Very Nice Keyboard - Easy On the Wrists
Pros:
Ergonomic design eliminates strain on wrists, promotes natural typing position.
Cons:
None I can think of. You can disable any keys you don't need.
The Bottom Line:
Great ergonomic, multi-function keyboard. I recommend getting used to the ergonomic designs to help avoid repetitive stress injuries.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I purchased this keyboard a few weeks ago for my work PC. It replaced an older Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard. The ergonomic keyboards do take a little bit of getting used to, but once you do, it's difficult to go back to a standard keyboard. I've been around computers for a long time, and logged many hours typing. I used to have pain in my wrists and tingling and numbness in my fingers. I had to wear wrist-braces for a while, and, I also made the switch to the natural ergonomic keyboards. I'm happy to say that the problems have since nearly disappeared. So, above everything else, I must say that the ergonomic shape of keyboards such as the Microsoft (B2M-00012) Keyboard, otherwise known as the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, are a life saver for those of us who have had problems due to repetitive motion injuries.
Now onto the features. The extra multi-media buttons can be nice and help you cut corners around mouse navigation if you use them. If you don't want to use them, they're programmable, and you can either assign them to another function, or disable them all-together. The only buttons I've disabled so far are the back/forward buttons which sit just below the space bar. I disabled them because it was too easy to accidentally press them while typing, like right now for example, and it would send me to the next or previous screen, and I would lose whatever it was I was working on. Not cool. So, since I had that problem, I disabled those buttons. Not sure if it's just the way I rest my hands on the keyboard or what. At any rate, it's no major task to reach up to the mouse and press the back or forward button on your web browser.
Across the top of the keyboard are the following multi-media keys: Web/Home, Search, Mail, My Favorites, Mute Sound, Increase Sound, Decrease Sound, Play/Pause and Calculator. At the center of the keyboard, where the split in the keys is at, there is a zoom button, which allows you to zoom in and out on text on your screen, which is a handy little feature, but I don't personally use it that much. The F-Lock is on by default when you boot up your PC. If you turn F-Lock off, it opens up 12 more function keys, (help, undo, redo, new, open, close, reply, fwd, send, spell, save, print). Key presses are quiet, soft and responsive.
My only real complaint about the keyboard that can't be changed is the placement of the arrow keys. Rather than the classic plus shape, they are in an upside-down T shape, which for me, takes a little getting used to. Other than that, this is an excellent keyboard.
