Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

I have been working on the 4000 for a couple of weeks now and didn't like it, at first. This review is being typed on a regular keyboard, Microsoft's fingerprint reader. Now that I am on a regular keyboard, I have to say that the Ergonomic one is a little better. Already my wrists are not as comfortable and I have nothing to rest on. How lazy have we become that we need something to rest on while type?

Let's start at the beginnig...

The Ergonomic 4000 is a USB keyboard, which is strange, I would have thought that everything would be wireless these days. Plug it in and it works. I am running VISTA at the moment and all seemed to work well.

The one thing you will notice about the keyboard is that it tilts down to the monitor unlike EVERY other keyboard ever made, that tilts down to the user. According to Microsoft, this is a better posistion in which to type. Strange that someone only thought of that now, my music teacher could have told them that in the 80's. The angle does take some getting used to as finding a key at the top of the board, there the Function keys are is a challenge. You kind of have to peak over the hill, as it were.

The Keyboard is a split one. Some letter on the left and some on the right. For a typist like me that only uses one finger on his left hand to type, this was not right. I felt as if the B was in the worng place and I had to cross over a few times to type something. I found that I made more mistakes when typing on the 4000.

The keyboard has a GREAT wrist rest, made of what feels like, fake leather. Very pretty in black and doesn't make you sweat at all like a plastic rest would.

The keyboard comes with all the expected added exras, like a zoom knob, multimedia controls and shortcut keys. You can find out all the details at thier site.

For a regular typist, I am sure that this keyboard would work fantasically. Some one who doesn't have to look at the keyboard while thy type. My PA would love one. As for the regular home user, I think that the cost of $60 is a little high for a pretty dekstop attachment.