I Like Microsoft...

[sleigh]

I know -- from a rabid Macintosh enthusiast, that's a strange admission. But you see, I needed to replace my keyboard. I had been using an Adesso ergonomic keyboard, the type with the split keyboard and a big 'hump' in the middle to put the hands in a better position. I went to ergonomic keyboards years ago because typing on normal keyboards (when that's what I do most of the day) was beginning to hurt my hands. Apple's keyboards are OK (but just that), but they don't make an ergonomic model.

I bought the Adesso maybe three or four years ago. It had served well and faithfully, but my fingers had worn away the lettering on many of the keys (not a big problem, since my fingers know where the keys are -- as long as I don't think about it, I can type just fine without the keys being labeled). But a few of the keys were starting to act a bit temperamental, so I started looking online for a new keyboard of the same type.

Yes, I would have bought another Adesso -- but Adesso has stopped making a Mac version of their keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards tend to be rarer beasts anyway, and searching on Apple's site and a few other places for Mac versions of them wasn't turning up useful stuff at all, and what was available was rather expensive. I was beginning to think that I was going to have to just deal with the Adesso for as long as I could.

Then I came across a review of the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic keyboard, which noted that it was "Mac-compatible." So I went to Staples today and played with their demo for a bit... and ended up taking one home.

I like it -- I like the touch, which is the most important thing to me about a keyboard. The keys have good positive feedback, and the pressure required to activate the key is just about right for me. I took off and discarded the attached plate on the bottom that gives a reverse tilt to the keyboard -- that would be fine for keeping the wrists level if I used a keyboard drawer, but the keyboard sits on top of my desk so that reverse tilt actually causes more wrist flexing.

It comes with Mac-centric software which re-maps the keys to the standard Mac keyboard. The ALT key becomes the "Apple" key, the START and WINDOWS keys become OPTION. The fact that they're still labeled as if this were a Windows machine isn't a problem -- again, my fingers know where the keys are supposed to be. The F1 through F12 keys are handled by the Mac OS and act as expected (though again the Windows-centric labels atop them are useless). And most of the 'special' keys Microsoft added to the layout do what they're labeled to do, only within the Mac system.

And it's cheap -- with the $20 rebate, less than $50... Heck, I should buy two or three just to keep for when this one wears out.

Damn. I'm using something by Microsoft and liking it. I feel like such a traitor! :-)

Comments

[zencuppa.livejournal.com]

I am a touch typist, which is good.

I also use a left hand mouse, because (now that I think about it), years ago my right hand got sore from typing and strumming guitar. So I switched mouse hands since I certainly wasn't becoming a left-handed guitar player :-)

I think that switching to an ergonomic keyboard would be a good thing. I also suspect that I'll do it slowly, to avoid affecting my productivity. I'll get one during the next couple of months and slowly get used to it (i.e. switch back and forth from my, fairly worn out, standard keyboard) until I am comfortably typing like my normal speedy self.

Thanks for making me think about it . .

Andrea

[fredcritter.livejournal.com]

I think you'll surprise yourself by how quickly you'll get used to an ergo keyboard. You'll probably wonder why you hadn't switched years ago.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find that Fred's absolutely right, Andrea. When I switched, I seem to recall that I was typing at full speed again within a day or two.