May 2, 2014
Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback! I had one of these for roughly four years. I was consistently happy with it!Please note, however, that this keyboard is intended for traditional touch-typing, and most of this review is from that perspective. Don't get it if you don't type that way; otherwise you'll probably find it difficult to work with and counter-intuitive for the way you want to use it. In case you don't know what I mean when I say "traditional touch-typing", I'm talking about typing using the method that uses the concepts of a "home row", "one finger per letter" and "bottom-right to upper-left columns".Even if you do touch type using a better or different technique than the traditional method, this probably won't suit you, since it's designed with the traditional method in mind. If that's you, you might have already figured out how to type ergonomically on standard keyboards, which is better anyway since your skills can be transferred to most keyboards rather than limited to niche ones like this.Being a split keyboard, using it is much easier on your wrists. The wrist-rest at the front is very comfortable for your wrists. The ergonomic curvature of the keyboard makes typing a lot more natural; your hands literally sit in a completely relaxed and natural position over the keys. The backwards tilt is also a good idea and keeps your wrists at a natural angle.The keys are soft and light to press. On mine, half of the letter D has rubbed off, which shows that the printing of the symbols on the keys is poor and not as durable as with older, robust keyboards. Of course, this isn't much of a problem since the users of these keyboards should be touch-typing most of the time anyway.One other issue I found was the sensitivity of the keys. When I first moved to this keyboard, I found that sometimes keyboard shortcut combinations did not work. For example, pressing Ctrl+C would not work. After a while, I found that the problem was that the keys were not sensitive enough. This is not a problem for normal key presses, but when you have to hold a key down, it can be an issue. Because of this, my concern is mainly with the Ctrl and Shift keys, which I use regularly in keyboard shortcuts. I don't have any problems with this now, however. I think this is due to a combination of the keyboard wearing in and me learning to press the Ctrl, Alt, Window and Shift keys a bit harder when I use them, which is unergonomic. The sensitivity of the keys is otherwise very reasonable, so the keyboard is still fully functional.Being a curved and split keyboard with ergonomic design, the relative positioning of the keys feels different to traditional keyboards. I found that this took a while to get used to, but I definitely don't consider it a problem; I prefer ergonomics over backwards compatibility. I also found that it then took me a little bit of time to get used to the traditional layout when I was using someone else's computer, but you eventually get used to comfortably typing using both physical layouts.At some points, I used the keyboard for playing games. It was still usable, but I don't think it's as well suited for gaming as traditional keyboards. This is primarily because it is a split keyboard. Gamers may want a lot of access to the keys using their left hands, so the split works against them in this area. Being a split keyboard, you are sacrificing the traditional design for ergonomics.The keyboard also has a variety of extra buttons. It includes the standard multimedia buttons, a calculator button and some Internet-oriented buttons, and some designated customisable buttons. It also has a zoom slider in the middle, which I have sometimes found useful. I also like the additional row of keys above the number pad. These include an equals sign, two round brackets and another backspace key. Having this extra row was a good design decision. Unfortunately, the keyboard does not include the power and sleep buttons that some keyboards have, and I have missed them.As another reviewer pointed out, the plastic for the wrist rest mount can make a tiny bit of noise if you push it. This may give the impression of poor construction, but it still functions properly. I have found the keyboard's construction to be good and durable. The wrist rest mount is nice and light, which I appreciate since it doesn't add to the weight of the overall keyboard. I think it's main construction problem is it lacks water resistance; I don't think it even has any water drainage holes. It only took a tiny spill of water to break mine.Some people have also pointed out that the keyboard is bigger than others. This is true because of the added wrist rest, extra space in between the keys, and the plastic bit that you attach to the front of the keyboard to tilt it backwards. I think ergonomics have been prioritised over compact design here. This has not been an issue for me because I have had adequate desk space, but it is something to keep in mind if space could be a concern.I regularly touch type at over one hundred words per minute, and I seldom had any soreness or pain when I use this keyboard. (However, I do not touch type for extended periods of time. I'm sure you can still get sore hands while using this keyboard, but I found it to be a lot easier on my hands than traditional keyboards.)In summary, when I was a traditional touch-typist, I was very happy with this keyboard, and I highly recommend it to anyone else who wants to touch type using the traditional method and doesn't mind compromising in the other areas for the sake of ergonomic design.However, if you want to improve the ergonomics of your typing, it's better to learn to touch-type ergonomically on standard keyboards rather than using niche ones. This way you avoid all the disadvantages of these keyboards while still getting the same benefit. Since my Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 died, I've learnt to do this. Just think outside the box. If you play guitar, this might be easier for you to understand. Here are some pointers to get started:-Don't always use the same finger to press a single key; try to use whichever is most efficient and ergonomic for the given context/word-You don't need to always stay aligned with the home row-You don't need to keep your index fingers aligned with the F and J keys-You don't need to align your wrists with the keyboard; just keep that at a comfortable angle and learn to type that way-It's better to visualise the columns of the keyboard in this shape ///\\\ rather than this shape \\\\\\