Features:
- Left-side single touch pad enhances your computing experience with new functonality
- Keys reinvented to perform common tasks such as new, open, and save
- Includes 12 hot keys for one-touch e-mail, multimedia, and Internet operation
- Shaped wrist rest for added comfort
- Included IntelliType Pro software allows customization of hot keys
Description:
Most people silently suffer with the cheap keyboards that came with their PCs, never even considering there might be a better option out there. With its Office Keyboard, Microsoft offers an innovative, well-designed alternative. Its extra buttons, customizable control software, and tight integration with Windows and Office applications simplify many common tasks. Bottom line, this clever keyboard lets you get more done easier and faster. To install the keyboard, we simply ran the setup program on the included CD-ROM. We then plugged the keyboard into the USB port, and Windows instantly recognized it. The keyboard also comes with a PS/2 adapter for connecting to the PC's traditional keyboard port; either option works just as well. What sets the Office Keyboard apart isn't the physical design. It has a standard shape and layout, as opposed to Microsoft's Natural Keyboard with its sloped shape. Instead, the Office Keyboard makes its mark with highly programmable extra keys. Above the function keys you'll find a row of 13 gray buttons with labels like Word, Excel, Mail, Volume, and Sleep. Press them to launch or switch between applications, control volume, etc. A gray plastic hand-rest skirts around the bottom and left of the keyboard. On the left you'll find seven more buttons, handling functions like cut, copy, and paste, as well as a scroll wheel that turns easily, letting you page through documents and Web pages. Typing away, we found that these extra buttons came in handy almost immediately. It's a real pleasure just pressing one key to undo an action or copy some text instead of having to reach for the mouse or to remember a complicated keyboard shortcut. The long scroll wheel is very handy and much easier to use than the tiny wheels found on many mice. And, since we always keep Microsoft's Web browser, word processor, and e-mail client open at once, we especially enjoyed the ease of switching between applications. The keys themselves have a solid, slightly spongy feel, and the hand-rest makes it comfortable to type for long periods of time. Though the default settings work well, it's the customizability that gives this keyboard its true power. The keys can be remapped to launch any application or open any Web page. So, for instance, using the included software, you could map the calculator key to bring up your brokerage account on the Web or the calendar key to launch your non-Microsoft contact manager. Our only quibble with the keyboard is that it doesn't act as a hub for connecting other USB peripherals. That aside, it's an outstanding keyboard that's sure to make your work go more quickly and smoothly. --Ken Feinstein Pros:
- Over two dozen programmable keys
- Easy-to-use scroll wheel
- Comfortable hand rest
- USB and PS/2 support
Cons:
- Doesn't have additional USB ports
| 
