By JAMES DERK
Scripps Howard News Service
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
It goes without saying that I type a lot. After nearly two decades as a reporter and editor, then a career in Information Technology means I have typed more in a year than most people do in a lifetime.
It goes without saying I have gone through a whole bunch of keyboards in my life. From the first Northgate my dad bought me years ago to my current favorite, a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000.
The package includes a great ergonomic keyboard, with several height and latitude adjustments that make keeping your wrists flat easy as pie. What many people fail to do with ergonomic keyboards is adjust them correctly ... they need to be adjusted carefully to keep the wrists in the proper position indicted in the guidebook.
The keyboard has some other great features that I am only now discovering including some nifty function keys and programmable keys for instant access to your e-mail or Web browser.
Then there is the mouse. My first was the cheapo mouse for the Commodore 64 and I have steadily moved upscale. The first mouse I loved was the "Dove bar" Microsoft mouse (that white one we all loved.) I then moved along to a series of Logitech devices and some cordless Microsoft mice.
Since then I have fallen in love with the mouse that comes with the Desktop 7000. It moves the wrist off to one side and adds a few buttons that include zoom, which magnifies a portion of your screen. This is incredibly handy when you're removing red-eye from photos and other things that need intense magnification.
The scroll works four ways (up, down, left and right), which makes moving around Web pages a snap. One thing I also will like is the improved battery life (up to six months if you believe Microsoft.)
The mouse is large and takes some getting used to ... most children will dislike it because of the size alone. But for my large hands I found it perfect. I think this is the "love it or hate it" part of the game show ... I would recommend going to an office supply or computer store and test driving the mouse and the split keyboard for a few minutes. The keyboard you will grow to love but the mouse you will have to judge for yourself.
The downside is the keyboard and mouse are connected to the PC via a small USB dongle. The older Microsoft keyboard sets were connected via a larger transmitter, which I think will be far less likely to be lost. I am somewhat fearful the small USB thing (about the same size as a thumb drive) will get overlooked and misplaced someday.
Other than that I was very impressed with the unit. The cost is relatively high for keyboard and mice combos, about $130 on the street. But if you do a lot of typing you likely will find it well worth the investment.
And your wrists will thank you someday.
You can get the details of all of the keyboard and mice combos at the Microsoft hardware Web site at www.microsoft.com/hardware/
WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Check out CNN's new Web site that offers a quick glimpse of the news. See it at www.cnn.com.
James Derk is owner of CyberDads, a computer repair firm, and computer columnist for Scripps Howard News Service. His e-mail address is jim(at)cyberdads.com
Post new comment