Date:         Mon, 15 May 95 14:09:32 MDT
From:         nelson@santafe.edu (Nelson Minar)

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I needed to buy a keyboard for an IBM-type machine recently, so I
decided to spend a few extra bucks and get one of the low cost split
keyboards instead of a conventional one. I haven't had a lot of time
with either of these keyboards, a week or so each, and I don't type
that much on them. Therefore, this review does not cover the effects
of long term use. But if I don't write something now, I won't ever.

The two keyboards I tried were the generic split keyboard ($60, sold
under brand names "Ace", "Addison Wesley", "Norton Technologies", etc.)
and the Microsoft Natural Keyboard ($99). I liked both well enough, it
was easy to adjust to them from typing on a normal 101-type keyboard.

There's a third low-cost IBM keyboard I'm aware of, the FlexPro, which
is rumoured to be $99 on some special deal from the manufacturer. Their
key layout wasn't suitable for me. Finally, there's also the Apple
Adjustable Keyboard, also around $99, but no good for an IBM machine.


The first keyboard I tried was the generic one, both because it was
cheaper and because I'd heard some criticism of the Microsoft
keyboard. I liked the layout well enough: no real trouble adjusting.
It definitely seemed more "right" to me than a standard keyboard, even
though it's a simple change: broken in half and rotated in the plane
of the keyboard to a fixed angle. The keyboard can be placed flat or
raised a bit in back, like a typical keyboard. I could imagine better
designs, but for the price it was ok.

I had two problems that led me to return the keyboard, though. First,
it was incompatible with my NEC Versa P laptop for some strange reason
(other keyboards work fine with the laptop, keyboard works fine on
other machine). Second, I really disliked the key switches. They were
the light clicky kind which drive me nuts (but most people like).
Even worse, the key would sometimes register a keypress even if you
didn't press it down to the physical click point. Lousy switches.


I returned the generic keyboard and switched to the Microsoft Natural.
I like this one well enough, too. In addition to being broken in half
and rotated out to a fixed angle, the keyboard is also slightly tented
up in the middle to a fixed, presumably more natural angle. Still not
ideal, but better than a normal keyboard.

IMHO, there's a serious design flaw in the keyboard: a hard plastic
skirt ("wrist guide") attached to the front edge of the keyboard,
where I'd normally place a wrist rest. They claim it's a "guide" to
keep your wrists level while typing, and a convenient place to rest
your hands when you're not. The hard plastic looks positively
dangerous to me. I haven't seen yet if the thing can be removed, but
it's not hard to wrap a towel around it. Apple has something like this
on their keyboard, too: what are they thinking? At least Apple's is
detachable.

The switches on the keyboard are fine: they are a bit stiff, and they
mush all the way down. If you're used to some sort of feedback for
keyclicks, you might not like this. For some inexplicable reason
Microsoft has chosen to add new keys down where Alt and Control are:
they're only supported by Windows right now. In addition to being near
useless, they crowd the bottom row and make the space bar too small.

The keyboard has some special features I don't quite understand yet.
In addition to the extra keys, there's also some sort of mouse mode on
the keyboard and some extra programmability. I can't tell if these
features are in the keyboard, or just in Windows. If anyone knows,
please tell me: I'm running Unix on my machine.

For all the criticism, I still have to say that I like this keyboard
fairly well. I think it's worth the extra money over a normal keyboard.
The Microsoft Natural is clearly superior to the generic split
keyboard: better switches, and nice tenting. If they'd just get rid of
the "wrist guide" and make the space bar bigger, I'd be pretty happy.


More information on Keyboard Alternatives is on the Typing Injury FAQ,
  http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~dwallach/tifaq/