Askin' teh lazywebs

[ginny_t]

Anyone got any recommendations for a quiet external keyboard that doesn't suck?

We tried the silicone-ish one that rolls up and looks all nifty. Yeah, looks good, but sucks for a bunch of speedy typists of speediness.

Comments

[lkk.livejournal.com]

No suggestions, sorry. But a "silicone-ish one that rolls up and looks all nifty"?? A roll-up keyboard? That's sounds intriguing. I've never heard of something like that.

[fpelayo.livejournal.com]

They're all over eBay (http://computers.listings.ebay.ca/Keyboards_Flexible_W0QQdfspZ1QQfclZ3QQfromZR11QQsacatZ158842QQsocmdZListingItemList). ^^

[lkk.livejournal.com]

I take back what I said. I have seen them before. In all honesty, I thought they were a joke item. o_0

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

If you type at any kind of speed, this will likely frustrate and infuriate you. Even when I slowed down and typed much more deliberately than usual, it didn't register my keystrokes acceptably. :/

[bunnyhero.livejournal.com]

yeah i never liked the roll-up keyboards when i've played with them...

how quiet does it have to be?

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

As quiet as we can get without sacrificing too much responsiveness. (Not much help, eh?) I've found some, but I figured I'd check my sekkrit resources.

[bunnyhero.livejournal.com]

i guess i wouldn't have anything with which to measure my keyboards' quietness anyway so it's all good :)

i've been happy with this inexpensive external keyboard, the benq x120 internet pro keyboard. i like the responsiveness a lot and it is quieter than the keyboard that came with my pc. i'm not sure if they still make it or not. i think i got it at canada computers a couple of years ago.

[lordshipmayhem.livejournal.com]

If you find a good AND quiet one, let me know. I find they tend to be mutually exclusive.

Most keyboards, even the best ones, suck to a touch-typist like myself. I like my Microsoft Ergonomic Split-Key, but it's not everyone's cup o' tea. You may find it more of an Earl Grey (and yes, I remember your comments about your dislike for Earl Grey) than a chamomile.

There are some fairly inexpensive ones at Office Depot, if you ask politely, they may be willing to place one of their sample units on one of the actual computer tables they've got set up in their furniture display area, with an ergonomic chair, and you can give it a proper try-out in a more realistic setting. (You can also try to sweet-talk them into letting you try out the thing on an active computer, typing a few lines into Notepad.)

One discussion online led to a posting by an old greybeard who swore by the old PC-AT keyboards, which are difficult to find even on E-Bay. They're noisy as all hell, but they give this satisfying "click" when the key actually connects, which means you don't have to be actually watching the screen when you type. Great for touch-typists... with earplugs...

And then you've got custom mods. I kind of like this, and it comes in a version specially for a Mac (I suspect "price is no object" applies here):

http://www.datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

Mid-boss is going to go to College St. and try out some keyboards. Of course, IT suggested this after I made myself googly-eyed researching them all morning yesterday. (On the other hand, sleuthy project for boss on the morning before my 6-month review is a Very Good idea.)

Budget is not unlimited, but look and silence are just as important to the end-bosses as responsiveness is to the reporters. Alas, neither the look nor the price of the shinies would work for them. (SHINY!)