Things to look for in choosing your PC keyboard<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two important components that computer buyers
\nrarely pay attention to when they purchase their PCs are the
\ndisplay system and the keyboard.<\/p>\n
People might be buying the highest CPU level, and the more
\nknowledgeable may opt to pay for the right amount of RAM to run
\nWindows applications -- which should, of course, be 8 MB at the
\nminimum. But only a few people insist on a high quality display
\nmonitor and graphics cards, a phenomenon I addressed in one of my
\nrecent articles. And still fewer people bother to choose the
\nright keyboard for the computer they're buying.<\/p>\n
It is as if they think that the keyboards just come along with
\nthe computer, and that they will just have to put up with
\nwhatever keyboard the computer store throws in with their
\npurchase.<\/p>\n
The fact is, the keyboard is the interface between your
\nfingers and your PC, as much as the display monitor is the
\ninterface between your eyes and your PC.<\/p>\n
I've had to use keyboards with keys that are hard to press.
\nThe keys seem to stick, and a few minutes pressing them is like
\ncycling uphill; it just gets harder and harder. As a result, the
\nwork I should have been able to finish in one hour finally took
\nme three hours to complete. So, whether you believe it or not,
\ngood and responsive keyboards can really boost productivity.<\/p>\n
However, productivity is not the only issue involved in
\nkeyboard selection. Another important factor is safety. We've
\nread numerous reports on people who suffer from Repetitive Stress
\nInjury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, one of the forms it takes.
\nThese problems are very difficult and very expensive to cure.
\nThey are supposedly caused by using keyboards in the wrong way,
\nor using the wrong keyboards for extended periods of time.<\/p>\n
Although I don't type as much as data entry clerks or busy
\nsecretaries, I've always tried to find the best keyboards on the
\nmarket for my own use. Perhaps you still remember that I
\nmentioned one of my favorite keyboards, Northgate OmniKey 101,
\nwhich I had been using for a couple of years when it -- for some
\nunknown reason -- stopped functioning. Since the day that the
\nkeyboard decided to retire, I've searched the market in Jakarta
\nfor a keyboard made by Lexmark. I also ask friends who are going
\nto Singapore to find me a Lexmark keyboard, but so far no one has
\nsucceeded. In the meantime, I have found an IBM keyboard,
\ncomplete with its Trackpoint, in Jakarta. Not until I was invited
\nto Hong Kong to attend a seminar did I find several Lexmark
\nkeyboards. In fact, I found two interesting models. I bought them
\nand brought them back to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Why Lexmark? Because Lexmark was once a subsidiary of IBM and
\nit is making keyboards for IBM even now. And I don't think
\nanybody will argue with me if I say that IBM sells one of the
\nbest computer keyboards in the world.<\/p>\n
Trackpoint II<\/p>\n
I obtained my Trackpoint II keyboard with the help of a store
\nin Glodok Plaza, which ordered it directly from the United
\nStates. It's a standard IBM keyboard with a Trackpoint pointing
\ndevice between the letter G, H and B. The two mouse buttons are
\nlocated below the spacebar. Unfortunately, the model that I
\nreceived was a PS\/2 style, so both the keyboard and the
\nTrackpoint are connected with PS\/2 plugs. While it is not
\ndifficult to find an adapter for PS\/2 plug and standard AT 5-pin
\nkeyboard plug, it is hard to find the adaptor that can convert a
\nPS\/2 plug into a serial plug. Therefore, I haven't been able to
\nuse the Trackpoint thus far.<\/p>\n
The rest of the keyboard is enjoyable to use. You can
\nimmediately feel its sturdiness. On the label at the back, you
\ncan read \"Manufactured for IBM by Lexmark\". Somehow the clicking
\nsounds of its keys seem like music to me, and I really find the
\ntactile feedback stimulating. This keyboard is pretty heavy, too.
\nThe only complaint I'd like to make about this keyboard is that
\nit's too large by today's standards. It seems that IBM still
\nfollows the old mainframe terminal tradition, in which work space
\nis not limited. However, today, when \"Small Office Home Office\"
\nis becoming the place where we regularly use our PCs, we'd like
\nto have keyboards with much smaller footprints.<\/p>\n
IBM does sell space-saving keyboards, but when I tested two of
\nthem I was not very impressed.<\/p>\n
Trackball Keyboard<\/p>\n
It was when I got invited to attend a seminar in Hong Kong
\nrecently that I finally got hold of a Lexmark-made keyboard with
\nconnections for standard AT machines. This one comes with the
\nstandard AT keyboard plug. And its trackball, located on the top
\nright hand corner, has a 9-pin serial plug. Like the Trackpoint
\nII Keyboard, it also carries an IBM logo, and in any other
\nrespect it is equally as pleasing to use as the Trackpoint II
\nkeyboard.<\/p>\n
The trackball is located on the top right hand corner of the
\nkeyboard. It has two sets of buttons to suit your preference, one
\nset on the front side and the other on the back of the trackball
\nhousing. Each of the left and the mouse buttons also has a lock
\nbutton, which makes it easier for you to drag objects across the
\nscreen. The ball doesn't roll as smoothly as the one you'd find
\nin a Logitech trackball, but it is still acceptable.<\/p>\n
Both Trackpoint II and Trackball Keyboards come with a
\nsoftware driver for their respective pointing device.<\/p>\n
Lexmark Erase Ease<\/p>\n
This truly Lexmark keyboard is a rather revolutionary one, and
\nI guess I was very lucky to spot it in one of the computer stores
\nin Hong Kong as it was not readily available even there. It cost
\nme HK$ 1,250.00, but this purchase allows me to enjoy a keyboard
\nthat several computer magazine editors have raved about.<\/p>\n
I first read about this ergonomic keyboard by Lexmark at
\napproximately the same time Microsoft released its Natural
\nkeyboard. This keyboard consists of two detachable sections --
\neach with its own cord. The two parts can be connected by a
\nsingle, uniquely designed hinge. It has a PS\/2 connector plug,
\nbut an adapter for AT-style port is included.<\/p>\n
The space bar, which is also cut into two, can serve two
\ndifferent functions. By changing the setting of a switch at the
\nback of the keyboard, I can use the left space bar as the
\nBackspace key, and the right space bar as the regular space bar.
\nOr, by pressing the left Ctrl, Alt and Shift keys at boot up
\ntime, I can turn the right space bar into the Backspace key. It's
\nneat! F1 to F7 are located on the left section of the keyboard,
\nwhile F8 to F12 on the right section. The six keys (Insert,
\nDelete, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down) are located on the top
\nright hand corner. It will take some learning to get to reaching
\nthe End arrow, which is now quite far away from the Ctrl key. The
\nCtrl keys, in turn, are located right next to the Alt keys.<\/p>\n
The four arrow keys are available on both sides of the
\nkeyboard, so now I can use my left fingers to move the cursor. I
\nhave to learn to do this, though, as I'm so accustomed to using
\nmy right fingers for moving the cursor.<\/p>\n
I found no numeric keypad in this keyboard. But then I noticed
\na port on the top right side of the keyboard, which I thought
\nmight be for connecting an optional numeric keypad. I was right,
\nI have just read that Lexmark has already made available the 17-
\nkey keypad to go with this keyboard.<\/p>\n
The great thing about this keyboard is that you can adjust it
\nto whatever style you prefer. Each part has three adjustable
\nlegs, so you can adjust the slope according to the direction of
\nyour arms. You can spread the two parts so that they fit the
\nangle of your arms. You can also tilt the two parts so that your
\narms and elbows are not bent at all.<\/p>\n
Impressive as it is, I still have some complaints, though. The
\nfeel of the keys is not as great as the other Lexmark-made
\nkeyboards, although it is still far better than regular Taiwan-
\nmade keyboards. Second, there's no space between the F4 and F5,
\nas well as between the F8 and F9 keys, so I always have
\ndifficulty finding the right function keys to press. At least,
\nLexmark could have color coded the keys, so that we can tell at a
\nglance where F3 is located, for instance.<\/p>\n
Apart from those complaints, the Lexmark Erase Ease Ergonomic
\nkeyboard is really a joy to use -- although definitely a little
\nbit too expensive. But I definitely like this keyboard much more
\nthan the mushy Microsoft Natural keyboard.<\/p>\n
If you're looking for a low-cost but respectable keyboard, you
\ncan choose the Focus 2000 keyboard. It is widely available at
\nGlodok Plaza, Jakarta, and it feels pretty good compared to other
\nlow-priced keyboards. Of course it's not as solidly built as IBM
\nkeyboards, its keys don't travel long enough, and the springs
\nfeel a little bit too light. But it comes with a keyboard cover
\nthat can also function as a copy stand. Best of all, it doesn't
\ncost very much -- about Rp 75,000. A more expensive model comes
\nwith a built-in trackball.<\/p>",
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