Corneliu I. Tusnea wrote:
I also love the MS Natural Keyboard. I'm surprised you changed it. I
checked a review of that filco keyboard and sounds too noise for my
liking. Even this MS keyboard is noisy but the design is fantastic.
I still have the MS Natural in my Work Office which I am currently using
(the pic before was my home office). Given that, on my desk/mess-area I
have these keyboards:
- MS Natural
- Filco Tenkeyless Cherry-Blue with Blank Keys
- Microsoft Arc
- Microsoft Multimedia
- Kinesis Freestyle
- Various cheap(ish) Logitech and Microsoft keyboards.
This is what I am looking for in the ultimate keyboard (of which I am
yet to find)
- No keypad, so the mouse is closer to my body. A separate USB keypad
can be used.
- Something tactile. The blue switches are somewhat noisy, the browns
are quieter. With tactile keyboards you get instant feedback when the
keypress actually happens, so you don't need to bottom out the keys
which is where a lot of the noise comes from. It's an awesome keyboard
experience.
- A keyboard where the arrow keys +
home/end/pageup/pagedown/insert/delete are not moved. (This is a top
level sin)
- A keyboard that doesn't default the F-keys to special ones where you
have to hold down a function key just to press FX. (This is also a top
level sin)
Having spent $500+ on keyboards for myself in the last year, if
Microsoft did their Ergo keyboard with blue or brown mechanical switches
and got rid of the keypad/made it detachable, I'd hand over $250+ for
it. (Are you listening Balmer?)
For those interested in the Filco keyboards, they are around $150 inc
shipping, and I'd recommend them. Here are two to look out for:
- http://www.auspcmarket.com.au/info/KE-FKBN87MC-EFB2/1838/ <--- Filco
Tenkeyless Blue-Cherry with Ninja Keys
- http://www.auspcmarket.com.au/info/KE-FKBN87M-EB2/1838/ <--- Filco
Tenkeyless Brown-Cherry with Regular Keys (slightly quieter).
You can also get them in regular size, but where is the fun in that? The
ninja keycaps are nice, but you could also perhaps buy the blank ones
for mad-1337h4x0r-cred.
--
Les Hughes
[email protected]
