I killed my beloved MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD!

I am not sure when and how the MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD came into my life.  I only know I am in mourning now that it is on the way to Keyboard Heaven!  I am looking for another keyboard to love, and in the interim I am using a not so wonderful old Compaq...

My MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD was a wonderful keyboard.  I think it sometimes knew what I wanted to type before I did!  Well it might not have been THAT good, but it felt like it at times!

The keys were all easy to type with, and there was no click-tap-clack-click as I typed.  There was no need to press the keys hard, as the letters flew effortlessly onto the screen.

As for the buttons, there were A LOT!!  A lot more than I could ever use.  The MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD can almost make your computer perform without a mouse...almost! 

QWERTY:
The keyboard is a normal QWERTY keyboard, with the exception of it being spilt down the middle.  Each half of keys is set at a slight angle, making it more ergonomic to type on.  This took some getting used to, but that can be said of any keyboard!   After the initial breaking in period, it was a dream to type on my MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD.    In the triangle created by the split keyboard, there is a scroll button.  I never could figure out how this is supposed to be used, but it is labeled ZOOM.  I never tried it on pictures, but maybe it is for zooming in on images or pictures.  The space bar is big and spans across the bottom of the QWERTY keyboard.

NUM LOCK:
The numbers are set to the far right of the MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD in a 21 key pattern.  The num lock, /, *, -, +, enter, and del keys are with the number keys. 

The DELETE, HOME, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, INSERT, END, and the arrow keys are located between the letters and the numbers.

FUNCTION KEYS:
The MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD has the normal 12 function keys, numbered F1 through F12.  Each function key has a double life on the MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD, most having to do with email functions.  There are a couple for editing, and one for one button printing.  I used my MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD and never once used any of these keys!

OTHER BUTTONS:
At the very top of the MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD there are 14 other keys, all silver in color.  There is one that sits below the others, this is the favorites key.  Pressing this key usually took me to my favorites page, but it wasn't always reliable.

Three of the silver buttons are labeled WEB HOME, SEARCH, and MAIL.  These too are buttons I never used.  Beside these buttons are 5 buttons labeled 1 through 5.  I am not sure what they are actually for. 

There is a mute button that never quite worked well.  It would always mute, but it didn't always unmute correctly.  The next two buttons are volume up and down, again these didn't work quite right all the time.  Just to the right of these is a play pause button which I never used.

The coolest button is the one I saved for last.   It is the calculator button!  I have ALWAYS loved calculators, so maybe that is why I find this button to be my favorite!  In case you haven't guessed, it takes the user to the calculator!

Oh, and lest I forget the buttons at the very bottom, they move your screen forward and back.  These keys are set into the wrist pad of the MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD, and I found them too awkward to actually use!

Writing this Epinion, I think my search is over!  Why did I even think I didn't want another MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD!!  I loved my keyboard, and I think I will go out tomorrow and buy another one!!  I miss having my MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD! 

When it stopped working suddenly, I almost cried!  I am apparently hard on keyboards, as I need to replace them fairly regularly!  My MICROSOFT NATURAL ERGONOMIC 4000 KEYBOARD lasted longer with me than any of my previous keyboards.