Things to look for in choosing your PC keyboard

Things to look for in choosing your PC keyboard

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): Two important components that computer buyers
rarely pay attention to when they purchase their PCs are the
display system and the keyboard.

People might be buying the highest CPU level, and the more
knowledgeable may opt to pay for the right amount of RAM to run
Windows applications -- which should, of course, be 8 MB at the
minimum. But only a few people insist on a high quality display
monitor and graphics cards, a phenomenon I addressed in one of my
recent articles. And still fewer people bother to choose the
right keyboard for the computer they're buying.

It is as if they think that the keyboards just come along with
the computer, and that they will just have to put up with
whatever keyboard the computer store throws in with their
purchase.

The fact is, the keyboard is the interface between your
fingers and your PC, as much as the display monitor is the
interface between your eyes and your PC.

I've had to use keyboards with keys that are hard to press.
The keys seem to stick, and a few minutes pressing them is like
cycling uphill; it just gets harder and harder. As a result, the
work I should have been able to finish in one hour finally took
me three hours to complete. So, whether you believe it or not,
good and responsive keyboards can really boost productivity.

However, productivity is not the only issue involved in
keyboard selection. Another important factor is safety. We've
read numerous reports on people who suffer from Repetitive Stress
Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, one of the forms it takes.
These problems are very difficult and very expensive to cure.
They are supposedly caused by using keyboards in the wrong way,
or using the wrong keyboards for extended periods of time.

Although I don't type as much as data entry clerks or busy
secretaries, I've always tried to find the best keyboards on the
market for my own use. Perhaps you still remember that I
mentioned one of my favorite keyboards, Northgate OmniKey 101,
which I had been using for a couple of years when it -- for some
unknown reason -- stopped functioning. Since the day that the
keyboard decided to retire, I've searched the market in Jakarta
for a keyboard made by Lexmark. I also ask friends who are going
to Singapore to find me a Lexmark keyboard, but so far no one has
succeeded. In the meantime, I have found an IBM keyboard,
complete with its Trackpoint, in Jakarta. Not until I was invited
to Hong Kong to attend a seminar did I find several Lexmark
keyboards. In fact, I found two interesting models. I bought them
and brought them back to Indonesia.

Why Lexmark? Because Lexmark was once a subsidiary of IBM and
it is making keyboards for IBM even now. And I don't think
anybody will argue with me if I say that IBM sells one of the
best computer keyboards in the world.

Trackpoint II

I obtained my Trackpoint II keyboard with the help of a store
in Glodok Plaza, which ordered it directly from the United
States. It's a standard IBM keyboard with a Trackpoint pointing
device between the letter G, H and B. The two mouse buttons are
located below the spacebar. Unfortunately, the model that I
received was a PS/2 style, so both the keyboard and the
Trackpoint are connected with PS/2 plugs. While it is not
difficult to find an adapter for PS/2 plug and standard AT 5-pin
keyboard plug, it is hard to find the adaptor that can convert a
PS/2 plug into a serial plug. Therefore, I haven't been able to
use the Trackpoint thus far.

The rest of the keyboard is enjoyable to use. You can
immediately feel its sturdiness. On the label at the back, you
can read "Manufactured for IBM by Lexmark". Somehow the clicking
sounds of its keys seem like music to me, and I really find the
tactile feedback stimulating. This keyboard is pretty heavy, too.
The only complaint I'd like to make about this keyboard is that
it's too large by today's standards. It seems that IBM still
follows the old mainframe terminal tradition, in which work space
is not limited. However, today, when "Small Office Home Office"
is becoming the place where we regularly use our PCs, we'd like
to have keyboards with much smaller footprints.

IBM does sell space-saving keyboards, but when I tested two of
them I was not very impressed.

Trackball Keyboard

It was when I got invited to attend a seminar in Hong Kong
recently that I finally got hold of a Lexmark-made keyboard with
connections for standard AT machines. This one comes with the
standard AT keyboard plug. And its trackball, located on the top
right hand corner, has a 9-pin serial plug. Like the Trackpoint
II Keyboard, it also carries an IBM logo, and in any other
respect it is equally as pleasing to use as the Trackpoint II
keyboard.

The trackball is located on the top right hand corner of the
keyboard. It has two sets of buttons to suit your preference, one
set on the front side and the other on the back of the trackball
housing. Each of the left and the mouse buttons also has a lock
button, which makes it easier for you to drag objects across the
screen. The ball doesn't roll as smoothly as the one you'd find
in a Logitech trackball, but it is still acceptable.

Both Trackpoint II and Trackball Keyboards come with a
software driver for their respective pointing device.

Lexmark Erase Ease

This truly Lexmark keyboard is a rather revolutionary one, and
I guess I was very lucky to spot it in one of the computer stores
in Hong Kong as it was not readily available even there. It cost
me HK$ 1,250.00, but this purchase allows me to enjoy a keyboard
that several computer magazine editors have raved about.

I first read about this ergonomic keyboard by Lexmark at
approximately the same time Microsoft released its Natural
keyboard. This keyboard consists of two detachable sections --
each with its own cord. The two parts can be connected by a
single, uniquely designed hinge. It has a PS/2 connector plug,
but an adapter for AT-style port is included.

The space bar, which is also cut into two, can serve two
different functions. By changing the setting of a switch at the
back of the keyboard, I can use the left space bar as the
Backspace key, and the right space bar as the regular space bar.
Or, by pressing the left Ctrl, Alt and Shift keys at boot up
time, I can turn the right space bar into the Backspace key. It's
neat! F1 to F7 are located on the left section of the keyboard,
while F8 to F12 on the right section. The six keys (Insert,
Delete, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down) are located on the top
right hand corner. It will take some learning to get to reaching
the End arrow, which is now quite far away from the Ctrl key. The
Ctrl keys, in turn, are located right next to the Alt keys.

The four arrow keys are available on both sides of the
keyboard, so now I can use my left fingers to move the cursor. I
have to learn to do this, though, as I'm so accustomed to using
my right fingers for moving the cursor.

I found no numeric keypad in this keyboard. But then I noticed
a port on the top right side of the keyboard, which I thought
might be for connecting an optional numeric keypad. I was right,
I have just read that Lexmark has already made available the 17-
key keypad to go with this keyboard.

The great thing about this keyboard is that you can adjust it
to whatever style you prefer. Each part has three adjustable
legs, so you can adjust the slope according to the direction of
your arms. You can spread the two parts so that they fit the
angle of your arms. You can also tilt the two parts so that your
arms and elbows are not bent at all.

Impressive as it is, I still have some complaints, though. The
feel of the keys is not as great as the other Lexmark-made
keyboards, although it is still far better than regular Taiwan-
made keyboards. Second, there's no space between the F4 and F5,
as well as between the F8 and F9 keys, so I always have
difficulty finding the right function keys to press. At least,
Lexmark could have color coded the keys, so that we can tell at a
glance where F3 is located, for instance.

Apart from those complaints, the Lexmark Erase Ease Ergonomic
keyboard is really a joy to use -- although definitely a little
bit too expensive. But I definitely like this keyboard much more
than the mushy Microsoft Natural keyboard.

If you're looking for a low-cost but respectable keyboard, you
can choose the Focus 2000 keyboard. It is widely available at
Glodok Plaza, Jakarta, and it feels pretty good compared to other
low-priced keyboards. Of course it's not as solidly built as IBM
keyboards, its keys don't travel long enough, and the springs
feel a little bit too light. But it comes with a keyboard cover
that can also function as a copy stand. Best of all, it doesn't
cost very much -- about Rp 75,000. A more expensive model comes
with a built-in trackball.