Keyboard deal is actually helping.

      HOWever, if you want an OmniKey with Flying Windows keys, you might want to look at an Avant Stellar [cvtinc.com] keyboard. Manufactured based on the original OmniKey blueprints, or something. They're fully programmable now, too. Cost a lot, but you know these things'll last a lifetime.

      Make sure you're actually looking at the Stellar and not the Avant Prime, which has no side F-Keys.
  • My workstation is an Ultra 5, running Ximian Gnome 1.4 instead of CDE (But CDE is available). I'm beta testing Ximian Gnome for our Windows-Solaris hybrid office.

    I can't stand the Sun Keyboard, and I much, much prefer the feel of the MS Natural keyboard (I like the tilted, split layout, the Ctrl key is in the right place).

    There are some disadvantages to my setup:

    - I still need the occasional key on the Sun keyboard, so I have the Sun Keyboard, a Sun mouse, a MS Natural Keyboard and MS Intellimouse all plugged into a "Sun Interface Converter"

    - You can't cut-n-paste with the MS Mouse. The middle button doesn't work, and hitting the left & right buttons doesn't work. So, I am forced to use a sun mouse (Plugged into the Converter). The Sun mouse's ergonomic styling is annoyingly bad, and it's mouse movements are very non-smooth

    - Many keys on the MS Natural Keyboard don't work.
    - I can't figure out how to make the ALT key work as a META key in Emacs.
    - The BACKSPACE key brings up the Emacs Help File
    - I can't figure out how to make use of the dead Windows95 keys, or of the Home End Insert keys, or the F1-F12 function keys

    - I have this fancy scroll wheel on my MS Mouse, but I can't figure out how to use it.

    Where would a poor chap like me look for help? I've been looking around, and I see alot of similar questions about this posted to Usenet, but I see few answers.

    I can't even figure out where I need to go to convert these keys. Sawfish has some configuration options, Gnome has some other configuration options, I'm sure sun has yet another set of configuration options -- but I can't find the configuration command worth a damn.

    Where can I look for help? What can I do?
  • I've had hand problems (tendinitis) in the past, and have absolutely loved my DataDesk SmartBoard [datadesktech.com]. Here are the key points:

    1. Nice key action. You get a good click. Of course this makes it a bit noisy.

    2. The key layout is slightly better than a normal keyboard. The stagger of the keys is removed, so they all sit in lines along the movements of your joints. The first week was frustrating while I made typing errors. After that, I found that I typed a bit faster with a lot less finger movement. I don't have any trouble using other keyboards.

    I paid about $80 for mine, which is pretty reasonable for an ergonomic keyboard. I consider it one of the best computer purchases I've ever made: I can type all day without ever having hand troubles. I've never had that experience with any other keyboard.

    I'm not affiliated with DataDesk at all. I'm just a very happy customer!

  • Cheapness and a Plug (Score:3, Informative)

    by fm6 ( 162816 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @03:35PM (#3243102) Homepage Journal
    You didn't say what you considered "affordable". If you're looking for real ergonomic keyboards in the same price range as the cheap Taiwanese imports they sell at Fry's, forget it.

    I emphasize the word "real". Cheap, useless knockoffs are the curse of ergonomic products. Not that hard to make something that looks ergonomic. Raise your hand if you've ever tried to use one of those $50 "back chairs" that are guaranteed to destroy your leg muscles. These are imitations of some Swedish item that might actually be pretty good, but nobody sells.

    Anyway, here's a plug: I'm profoundly satisfied with the Goldtouch keyboard [goldtouch.com]. What caught my eye was its small footprint. (The theory is that this reduces mouse-related RSI.) To make this work, they put a lot of thought into rearranging the keys. I'm impressed with the result, even though it took me a while to get used to the layout. The design makes it much harder to hit the wrong cursor key, something I used to do a lot.

    Other good features I won't go into. But not cheap: $160.

  • Model M baby (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ledge ( 24267 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @03:42PM (#3243174)
    Use a Model M and type like you've got a pair and all of your carpal tunnel troubles will be over.
  • There's no such thing as the "Holy Grail of Ergonomic Keyboards". Reason: every hand is different, so you have to make sure you choose appropriately (size DOES matter). Just walk into a store that has keyboards on display (most stores should do this), go to the keyboard aisle, and start typing. Choose what feels best. Money != comfort. Brand name != comfort. Personally, I've got some cheap $30 or $40 something (Canadian) keyboard, and my wrists have never felt better.
  • I've got a Belkin ErgoBoard [belkin.com], which has worked very well for me. The hand positioning it encourages is much more comfortable for me than the MS Natural keyboards, and the keys have good feedback to them. Belkin lists it for about $40, I found mine for $25.
    The one thing I don't like about it are the power and suspend buttons on the upper right. Disabled them by opening up the keyboard and sticking a piece of paper between the membranes.

  • Old PS/2 keyboards (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ka9dgx ( 72702 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @04:00PM (#3243309) Homepage Journal
    Go to any computer show, find an old PS/2, after making sure it includes a good keyboard, pay for both, throw away the PS/2, and be happy.

    --Mike--


    • I find them in old offices, and at places we do consulting. They are usually glad to give you their "old crap" for free!

      Or, bid for them on eBay!

      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&it em =2012948436

      On a side note, I also like this style:

      http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&it em =2012895634
    • Actually, Lexmark makes the keyboards for the old IBMs. The point was to make a the keyboard have positive feedback similat to an IBM Selectric Electric typewriter.

      I still have my old IBM keyboard, from years ago, and am very happy with it. But my wife hates the noise!!

      -Kit
  • I used to hate trackpoints (eraser heads), until I got an IBM ThinkPad, and actually gave it a chance. It's incredible what difference it makes when you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard to adjust the pointer!

    It's gotten to the point that it feels noticeably uncomfortable for me to use my desktop pc, since I have to move my hand over to the dang mouse all the time! Thankfully, IBM has a really nice keyboard which not only has an integrated trackpoint, but has a reduced size, much like the Happy Hacking keyboard!

    If only they weren't $150, I'd get one right away. Unfortunately, it's stuck on my wishlist for now.

    Space Saver 2 Keyboard - Black [ibm.com]
    and there's a usb, too:
    Trackpoint USB Space Saver Keyboard - Black(US English) [ibm.com]

  • Never mind carpal tunnel, what about eyestrain? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by unitron ( 5733 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @04:18PM (#3243449) Homepage Journal
    I realise my 17" monitor is kinda dinky by today's standards, but why do the keyboard makers' web sites use such small pictures of the keyboards? That old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words wasn't intended to suggest substituting one thousand words for a "big enough to get a decent look at it" picture.

  • Skip the keyboard and get a better mouse (Score:3, Informative)

    by Lish ( 95509 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @04:20PM (#3243467)
    I have had mild carpal tunnel for a few years now. I discovered after much trial and error that which keyboard I used made much less difference than what mouse I used. Some of the "ergonomic" keyboards (particularly one of the MS ones) actually made the problem worse and put my hands in wierd and uncomfortable positions. So I use a generic, straight keyboard, but got particular about the mouse. Mice are very try-before-you-buy though, everyone finds something different comfortable. Since I have small hands the Logitech Wheel Mouse (IR) works perfect for me, but it's too small for some people.

    What made the biggest difference for me, actually, was learning to mouse with my left hand (suggested by the ergo guy at my last job). That way the mouse is closer to center when you are seated at the keyboard, since it's right next to the keys rather than off past the numberpad. Thus, your arm isn't reaching out so far to mouse. Also, the stresses are better balanced between the left (mousing) and right (writing) hands.

    Not exactly an answer to your question, just something to consider.
    • What made the biggest difference for me, actually, was learning to mouse with my left hand (suggested by the ergo guy at my last job).

      Yes! I've been doing that way for ten years, since shortly after I starting using a box with an attached rodent on a regular basis. Helps enormously.

      That, a mousepad with a built-in wrist rest, a simply keyboard wrist rest, and a cheap old "Suntouch" keyboard ($5 from the Goodwill!) with just the right action. (Most new keyboards are just too damn mushy, IMHO.)

      And when I'm doing a lot of typing, I'll wear a pair of SmartGloves [imakproducts.com] for extra support; but I don't use them day-to-day.

    • I switched to using the mouse from my right to my left and my wrist pain went away and hasn't come back, or even migrated to my left.

  • Typing Injury FAQ (Score:3, Interesting)

    by spribyl ( 175893 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @04:40PM (#3243647)
    The typeing injury faq has gobs of information about keyboards. It can be found here [tifaq.com]

    Personnally I use a Twiddler [handykey.com]. Some folks don't care for them but I love mine. There is a bit of learning curve and the mouse buttons can be a bit squirlly. It has 16 keys, 4 modifyers, and a track point. You type by makeing cords. The track point moves the mouse and puts the 16 keys into mouse button mode(little squirlly).

  • IBM Model M (Score:3, Informative)

    by Nimey ( 114278 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @04:52PM (#3243736) Homepage Journal
    I've tried the MS Natural and it's lovely, but it lacks the *feel* of a classic IBM Model M. The M, for its age, is quite ergonomic - the board is concaved a bit to make reaching keys easier, and there's none of this smacking keys because you can't tell if they've been hit. Plus they're rated to last for 25 million keystrokes, vs 10 million for a "standard" board.

    They're cheap, too. Look around flea markets for old models. My first was $5 US, the other three $2.50 each. Or if you must have new ones, check Unicomp [pckeyboard.com], and look at the Customizer.

  • Remember the Northgate OmniKey 802? If so, you want to take a look at the Avant Stellar, from Creative Vision Technologies [cvtinc.com], which bought Northgate's plans when they went belly-up. No fancy ergo-shapes here, just six pounds of steel, an unbelievably solid feel, infinite reprogrammability, and function keys across the top and down the left side, as God intended them to be.
    • Your phrase "infinite reprogrammability" hints to me that you may have the answer to my problem. I would like to have my "control" key stay down when I push it until I push it again-- like the caps key. My only idea so far is some mechanical device(switch). I would appreciate any input on this. Thankyou. To the editors: If this message would be better to be posted by itself in a new topic, please tell me in a e-mail where the link button is for that The only way to post a comment that I see is a reply. Thankyou.

  • Best Keyboard I ever used... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by martyb ( 196687 ) on Thursday March 28, 2002 @05:14PM (#3243890)

    The best keyboard I have EVER used was on an IBM PS/2 Model P70. (That was a portable PS/2 with an orange-colored gas plasma display. The box had a 386 running at 20 MHz and weighed about 20 pounds!)

    The keyboard had an extremely light feel to it, with tactile feedback; it took almost no effort to type and it NEVER, EVER missed a key I typed on it. I could absolutely fly on that keyboard and at the end of the day I had no fatigue at all!

    I've been looking over the past several years for a keyboard like it and have had absolutely NO luck. If any /.'ers out there remember this wondeful keyboard, and can suggest a comparable one, I'd be forever grateful!

  • I use regular Keytronic keyboards at the office, and a logitech internet keyboard(like the feel, don't use thost stupid buttons)

    When I use an ergo split keyboard, my wrists hurt in under 10 minutes. yet, i can go all day on a regular keyboard.

    can't figure it out
  • http://www.datahand.com/flashsite/home.html

    At $1300 I've never used one, but it sure looks pretty :-)
    • The datahand is awesome! Best keyboard I've ever used, by far. I douldn't do my job without it. I've listed some pros and cons below:

      PROS:

      Integral keyboard and mouse. The key-operated mouse function is clumsy and slow, but having a single hand position for both is a big plus, ergonomically.

      Also, after the learning curve, I can type much faster on the datahand than I ever could on any other keyboard. It enables you (or rather, forces you) to touch type not only the alphabet, but also the numbers and punctuation. And it's FAST.

      Best of all, my experience (YMMV) was that that my RSI problems have gone away totally. No more wrist, finger, elbow and shoulder pain!

      CONS:

      As supplied, it's useless unless you happen to like the pronated angle. I happen to like the hands suparnated about 60 degrees, and had to modify the keyboard. Buy two swivelling camera mounts, bolt them to the table at the right spacing, and attach the hand units. Voila! Ugly but very effective.

      It's available only in PS2, not USB. This can be a problem with some workstations (e.g. HP). A Y-mouse PS2/USB adaptor can fix this problem, but it took a lot of fiddling to find one that works right.

      The learning curve is a little steep. It took almost a week to become productive, and perhaps 3 months before my typing speed had caught up with my original flat keyboard speed.

      The key spacings are just a little too far apart. For people with large hands, that's great. I have one large and one small hand, and for the small one, it's a stretch.

      The quality is a little dicey. I've had to return it for repair 3 times in the 3 years I've used it.

      Despite all these problems, it's still the best thing since sliced bread.
  • The data hand is NOT one, correct? I don't know about the twiddler. Anyone have experience with them?
    • I've used a couple of chording keyboards, if your doing mostly alpha typing then their pretty cool.

      I used to have left handed one and a logitech trackball. Pretty neat not having to move my arms to type and click.

      The down side is that with modern kbs you need to chord well over 100 different keys.
  • Has more ergo and other keyboards than I imagined existed. Can't vouch for them - I use a Model M (with the drain holes) and am a 2 fingered typist, so ergo keyboards just screw me up. I found the site searching for omnikey info - I had just found one - literally - and was doing research.

    Good luck
  • The most bothersome thing to me about the MS Natural keyboards (besides their somewhat squshy feel) is that they put the 6 on the left, when it belongs on the right side of the top row. As a touch typist it was the primary reason I bought my own keyboard to bring into work, the cheapie US Logic that ChumpUSA resells as its own brand. $35 is a pretty good price, and I've got two that are now about 2 years old and they still have nice action. I just need to disable that damned mouse button in the middle of it. :-)
  • I have two keyboards from Fellowes (at home and work) that I got for $35 a piece. The *exact* model I have doesn't seem to be on their web site any more, but go here [fellowes.com], through input devices, keyboards, second page (URL is too long for lame lameness filter), and look at the Smart Design Keyboard. It's a simple split/tilted keyboard which has made a major difference for me.

    I think I've headed off Carpal Tunnel Syndrome before it got serious by moving to this keyboard, so I'd definitely recommend it!

  • there's a new ergonomic pen coming out that should solve some problems. It has a 'Y' shape that takes strain off your knuckles as you don't have to use any pressure to hold it.

    http://www.penagain.com/ [penagain.com]

    DISCLAIMER: I am doing some work for this company. But I've played with the prototype, and I think it's very impressive.

  • i wanna get one of these. [keyalt.com]

    has anyone tried one? [grandtec.com]

    there's also some whack ass keyboards up in here [keyalt.com]

Slashdot Top Deals

All life evolves by the differential survival of replicating entities. -- Dawkins

Close