Solid, smooth, and comfortable
Written: Dec 18 '03 (Updated Dec 19 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Solid, smooth, very comfortable
Cons: No touchpad built in; also not WHISPER quiet, if that's a factor
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended as a smooth, solid, stable, sturdy, comfortable keyboard.
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| xnewyorka's Full Review: Belkin ErgoBoard (F8E208-BLK-DL) Keyboard |
Not sure what the "-DL" is on the end of the model name here. The box mine came in just says F8E208-BLK, and that's what the tag on the bottom says too. At any rate, this is a REALLY nice keyboard. It's quite heavy, which gives me the sense that it is solid, rugged, and will last a long time. Also it stays put very well. (I got it yesterday, so I can't speak to the longevity yet!). It's extremely smooth. The keys don't have a pronounced click like the good old IBM AT keyboards of yesteryear, but they do make a little noise to telegraph to you whether you have or haven't hit the key. (Obviously if you are looking at an ergo keyboard you are most likely a touch typist like me; though now that I have written that, I tried looking at the keys, and find that it's pretty easy to find the key you're looking for if you do have to look, since they are more spread out, having a 1.5" space down the middle.) The arched top of this keyboard is just right for my body's ergonomics - it's very comfortable to use. My arms are not tired after about 10 hours of use today, whereas I have been using my laptop for the last few weeks, and my arms normally hurt by lunch time.
The keyboard has Sleep, Wake-Up, and Power keys in the upper right corner, which do come in handy. Also, the built-in wrist rest is very nice for literally resting your hands. I don't use it while typing (I think I read somewhere that doing that is bad for your wrists), but when talking, mousing, thinking, etc., it's quite natural feeling to rest right on the smooth, nicely curved built-in rest. Unlike a keyboard I had at an old job a couple years ago, this wrist rest does not optionally remove from the keyboard - it seems to be built-in, which is fine for me since I don't need to transport the keyboard and I don't see a need to remove the wrist rest anyway.
When I bought this keyboard, I was originally looking for one with a touchpad, but couldn't find one that had good overall reviews. I did find a few pretty glowing reviews of this keyboard on some other review sites, so I decided to buy it based on the reviews and continue using my regular mouse. So I thought I would come on here and post a review now that I went ahead and bought one. I actually installed it at my desk at work, so it will get a LOT of use. I did try it first on my home PC last night, but it wouldn't work with that machine, since it has a mouse port only, not a keyboard port. So I guess I would need a USB keyboard for that machine. (This keyboard has a PS/2 cable, and also comes with an adaptor for fitting older AT style jacks.
Today I used it with the speakerphone sitting about 6" from the keyboard, and the person on the other end of my call said he could hear me typing, but it wasn't so loud as to be annoying, which was good.
To be truly ergonomic, now I need to raise my chair higher than it can actually go, or else get a keyboard tray to lower the keyboard 2"-3". Once I do one of those two things, it will be a pretty awesome setup. (I also have a cool Glare/Guard on my monitor that makes it extremely easy on the eyes.)
Oh - I paid $36.77 plus shipping at tekgalaxy.com, and had it within 36 hours, which was pretty great since my arms were really complaining.
One other odd thing - there is a warning on the box stating that you should wash your hands after handling the CORD because it contains lead, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Luckily, I don't plan on handling the cord too much, because I hope to have kids some day. But I do wonder why the other 49 states are so behind the curve. :-) (I also wonder why they use lead in the cord. Is it INSIDE the cord, or is it the black paint on the outside? It doesn't seem to rub off on a piece of white paper.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 37 plus ship
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Epinions.com ID:
xnewyorka
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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