Keyboard Reviews

Bought this keyboard for my other computer... yeah... I guess i have too many computers.

It's been an excellent keyboard, and I would have to say that i prefer this one over the Newer Logitech 'iTouch' models. That's my my personal preference. This one weighs a bit more, and feels a little more sturdy. Whether that means anything or not, is up to you to decide. The cable is of adequete length, as long as your case isn't TOO far away from your desk, and the responce of the keys is not unlike that of the Deluxe 104Keyboard by logitech. The extra buttons, I find, aren't really THAT helpful. However, the 'logitech' buttons and Function keys (when used in conjunction w/ the included software) allows you to quicklaunch apps easily. Good for those programs like Winamp, IE, or other ones that you use frequently.

IMHO, this is a great buy for its price. If you're looking for a functional keyboard w/ a little more jazz than a regular one -- get this one. Don't get a no-namer.

This keyboard was easy to use and customize. It looks and feels like a normal keyboard but it does so much more.

I really like the ergo design, and this was a nice low price point for me to spend some time with an ergo keyboard. But the actual keys are kinda clunky - quite noisy, a bit hard to press, and not smooth acting.

Also, I hadn't noticed (though see that it's now clear in the photo on Amazon.com) that the wristpad is a solid, flat, plastic, integrated annoyance. It isn't comfortable, isn't paddable, and isn't removable - yuck!

So, it's worth the price, but that's about it. For comfort and satisfication, spend two or three times this price, which still isn't much.

Why pay more for Microsoft's Natural keyboard, when you can get this one MUCH cheaper?! Once you try an ergonomic keyboard, you'll never want the old straight ones again. The ergo's are SO much easier on the wrist & hand. This one has all the features you need, at a great price. And it works using the Microsoft Natural keyboard driver, allready installed in all versions of Windows. A great product at a great price!

The mouse is AWSOME. The scroll button is really smoth and the optical sensour is soooo much better than a ball. I really like the layout of the keyboard too. The quick launch buttons are all very usefull. The hardware was very easy to configure. Just make sure you read the instalation booklet before you start attaching it to your machine. My only Gripe is I wish the range was a little better. I suppose in time there will be improvments in that department. For now its a great keyboard and I can easily sit with it on my lap a few feet away from my computer hutch. It is also very stylish looking and comfortable to work with.

This works really well. The keyboard and mouse are quite ergonomic. Since I'm anti-Microsoft, it's hard for me to admit that these gizmos actually work as advertised. The keyboard, especially, is perfect for a touch typist. The six foot range is a little overstated, but that's forgiveable. I can't exactly read text on my 19" monitor from six feet away, anyway. I found that the recommendation in the user manual to keep the receiver away from the monitor is a little over cautious. In fact, in my configuration, the receiver works best placed next to my monitor. Likewise, the user manual also recommends that the PS/2 connection should be used instead of the USB connecter if possible. I have no problems with the receiver being connected to a USB 2.0 port. I'm very happy with these input devices and I'd give it five stars if the user manual wasn't so misleading.

This is really just a review of the keyboard itself; there's not much to say about the 5-pack other than the per-keyboard price is lower when you buy in bulk.

I can type far faster on this keyboard than I can on a straight keyboard, which was a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be more comfortable to use (and it is), but the speed increase was a nice bonus. The keys have just the right amount of resistance for high speed typing.

Of course, the standard warning about this kind of keyboard is: ONLY BUY A "NATURAL" KEYBOARD IF YOU ARE A TOUCH TYPIST! If you hunt and peck, you will HATE this keyboard.

The multi-function keys are a really nice touch. Best of all, they work without you having to do a lot of setup...

This keyboard can be connected to your computer via the USB port, OR the PS2 port, OR both. That's really important, because all the information I could find on this keyboard never made this quite clear. For me, it was crucial that ONLY the USB connection be required for my laptop, because my laptop has no keyboard connector whatsoever. For my desktop, I have both USB and PS2, so I went ahead and plugged in both.

If you only have USB, you will not be able to use your keyboard until the machine has booted at least up to the Windows password prompt. If you have a BIOS password, and you are not using the PS2 connector, you will have to enter the password another way (like by using the irritating, mushy keyboard built into your laptop)...

One complaint that I have is that it is very hard to use the CTRL keys. You have to get your hands pretty far out of home position to hit them, and it's awkward...

However, overall I find the experience to be supperior to using a straight keyboard.

This is a 5-pack of the Microsoft Natural Pro series of keyboards. It comes with an adapter that lets it become USB if you want, or you can plug it into your standard PS/2 slot. It has several special-function buttons so that you can program them to launch games, applications, or even specific websites, and has a curved shape that contours ergonomically to where your hands want to rest naturally if you were to place them on a slightly slanted surface. Try it out now: place your hands on your desk and let them relax to where they want to. It will not be a straight position like a normal keyboard requires. It will be a layout where your hands are turned inward a little bit, as your arms naturally fall. This pack gives you five Natural keyboards, which are shaped exactly to where your hands want to be. This provides greater comfort, gives your fingers a rest, provides convenient, handy functions, and will reduce the possibility and severity of carpal-tunnel syndrome, especially if you use computers a lot. These are must-have keyboards: if you don't have one already, snag one today, or if you own multiple computers, get this five-pack and put one on all of your computers!

How much can it really cost to make these things? They work just fone, but they seem expensive. This may be partly to blame on me LOOSING them too often!

It is a very good sylus. It has a reset pin on it so,it is easy to reset it without getting a paper clip to reset it.It is heavier than the m100 series stylus, and makes it feel more like a pen.

I bought one of these keyboard to replace an HP USB keyboard that I'd wrecked. My only complaint is that the arrow keys, insert, delete, page up, page down etc. keys are not grouped separatly like on most newer keyboards; instead they're grouped with most of the rest of the keys. If Amazon posts a picture, this will be clear. This causes me to have to hunt quite a bit for the key I want. I'll probably return it and get another HP keyboard.

Aside from that, it's a nice, compact keyboard. There is one USB port on each side; on the HP the ports are on the back where the cable comes out. I think the HP approach makes better use of wasted space.

The Viewmate Slim Keyboard has a nice feel to it and looks great. However, I have two very minor complaints: (1)there is only one "Ctrl" key on the left side which is somewhat disappointing considering I use this key quite frequently during copy, paste, and instant messaging commands; (2)on my PC, I had to enable USB keyboard support under my system BIOS in order for it to work under DOS and this was not stated anywhere. In all, typing with this keyboard feels wonderful; the tactile feedback sensation feels great. I also love the fact that the keyboard also acts as a USB hub. And of course, it is quite stylish. The buttons, although not customizable, work fine with your web browser (i.e. Netscape, MSIE), email program (i.e. Outlook), and CD player; though I do wish the CD player buttons could be reassiged to WinAmp. Some of the button locations are odd, but that just means they will take a few days to get used to (referring to the "Insert" and "End" buttons). In all, for a compact keyboard, this is one I would recommend.

[Edit]: Actually, you can reassign the CD buttons to control winamp instead. You just assign the buttons through the winamp program.

I was a professional guitar player for years, 20 years ago (closer to 30 years ago) and had to give it up due to insulin dependent diabetes. The damage of 4-5 times a day of finger sticks to test blood sugars and the infections caused by the callouses of many daily hours of playing were just too great for my body to overcome. I haven't been able to play guitar since.

I found this guitar while shopping at a Sharper Image store and was instantly hooked. It doesn't create any pressure on my fingers at all, because the electronic keypads only require a very light touch. It does not have the feel of a real guitar and can't begin to pick up the nuances of play from real strings, but if you are unable to play a regular guitar for whatever reason, it's a great alternative.

The guitar does go momentarily slightly out of tune every time a new chord is played, but it only lasts 1 or 2 seconds and unless you are acutely aware of tone values, probably won't notice the difference, it self tunes immediately. It is easier to pick out songs than a regular guitar because the steel pickup doesn't vibrate the way a regular string will, hence your picking can be both truer and faster than with a regular guitar and no buzzing of strings either.

For a beginner, I can see this as having a fast learning curve, but will probably create some problems with transferring onto a regular guitar because as long as you hit the correct frets, it will give you true sound, which on a regular guitar will never happen unless the correct amount of pressure and the correct fingering is taking place.

I don't know how durable this instrument will be long term but I am currently deeply in love (again).

This is definitely one big toy. But I am having a blast with it so far (it is day 3). I tried to start with a real electric guitar but that was too overwhelming. I have some knowledge of chords but little innate talent. So a tutorial guitar is just what I need to have fun and practice the basics. This is not a substitute for lessons though. You will only learn some rhythm guitar from the midi stuff. Also, you have to let go of any feeling of not liking the midi sound. Still, if you don't have a band, it's nice to strum along to something. I figure if I can learn all of the chords changes programmed into the guitar, I will have a decent background for picking out my favorite tunes. So in sum, the drawbacks are you can't slide down the neck because of the keys, you won't learn any picking from the tutorials and while you get 10 free midi songs from the website, the rest are priced around $6 a shot. Also the tremolo attachment impedes any sort of flashy follow through action with your right hand (but the tremolo comes off easily). I almost forgot to mention that I had a lot of difficulty getting the software to work from the url given in the packaging. After many error messages, I ended up searching for a windows xp update for both the midi usb driver and "song filer" the program used by yamaha to download songs onto your guitar. Even though I can't read Japanese, I went to a Japanese site and bless 'em cuz everything worked like a charm! The strong points are the many sounds you can choose from including 12-string (even though there are only 6 strings), overdrive and distortion. You can just play your own thing or practice one of the programmed selections. The electronic capo is really cool and the tempo adjuster is helpful. I haven't tried alternate tuning yet. But I'm sure it will be fun once I get the hang of it. I will try to write more after more time has passed. All in all, I'd recommend this for someone who isn't ready for the real thing yet and likes electronic gadgets.

Well, I just got done using this for like an hour or two... I'm a big gamer, mostly playing the computer game Counter-Strike, and I noticed that this keyboard cannot handle many keys being constantly pressed simultaneously. But, if you looking for a cheap keybaord that is pretty nice, go ahead and buy this... Just stay away from playing games that need many buttons pressed at once and very constantly.

Pros:

-Aesthetically pleasing
-Integrated USB cable
-Two additional USB ports
-Driverless (at least under 10.2.8, which is what I'm using), hot swappable
-Adjustable foot for increased or reduced angling

Cons:

-Minor discrepancies that notebook users may find initially annoying
-Tactile response, while good, is not the best
-Cord is too short
-No power key

I use this keyboard with my OS X 10.2.8 based PowerBook, and overall, I'm very pleased. There are some odd glitches, such as the fact that the key repeat rate is slower on this keyboard than on the PowerBook's integrated keyboard, and the tactile response isn't ideal for high-speed touch-typists like myself. On a good keyboard, I can reach about 130 words per minute, but this keyboard doesn't give me the right "feel" for me to hit speeds like that.

If you're used to using your notebook's integrated keys for controlling your notebook's sound or display, you may be initially disoriented by the arrangement of the keys. Turning your notebook display's brightness up or down is possible with this keyboard, for example, but the keys that do it aren't labeled -- I discovered it purely by accident thru experimentation. And where's the function key? Granted, it's not critical -- perhaps not even needed at all -- but I'd still like to have it available to me. The keyboard doesn't have a power key, either, meaning you'll have to use the Mac's power key.

The cord, at only thirty-two inches, is *much* too short. Be aware of this limitation, especially if (for example) you're thinking of plugging this keyboard into the back of a tower that's sitting on the floor behind your desk.

On the upside, the keyboard is very handsome and comfortable to use. In addition to the integrated USB cable, there are two USB ports on either side of the keyboard, allowing you greater flexibility in connecting and placing your USB-based mouse. You can also use the extra port for any other USB-based peripheral (I personally find it very convenient for using my jump drive). No installation or configuration is required for use -- plug the keyboard in and you're set to go. The keyboard is also hot-swappable, so you can plug it in, or unplug it, anytime you like (although you should be cautious if you've connected any kind of storage device to one of the USB ports -- be sure to properly unmount the storage device before unplugging the keyboard). There are some other, smaller, conveniences as well -- such as the CD eject key -- that enhance the keyboard's utility.

All in all, a very good keyboard that's definitely worth your consideration.

I bought the Pro Keyboard (white) for my Apple PowerBook G4. The PowerBook G4 is infamous for flaky paint problem -- light gray paint over the titanium case will eventually chip away if enough heat is applied over extended period (e.g., warm sweaty palms).

Most other USB keyboards (including Windows keyboards) will work fine with PowerBook G4 (or any other USB-equipped Apples), and I suppose functionally-equivalent black Pro Keyboard stays cleaner and matches the PowerBook better. But I prefer the clean look of the white. In addition, the White Pro Keyboard provides greater tactile feedback than the Black, although that could be attributed to "newness" of the White over store-used Black that I've evaluated.

The keys offer solid level of feedback, although a tad mushy for my taste. The keyboard has 108 keys, including 15 function keys, volume, mute, and eject. FYI, F14 and F15 correspond to brightness on iBook and PowerBook G4.

Flipping the foot of the bottom will raise rear part of the keyboard by half-an-inch or so. And finally, the keyboard has two USB ports on its sides, perfect for pointing device or small devices such as Bluetooth adapter.

I am giving the keyboard 4 stars due to lack of power key, somewhat limited tactile feedback (at least in comparison to PowerBook G4's clicky keys), and high price.