9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
A well thought out product
Date of Review: Jun 3, 2006
The Bottom Line: You can't go wrong, an incredible value, fully compatible with no problems, extra keys fulfill a need you didn't know you were lacking!
This is my third keyboard on this machine. The original keyboard was pretty basic. Until I replaced it I didn't know what I was missing. My second was a wireless keyboard that was a Christmas gift. It was great, but it spoiled me with extras I didn't know I was missing. When it died after a year and a half, my original keyboard just wouldn't cut it.
After a lot of looking and searching, I found the Microsoft Digital Pro keyboard. Wow – what a great keyboard for an extremely affordable price. There are a lot of features in this keyboard which I'll try not to miss.
FEEL: The keys have a nice light touch. Not too mushy, but also not the old clicky feel that early keyboards had. The F and J keys have a slight bump line so you can go to those keys with proper hand placement without looking down.
LAYOUT: This is one of my favorite things about this keyboard. You have a standard full size keyboard with a separate row of "F" keys along the top. There are 12 of these with multiple functions printed on them. To the far right of the keyboard in line with this row is an F-lock key. You can have the F key on and the standard F key functions work, or turn it off and the special function apply.
Before I forget – almost every key on this keyboard can be reassigned with another task. The software is easy to use so you can have your own custom layout.
To the right of the keyboard is a separate arrow cluster and above that the Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down cluster. All are in the standard layout you are used too but separate from the number pad. You will never want to have these do multi-tasking functions again.
To the far right is the number pad with the standard multi-functions of Home, Page Up, End, Page down and of course, all of the arrow functions. But with the separate arrow and function pads between this and the keyboard, I never use these alternate key functions.
These last two areas separated are fantastic. A separate arrow/movement area from the number pad makes life so much easier and you have much less hand movement (and much less mistakes).
Above these right pads are more keys – PrtScn, Scrlk, Pause/Break, F Lock, and it gets better – a calculator button, a log off button and a sleep button. The calculator key brings up the MS standard calculator (or one that you reprogram it to) which I use A LOT. I had already linked this calculator to my task bar, but this is much quicker and easier to hit. The log off button is useless to me as I'm the only user on this computer, but possibly handy if you share your computer. Also, I never put my computer into sleep mode as it backups to an external hard drive and to an off-site location nightly, plus it defrags and scans at night. Still, it might be handy to you.
Okay, now here are the best keys of all. To the far left is a scroll bar. If you are looking at a photo and want to zoom in, your left pinky can move this up or down and the photo zooms – very handy, and quick.
Above this are speaker buttons, from top to bottom – increase volume, decrease volume and mute. A handy feature in a great location – easy to find when the phone rings or your spouse hollers out from the next room. My most used keys!
At very top left are play function buttons – stop or play, pause, previous and next. I don't use this much, but mainly because I've never had this before. Good for audio or video files.
At the top center are "My Favorites" keys. In essence, pre-assignable hot keys to whatever program or function you want to assign to them. There are five in a row left to right numbered 1 through 5 and a special one centered below them with a star. The star key allows you to program the 5 keys without opening up the software and going through all the menus. Super easy to use and set up. I use an explorer clone on one (Powerdesk), my internet browser on one (Google) and my time clock software on another. I'm self employed and I bill hourly so this is an important program that I use daily. The other two hot keys vary depending on my mood. I use this pad a lot, more than I would have ever thought.
To the top right are more special keys which I don't use a lot – mostly because I never had them before and just forget about them. They include from left to right – My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, Mail, Web/Home and Messenger. They open up those folders or programs.
And last of all, on the far top right, are small green lights alerting you to which locking keys are on or off – these include Caps, ScrLk, Nmbr and F Lock.
Whew – a lot of stuff but laid out very nice.
Most of the keys are black with a silver background or body, except the top special keys are black on black with the special 5 assignable keys silver on silver. (See the photo)
There was a detachable wrist rest pad which I don't use as I have a keyboard drawer in a large computer armoire which has a built in wrist pad. Fortunately this pad was detachable as it would not have fit in my keyboard drawer.
There are incline tabs or feet which raise the keyboard back maybe an inch at most. Again, my keyboard is in a drawer so any more incline would not have allowed this to fit in. So that inch of slope is adequate for me. I tried it without, but it was just too flat to use.
The keyboard is light with lots of cord and it is USB or standard keyboard plug friendly. It feels too light holding it, but very solid on my keyboard tray. It has front rubber pads so it doesn't slide around at all.
I think I've covered everything. I'll tell you, an old standard keyboard would be extremely difficult to go back to.
One last thing, most of my reviews are 5 star reviews. You may think I'm too easy, but in actuality, I spend hours reviewing everything I buy, so I rarely get something I don't love. That was the case with this keyboard – enjoy!
Compuplus.com
