Keyboard ​recommendat​ions?

Hi all.

Currently using  Logitech Wave keyboard, but after a few years of abuse it's starting to wear out.

Wondering if anybody has any recommendations for Keyboards or Keyboard & Mouse Combos?

Something like this?

@Harlequin: The DataHand is my favourite concept just because it's completely weird -- you 'insert' you hand and then go through the same twitches as if you are touch-typing; the device calculates which key you were going for ...

Herbie

@jh71283: I'm using the newer Microsoft Natural Ergonomic keyboard (with the split down the middle) which is a good, solid keyboard except that the letters are prone to rubbing off.  This isn't a problem if you touch-type, but I still need visual clues.

Herbie

The Wave looks to be quite specific in its ergonomics.  if you like it I would just get another one.

I quite fancy the new Cheese shaped Microsoft mouse but as I haven't tried it yet I cannot recommend. I currently use the MS Arc Mouse which I use at home and away (it is nicely portable as well as being a great design).

Logitech K120 is the closest thing to a replacement for the old-school straight microsoft keyboards.  The ergonomic boards are just aweful if you learned to touch-type.

My absolute favorite keyboard ever is the one I currently have - a Logitech Solar K750.
I like it because it's has laptop style keys - but are more substantial than usual laptop keys.

It is a full keyboard with number pad and all the 'home/delete/pg up down' etc keys in the right place (you'd be amazed how many of the laptop style keyboards mess around with positioning of these keys).

It's an absolute joy to type on, so much so that I bought an extra one for my office computer and even bought a mac version for my hackintosh.

Bonus is that you don't need batteries for it!

They're pretty spendy $65 or so), but they go on sale quite a lot - Best Buy had them for $39 last week for example.

The only thing that could improve it in my mind was if it came with 10 or so programmable keys so I could program macro shortcuts for Visual Studio and Photoshop etc. Until that day, I use one of these instead and that works out really well.

You'd be amazed how much more productive you can be assigning a single key to outlining - collapse and outlining - expand for Visual Studio as an example. Sounds silly, but is true.

@OrigamiCar: What's the produce name of that device? Looks interesting.

Herbie

Herbie,

It's a Logitech G13 - http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards/g13-advanced-gameboard

They're targeted at gamers, but they're fantastic even if you don't game. The device let's you assign keypresses, multi keypresses, macros, mouse actions - pretty much anything you want - to each of the keys. Best thing is you can set up profiles targeting different .exe programs and the device automatically switches based on which program is active. So my Visual Studio 2012 has a different profile to my Photoshop profile for example.

Here's my current Visual Studio 2012 profile (still only partially set up):

Couldn't live without mine anymore - on mine I have 'copy, paste & cut' mapped and find these especially useful because I am left handed and pressing CTRL + C/CTRL + V  either means I have to let go of my mouse with my left hand, or instead use my right hand to press them which gives me wrist/finger strain. So, the G13 placed on the right side of my keyboard is a life saver.

@OrigamiCar: You know, that's a really great idea. I can already imagine hotkeys for Format Document, often-used snippets (a shortcut to a shortcut, amazing), that sort of thing. Or hooking it up to git commands. Commit all, push to origin.. I really like it. Next time I have cash to burn I'm looking into one of these.

@Bas: Not forgetting "Open Channel 9 Coffeehouse" ...

Herbie

@Bas:Yup - it comes in VERY useful. I used to have only one, which was at my office, but I missed the features so much when I was working from home that I purchased a second one. Sometimes the Logitech software crashes, but not too often and it's easy to restart it.

They're fairly expensive - around $70, but keep an eye on techbargains.com or digitaldeals.net as they go on sale sometimes.

The Logitech outlet store usually has factory refurbished ones for around 50% off, but they're currently out of stock. http://www.logitech.com/en-us/special-offers/closeout/7555 

(hope it's okay to post links to sites selling stuff?)

@Herbie: You could easily do that yes. It even comes with a set of mini 'apps' which can be set to run on the LCD screen, including an RSS reader, so you could have it check channel9 for you and display the latest posts on the LCD!

I use this Logitech Illuminated one at work and home. Nice keyboard...http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/keyboards/keyboards/4740

And just a wired mouse. Trying to stay away from wireless...tired of batteries, putting mouse on charger, Bluetooth drivers die, etc.

@Dr Herbie: The G13 is £77 on eBuyer.

Looks like I might just get a new wave, cos I have now gotten used to the layout, another KB might just frustrate me.

I still swear by the Natural Ergonomic 4000, by the way. I find it weird that no other keyboards adopted that angled-backwards design, it feels incredibly comfortable.

I am using the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, It works great and has a row of programmable keys at the top and some extra keys above the keypad.

How easy do you guys find it to get used to the gap in the middle of the board?

@jh71283: It took me a couple of months but the reduction in wrist/hand discomfort was well worth it.  I'm actually surprised that there would be anyone using a straight keyboard (not that there is anything wrong with that).

The biggest thing with the keyboard is to make sure the key groups (notably, Insert/Home/PageUp/Delete/End/PageDown) aren't some odd layout.  At some point in the past my work requisitioned me a new ergo keyboard and it had that section as 2 wide by 3 high.  Totally messed up copy/paste in my brain.