Rating: 
Summary: Great keyboard, handy USB ports
Review: I've had this keyboard for about 1 year now (I think). It's only negative is how it works with existing computer furniture that I have.With the curved edge and higher profile (2 inches high) this keyboard may be a bit big for some computer desks. It effectively takes up about 10 inches in depth and 19-1/2 inches in width. My desk has the keyboard "drawer" that pulls out and only has 3 inches between the drawer top and the desk bottom. It had a strip of wood on the front face as a hand rest, that I had to remove in order to use this keyboard. This keyboard has a hand rest of its own. I'm only mentioning this because it is a common design on some computer desks and may not be as easily removable as mine was. It needed to be removed because it set the keyboard too far back and the drawer was not opening far enough for the top keys to be accessed. Also, since my keyboard drawer is only 29 inches wide, I only had 10 inches left for my mouse pad. What I find is that the keyboard occassionally jostles my 8-3/4 inch wide mousepad and it jams against the side of the drawer making it hard to move. My set up works okay for me, however, if your keyboard drawer is any smaller and you need a larger area for a mouse, you might have a problem with this keyboard. The main advantages of this keyboard in my opinion is the sloped design that ergonomically suits the hands better and the USB ports. As a person that has a digital camera, I find these USB ports very handy. Who wants to fish behind your CPU every time, you want to download pictures. This keyboard also has keys at the top of it, that do some functions automatically, such as Mail, Calculator and My computer which are far to the right over the number keys. Additionally, you can do all internet functions from Back, to Home via keys on this keyboard (top left over keyboard). I don't find the internet keys so handy as I tend to use the mouse for this. (Habit from my work keyboard). You also can bring up and control your media player via keys too (top right over keyboard). This is handy. You can adjust volume, play, stop or change to previous and next track. This is neat, as you don't have to hunt around for this, while in the middle of something else. Also, handy are the indicator lights that show that the num lock, caps lock and scroll lock is on. They are right in the middle of the keyboard where you can't miss them. For someone that goofs with caps lock on passwords, this helps somewhat. Ironically, due to my work keyboard though I find myself always looking in the wrong spot. As for installing this keyboard it was simple. One thing I did find was that on my older 300 Dell machine, with Windows 98, I could not get the USB ports to work. I have no idea whether this was a factor of the computer or the keyboard. However, now I have a 733 Windows ME and they work fine. I have no idea why this happened. I regularly have a USB CD writer attached to one and a digital camera to the other. This is a decent deal too. I bought this keyboard for almost twice as much and find it an excellent investment.
Rating:
Summary: natural keyboard pro
Review: I really like my new natural keyboard...have to get used to the curve! I have it connected to my ePod and have not tried all the keys yet. I could have used an instruction sheet for all the enhancements to totally utilize everything it has to offer. I ordered it on October 20th and was very impressed with the prompt service. (although a couple of days later the price was reduced with FREE shipping!)
Rating: 
Summary: If only it was lighter!
Review: Originally I had rated this keyboard very well, but after using it for 18 months, I'm gonna have to downgrade it to a HOLD. Its nice, but a minor mishap with soda totally ruined the feel. I took it apart, washed it throughly, and now the keys have a very stiff feel, and the space bar likes to miss half my strokes. I've done the same thing to my older MS keyboards, and they all took the soda-washout treatment pretty well. And the thing is pretty heavy.
Rating:
Summary: A good board
Review: The board is heavier than the regular one, giving it a higher quality feel. The key don't feel or sound as cheap either. The hot keys are kinda cool, but you should not buy this thing just for the quick internet keys. Using the keyboard such as alt left or right is faster, plus you don't have to look for the quick button (kinda small), better yet get the intellimouse explorer and you don't have to move your hand off the mouse. The best feature I like are the multimedia keys. Atleast for winamp<MP3>, you can skip foward/back, play/pause, and adjust volume with one button vs having to grab your mouse, click winamp, click, and then go back to your other app. Don't have to crawl under your desk to swap usb plugs. **Be Advised,once they got you hooked on a ergonomic keyboard, you can never go back. My wrists hurt when I use a non-ergo keyboard.
Rating: 
Summary: Is the old one better than the new one?
Review: My MS Natural Keyboard is four years old. I had it a year before I dared make the change, expecting a long period of adjustment. I was wrong about that: It took a few hours to be wholly functional, a few days to be right at home. I truly love this keyboard. The design is the thing, and once heavy users get onto the new design they'll never go back to the old flats. But I wonder of the new versions of the Microsofts measure up, wonder if Microsoft hasn't cheapened the product. My concerns stem from a lucid and in-depth review by Jim Heale, below. He, like me, has an older model. Unlike me, he also has the new model. He sounds like an authority on both, so I suggest you go down and read his review before making a keyboard decision. Jim reminds us that others make these so-called ergonomic keyboards, including IBM, the benchmarker of quality keyboards. A reviewer below had no praise for the palm rest on this keyboard. A palm rest is not the answer -- a FOREARM rest is. You might benefit from a description of a homemade device I've been using for a decade. My back was suffering terribly until I came up with something to lay my forearms on, and ten years of use solidly confirms its utility. No commercial wrist rest I've seen measures up. Mine is a two-foot length of foam pipe insulation, two-inches outside diameter -- dense, quality foam. Into the pipe channel I've inserted a length of plastic pipe for added support -- it tends to flatten otherwise. The support is glued to my desk with contact cement, liberally applied to both desk and foam. I've positioned it so the right end extends to support my arm when using the Logitech TrackMan. I can work sixteen hours with never a back pain. It also supports elbows when one is leaning over in deep contemplation. Using my "invention," the keyboard must lie farther away from you than usual, so you need the extra desk space. And don't put contact cement on wood, as it will ruin the finish. My desk is plastic laminate, and when I renew the support (every four years or so) I remove the old cement with a razor-blade scraper and paint thinner.
Rating:
Summary: a great keyboard
Review: I have been using this keyboard for about 2 weeks now. All I have to say is, "wow." The feel of the keys is great. The shape makes typing very natural. I don't use the hot keys much, but they're one of those "feel good" things -- nice to know they're there. I wouldn't recommend this keyboard to anyone who doesn't type "properly". I'm afraid this keyboard won't work very well for the 1-finger style of typing.
Rating:
Summary: Best Keyboard in the Market
Review: I've always used the Microsoft Natural Keyboard for its ergonomic design, excellent tactile response and ample palm-rest. When I upgraded to the Natural Keyboard Pro, it was definitely nothing less than its predecessor. PROS: - 19 new buttons: 7 for browser navigation shortcuts, 1 E-Mail application launcher, 8 for multimedia controls, 1 Sleep button, 1 button that launches My Computer and 1 button that launches the Calculator (which is particularly handy). - Integrated 2-port USB hub (great for complementary devices such as a USB mouse). CONS: - has only 2 customizable buttons to launch applications and other tasks (the My Computer button and the Calculator button). - takes up more desk space than any of its predecessors.
Rating:
Summary: A compulsory computer component
Review: I have tendonitis in my wrist so finding something that was comfortable and unobtrusive was essential. This keyboard fit the bill perfectly. I now use this keyboard both at home and at work. It's a tired analogy, but it rings true here: using this keyboard is like trying on that pair of jeans that fit you just right. You won't want to go back to anything less. Everyone asks the same question: isn't this keyboard hard to get used to? I too thought it would take weeks, but I was comfortable with it after two days (~8 hrs/day). I find the built-in wrist rest to be quite good and the row of multi-media keys are a nice bonus feature (great to be able to mute your music or adjust the volume with a quick keypress, especially if you use headphones). No regrets, but there are two downsides you should be aware of: 1) you may become more sensitive to non-ergonomic keyboards (I get aches after using any cramped laptop keyboard now; normal keyboards are still ok, just less comfortable) , and 2) the re-arrangement of the function keys makes them a bit of a chore to get used to.
Rating:
Summary: Best Keyboard...By Far
Review: I bought this keyboard a couple of weeks ago and I have no regrets. The hot keys are great for internet surfing and for listening to media files such as Winamp. I also plugged my Intellimouse Optical into the USB ports in the back and did not have to use a valuable USB port in the back of my machine. I would suggest this keyboard to anyone who likes the ergonomic feel and who spends a lot of time on the internet and listening to or watching media.
Rating: 
Summary: Ergonomy is more than a split keyboard
Review: I tried very hard to like this keyboard, but I just couldn't. Though it has a lot of very cool special function buttons, it fails to do the basic thing a keyboard should do: be comfortable to type on. And the packaging is mildly misleading about the nature of the USB ports. I didn't find anything particularly "ergonomic" about the keyboard. The curve of the board is just a little too steep for my hands. It's awkward getting to the extreme upper corners, such as the all-important "backspace" key. I found the distorted size of the bottom row of keys hard to get used to as well. And the hand rest can't be detached. Most disappointingly, the key action is awkward and loud. I'm not sure I've ever encountered any keyboard which felt worse under my fingertips. Even the non-ergonomic version of this keyboard has keys that feel better. Likewise, the much-touted USB ports are a mixed bag. Though prominent among the advertised features, the USB ports aren't sufficiently explained on the packaging. You don't actually increase the total number of USB ports on your system by two. You MUST plug the keyboard into an existing USB port, so you get a net gain of only ONE port. And they're unpowered ports which means you can't plug bigger USB devices--like hubs, printers, and scanners--into them and expect great results. This is not a way to add USB functionality to your system; it only rearranges where the ports are. This redistribution does have its utility, however. Game controllers, microphones, and digital audio player downloads can be moved forward to the keyboard. If you find yourself crawling under your desk all the time to switch out your smaller USB devices, this keyboard will add some needed convenience to your life. In sum, I strongly advise anyone who's thinking of buying this keyboard to test it first. Find a demonstration model in a computer store and try typing on it. If you like it, fine: come back here and buy it. As long as you understand the limitations of the USB ports and can deal with the key action, the keyboard is actually a good value for money. But while you're testing keyboards, make sure you try a whole range of them. Get one that's really comfortable for your hands-not just one that seems to be cool.
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