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A Glance At 24 Keyboards & Mice
robyn217 writes "Hey, KBs and mice aren't the most glamorous hardware in your system but there's no reason for them to be dull. I spent the last month testing out a new keyboard and mouse every day; covering everything from strange one-handed KBs to cool gesture-sensing pads to tacky ball-based mice. Check it out if you're thinking about trading up." Strictly one-paragraph blurbs here (I wish she'd talked about each keyboard's tactile feedback, and long-term comfort on the oddball designs), but if you need to do a visual scan of current offerings (many wireless), you can work toward a new mouse by clicking your way through. Update: 01/21 21:58 GMT by T : Errr, Robyn's a He, not a She -- many apologies. That hasn't happened in years!
You know, the real world tests, like how does the keyboard perform after spilling a Red Bull all over it?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Why would anyone want a one-handed keyboard?
Oh... hang on...
As everyone who will read this article will soon find out, it has almost no content. As such I suggest we talk about our own mice/keyboards and experience. I for one really want to know if anyone has tryied the "iGesture" pad/keyboard. It looks cool, but got only 3 circles in this article.
Currently I am working with all standard QWERTY keyboards. I had one that had volume buttons and some hot keys, but found that I never used them. My student informed me he switched to DVORAK under MacOSX just by switching the key binding. He says that it only took him 2 weeks to get used to it, and two months to get to loving it. I may make the switch after I finish writing my thesis.
As far as mice, I have a Microsoft Optical Mouse with the side browsing buttons. This is a very good mouse. At work I have a logitech mouse, and it functions perfectly and was very cheap. If I bought another mouse I would buy from Logitech.
Lastly I have an IBM mobile optical mouse. Do not buy this mouse. Its useless.
covering everything from strange one-handed KBs
:)
There used to be an old joke about this; Build a one-handed keyboard and the world will beat a path to your door.
The joke was interchangeable with `left handed mouse for right handed people`.
And as long as we're in innuendo land, it's appropriate to add that if you build it, they will come.
Only a woman would think that was strange...
Any sufficiently well-organized Government is indistinguishable from bullshit.
I hate short-life batteries and I hate losing stuff. I can hear it now... "Mommy, where's the mouse?"
Wireless keyboards and mice aren't going to find their way into my den any time soon.
Speak truth to power.
Each of my USB port is connected to a 4 port USB hub. But most USB device manifacturer's derive all power from the USB and you would be lucky enough to support even 2 devices on a hub.
If you read the fine print on all USB devices, it says "Don't connect via a usb Hub, directly plug-in to the pc's usb port.". Call any tech support for a problem on USB device, and the first thing they tell you is NOT to connect via a hub.
How the fcuk I am supposed to connect 8 usb devices on a 3 port USB card without a USB hub ?
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
Better reviews of keyboards and mice can be found here:
Keyboard reviews
Mouse reviews
-Jem>>How the fcuk I am supposed to connect 8 usb devices on a 3 port USB card without a USB hub ?
I agree that even today systems have not enough USB ports. 10 should be a minimum.
But what's your problem? Try connecting 8 keyboards to three PS/2 ports...
USB mice have a refresh rate of only 125Hz. A ps/2 mouse can be run at 200Hz with a program called ps2 rate (was for 98 not sure if it works for xp) so your ps/2 mouse can actually run smoother than your USB. Also I recall that I had a logitech ps/2 mouse whose driver had a refresh rate setting.
As Dave Chappelle once said in his Apple Switch Ad...
Real Video: Broadband
Real Video: 56k
"I'm a chronic masturbator. I don't know what they make the keys out of, but, whatever it is, it's non stick"
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
PC hardware tends to survive getting wet -- as long as two things are true:
1) There is no current running through it while it gets wet.
2) The mixture is not heavily filled with sugar or caramel (like Coke).
3) You let it dry out before you run current through it.
Even monitors usually survive a downpour if they have been unplugged for a day or so before you leave them in the rain.
Found this out while working for a charity thrift store. People would just throw their old junk up on the dock on the day we were closed, a good portion of that time it would rain.
So coffee (with sweet-n-low) doesn't surprise me. Coffee with sugar is more problematic. Pepsi & Coke tend to kill anything with moveable parts.
Freedom is merely privilege extended unless enjoyed by one and all.
Get yourself a Model M - I found mine at a salvage yard for $5 (not including the PS/2 it was attached to). Loudest most satisfying keyboard I have ever owned. Guaranteed to keep the housemates awake and sharpening their bowie knives.
You'll find lots of Model M stalwarts out there, including myself. This is a keyboard that harkens back to a time when keyboards were considered honest to goodness peripherals, not just little flimsy bits included in the box when you buy your PC and best not thought about. The Model M is not the only high quality, tank-like mechanical keyboard to ever come out, but it's by far the cheapest if you want to go that route now (you can still buy Northgate keyboards marketed under the Avant name, for example, but they cost more than $100).
You know you're old-school when you have to make sure you avoid the full DIN connector model when purchasing.
As for the PS/2/USB debate (yeah, not sure how else to write that), I'm sticking with PS/2 until somebody invents something better. USB ain't it, at least not for keyboards and mice. 125hz vs. 200hz? No thanks. You also can't even use your keyboard until the USB driver has loaded - same goes for the mouse. This means if you get stuck in DOS for whatever reason (or, say, at the Recovery Console), you're basically screwed. Same is true for anyone using Linux - I tried a USB keyboard on a Linux box, and every time I screwed something up I'd just have to go and connect my Model M up anyway. I'll say the opposite of what someone else said: it's always better to have a dedicated connector intended to do one thing and one thing only. The PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports on your PC are only intended for the keyboard and mouse and because of that they work better with those devices than any other port your PC has.
On a whim, I decided to check the signal-to-noise ratio on this site's content by taking a screenshot of the full page (165x600 pixels, reduced) and measuring the actual content area (93x100 pixels, reduced by same factor).
A little area calculation later, the signal to noise for PCMag.com is: 93:897 (ie: noise factor of 9.645 times the signal). I will never visit that site out of choice again.
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I own 3 Kinesis keyboards myself. I recently got an Advantage USB for my Mac at home, and I use a normal essential at work. I have an essential at home that I used for years, but now needs a good cleaning before it'll work reliably again.
There are lots of people that swear by them, and I'm one of them. However, I'll tell you the real secret of the Kinesis keyboards:
Ctrl, Alt, PgUp, PgDown, Home, End, Backspace, Delete, Space and Return are all thumb keys. That's right, there're 12 keys that are actuated with your thumbs, and they're keys that you use all day long. Once you learn the joy of never having to hit the return key with your pinky, or being able to backspace quickly with your thumb without moving your hand, you'll never go back. Personally, I think it would have been cool if one of the thumb keys had been a shift key, but that probably would have been a bit cumbersome.
I bought a kinesis after someone talked about it on slashdot in the comments. Hopefully, someone out there will also visit www.kinesis-ergo.com and give one of their keyboards a try. You won't regret it, despite the price. If you spend all day typing, you owe it to yourself to have a keyboard that's comfortable and ergonomic. Seriously, I enjoy typing now more than I ever have in the past.