PHIDONG.COM . 5.0

It's been about a week now since I got my new keyboard. My initial impression of it ws that it was one of the most comfortable boards I've ever used in my entire life. I quoted something I heard once, that keyboards are like mattresses; you never know yours sucks until you've tried something better.

Guess what? Your keyboard sucks.

My first impressions of this keyboard still stand. It is definitely the most comfortable typing experiences that I have ever had. The one thing about this keyboard is its unique curvature and shape. This is somthing that is definitely difficult to capture with a camera. You really have to see it for yourself and you definitely have to type on it to feel the difference. I can try to explain how it is like in words and pictures, but this is really the type of thing that I think you need to experience first hand to appreciate.

Looks good!
First off, let's talk about the appearance. The keyboard looks great. One thing a lot of MS Ergo users of old will notice is that they can now rejoice. All the keys are in the right places. The keyboard is a little longer than my old Logitech wireless duo keyboard, but that's mainly because the main typing area has been split and raised. The INS/HOME/PAGEUP key block and number pad are all normal, which is good.

Secondly, the shape. The keyboard is thin and has a hump in the middle that slowly fades in a gradient-like curve. The keys are different sizes and are perfectly placed so that each finger has easy access to it. What does this mean? Less effort typing. You reach less!

As you can see it curves, much like some of the (literally) split ergonomic keyboards out there. The curves really allow the keyboard to live up to its name. If typing were meant to do, this is how it was meant to feel. It is definitely natural feeling. Like many of the newer keyboards, you'll notice that there are some favorite keys, a couple audio controls. What is unique is the back/fwd buttons and zoom slider being where they are. We'll get to that soon!

Zooming ahead
Great, the keyboard is split and angled for a more natural typing posture and arm positions. But what about that empty space in between the keys? A zoom slider.

In theory, it's a really good idea. It works great for what it does. You can have it accelerate where it zooms faster if you hold it down or turn it off completely. It is within easy access. But really...

HOW OFTEN DO YOU ZOOM?

Viewing webpages, never. Sometimes in photoshop and stuff, I'll notice it will come in handy, but come on... no scroll slider? With that said, I use zoom more often than I used to, which isn't too bad.

Next subject
Audio controls. The software that comes with the keyboard works and it works very well. Unlike the logitech that I had before, the keyboard responsiveness is almost immediate. When you press a favorite button there is no pause, the program launches. The same can be said about the audio controls/pause/play/etc.

What kills me is the fact that there is NO prev/next buttons for audio. There is more than enough space for it, but they just neglected to put it on the keyboard. Unfortunately, Microsoft dropped the ball here. Their software doesn't allow you to set the favorite keys as keyboard strokes either, so you can't set a global hotkey for winamp or whatever you use.

Fortunately for me, I found out that the forward/back buttons can be mapped to switch the audio tracks, which means I can no longer go forward/back in my browser but my mouse (Mx700) has back/fwd buttons on it which I use more frequently than I did with my keyboard anyway. The good news here is that I can now reach down with my thumb while typing and change the track on Winamp, with no delay.

Do you hear me??
The first thing I notice when I hop back onto the Logitech after typing on the MSE4000 for a little bit is that it feels very uncomfortable, which is weird because I've typed on that board for over a year and it felt just fine! So what they say is true. The second thing I notice is the sound.

The Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 is, well, silent. I wouldn't say silent because it's a little deceiving, but the sound of keys being hit don't make that clicky-clacky sound. It's really muffled and not that annoying. I have no idea how I put up with my old keyboard.

It's all downhill from here .
The keyboard comes with a little block that is placed under the keyboard that puts the board at a decline. It was weird to get used to but what this allows you do do is rest your wrists on the pads (which might I add are SUPER comfortable.. they aren't plastic and hard like other keyboards, rather they are a "pleather" like soft pad) and type "properly" still. I'm enjoying it so much that I haven't lowered the bottom of the keyboard to see what it feels like without the little raising block.

Worth the price?
Mainstream ergonomic keyboards have come a long way. From being just split to angle your arms to curvy boards optimized for the typist. For me, I think the board was worth every penny. At ~50 dollars shipped, the price is a little steep for a wired keyboard. You get what you pay for though. I can't really remember any time that I ever really moved my wireless keyboard away from the computer anyway, so I don't really see having a wire coming out of the back as a downside. Yeah, it's wired but who cares? It's the most comfortable thing I've ever typed on in my entire life and trust me, I do a LOT of typing!

Some people will never like ergonomic keyboards. I personally didn't the first time I tried one, but this is different. I can't put into words how it feels. You have to try it for yourself. It'll be worth the time, I promise.