19.8 Our Picks
The choice of keyboard is above all a personal matter, but unless you
have very strong preferences you'll probably find
one of the following keyboards suitable. Here are the keyboards that
we use and
recommend:
- Standard keyboard
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Microsoft Internet Keyboard and Internet
Keyboard
Pro. If you want a standard straight
keyboard, give these serious consideration. The Internet Keyboard
uses the PS/2 interface and includes dedicated hot keys to control
browser functions and email, as well as two programmable hot keys and
a Sleep key. The Internet Keyboard Pro uses the PS/2 or USB interface
(Microsoft recommends connecting both simultaneously), adds dedicated
multimedia keys (volume, play functions, etc.) and two USB ports on
the back of the keyboard. Barbara uses the $35 Internet Keyboard Pro
on her primary system and the $20 Internet Keyboard on her other
systems. (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/keyboard)
- Ergonomic keyboard
-
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite and Natural
Keyboard Pro. You'll either love or
hate these "melted" keyboards.
Robert loves them; Barbara hates them. The Natural Keyboard Elite is
their basic ergonomic model. It uses the PS/2 interface, but includes
a PS/2 USB adapter. The Natural Keyboard Pro uses
the PS/2 and/or USB interface, adds eight dedicated hot keys for
browser functions and email, eight dedicated multimedia hot keys, two
programmable hot keys, a Sleep key, and two USB ports. Robert uses
the $55 Natural Keyboard Pro on his primary system and the $35
Natural Keyboard Elite on his other systems.
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Some say that getting used to the Natural Keyboard layout takes a
long time. That was not Robert's experience. He is a
touch typist, and became completely comfortable with the Natural
Keyboard in an hour or less. He uses Internet Keyboard models on some
of his test-bed systems and switches back and forth without
difficulty. The major adjustment is that the Natural Keyboard errs in
putting the 6 key above and to the right of the T key, where it must
be struck with the left index finger. Touch typists learn to strike
the 6 key with the right index finger, and the change is a bit
disconcerting at first.
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- Cordless keyboard (short-range)
-
Logitech Cordless series.
If your
keyboard
cord gets in the way or you like to work with the keyboard in your
lap, a short-range cordless keyboard may be just the thing. Logitech
Cordless series keyboards are the best we've seen
for that purpose. The $45 Cordless iTouch is a straight keyboard. The
$45 Cordless Freedom adds a separate cordless mouse. The $85 Cordless
Freedom Pro is an ergonomic version with separate ergonomic cordless
mouse. (http://www.logitech.com)
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The readily available cordless keyboards made by companies like
Logitech and Intel have a maximum range of 10 feet (3 meters) or so.
That's fine to eliminate desktop clutter, but far
too short a range for a home theater/computer setup or for
presentations. In the previous edition, we recommended a $160
long-range cordless keyboard, but such units have apparently been
retargeted toward the business market and now sell for $300 or more.
Although we haven't tried it, if we needed long
range on a budget, we'd probably use a standard $50
IR (infrared) cordless keyboard with an IR repeater
(transmitter/receiver) set like the Powermid, which is available for
$50 or so from home automation gear resellers.
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- Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) switches
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See Chapter 16.
For our most recent detailed recommendations by brand and model,
visit:
- http://www.hardwareguys.com/picks/keyboards.html
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