The Best Keyboards For Every Occasion

ThinSkin writes "ExtremeTech has written an article on the best keyboards in every category, such as gaming keyboards (macro and hybrid), media center keyboards, keyboard gamepads, and so forth. Of course, the big companies like Microsoft and Logitech dominate these lists, while smaller companies like Razer, Ideazon, and others play an important role as well."

Comments

There is only one keyboard

[TheRealMindChild]

The IBM Model M

Re:There is only one keyboard

[TeknoHog]

What? I can't hear you from all the clickety-click.

(Seriously though, there's only one sensible keyboard, which happens to be an IBM as well: Space Saver.)

Re:There is only one keyboard

[DoofusOfDeath]

Model M was awesome. (Way) back in the day I thought typing code quickly was the same as being a good programmer.

Making my keyboard sound like a machine gun convinced me that I was God's gift to high-school programmers.

Re:There is only one keyboard

[TheMeuge]

I've been using a keyboard from PCKeyboard.com for ages, and it's gotten dirty. I took the keyboard apart, ran it under the shower, then flushed it with 95% ethanol. Put in on the windowsill for 3 days to dry, and voila - looks and feels like new.

I just bought another one, in case the company goes out of business (after all, who's crazy enough to pay $80 for a keyboard!).

Model M - Links!

[sleekware]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_Keyboard - About the keyboards. http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=model+m+keyboard&_sacat=0&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270.l1313&_odkw=model+m&_osacat=0 - Ebay availability http://www.clickykeyboard.com/ - Used Model M Retailer http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/keyboards.html - Unicomp Model M Keyboards (using the same machinery that made the originals)

Re:Seriously, why model m?

[PotatoFarmer]

Oh, and almost forgot:

8. Reduces instances of cat-on-keyboard syndrome. They'll either weigh too little to depress the keys, or the sound of the spacebar going off like a gunshot will probably traumatize them enough that they won't try it again.

Weird priorities....

[SanityInAnarchy]

Integrated audio chip might annoy those with speaker setups

What? How? Does it force you to use its own audio?

Short of hotkeys.

Ok, first of all, does anyone here find the "Home Page" key to be useful?

Alright, I can see the point of things like volume keys. What I don't see is why it's so hard to map some unused keystroke to those anyway. I tend to map various global keystrokes with the Windows key to Amarok.

Also, WTF is a "Gaming keyboard"? Last I checked, most games are built to respond to keystrokes on a normal keyboard. As for macros, why not do it in software? If it's to foil the game's anti-cheat mechanism, wouldn't this then be considered cheating? Is WASD really that hard to use?

The media center keyboards I can kind of see, but really, it's not that difficult to just use any wireless keyboard (why do you need integrated tracking?) and learn keystrokes, or use a good old-fashioned infrared remote.

As for "clicky" keyboards, at least you've got a valid reason for those -- personally, the keyboard I'm fastest with is Apple's aluminum keyboards (I prefer the wired version), which cost me $50. Most of these are much more than that, even one of the "gamepad keyboards". I just wish someone other than Apple would make one, so I could have an insert key, and not have to swap command/option.

Re:Seriously, why model m?

[the eric conspiracy]

I've heard a lot of people on slashdot say the model M is awesome, but why? Supposedly annoyingly loud clicky noises are... good?

I agree with these people. The reasons are:

1. Durability. The keyboard is built using the design principles first worked out during the construction of the pyramids. It contains lots of metal. In a pinch it can be used to deflect RPGs. The key switches do. not. wear. out. ever. because they are based on a mechanical switch with a 10,000,000,000 activation duty cycle where the standard rubber dome design is good for at best 100,000 activations. The standard rubber dome designs also become squishy and unreliable with age. Model M keys work the same way always.

2. Ease of maintenance. Easily disassembled and cleaned of foreign debris. Nose hairs, Cheetos, Pepsi, spray from food fights not a problem. If you should spill Pepsi into it, disassemble and cycle in the dishwasher and you are good to go.

3. Tremendous tactile and auditory feedback. There is no doubt that you have completed a keystroke. Yes, I can see where the person you are sharing your cubical might not like this but that is a sign that you should be working for a company that provides its developers with offices.

4. Keypress distance. All too many modern keyboards have 0.001" keypress distance. This drives me nuts.

5. Full sized. No compromise in key spacing meaning people like me with relatively large hands do not have trouble using these keyboards.

6. No newfangled keys. The good old One True Way ANSI-101 design. No learning bizarre key loacations every tine that new age girly-keyboard needs to be replaced.

7. Chicks can tell you are a real man who will satisfy all their needs if they see you using a Model M keyboard.

Re:Why number pads?

[orangepeel]

> why did the phone guys make theirs upside-down?

Go to the "Keyboards" section of this course outline and follow the link to the PDF copy of the "Bell Labs 1960 study". In short, it's because that configuration ranked highly for inputting phone numbers. If you take a look at the image provided of the button-based phone's predecessor you'll see that 7, 8, 9, and 0 are at the bottom and 1, 2, and 3 are at the top. I'd guess that made that structure more familiar to the test subjects, along with the fact that English is read from left to right, and from ... in case you hadn't noticed ... top to bottom. With those two points in mind, my question to you is, why are the keys on numeric keypads and calculators upside-down? :-)