There are dozens of keyboards to choose from. What works well
for me may not work for you. Pay close attention to the keys located
above the arrow keys. I'm a fan of the old school 3 keys wide by
2 keys tall over the newer layout of two keys wide by 3 keys tall. The
keyboards shown below are a combination of popularity, good ratings,
and most current products. Microsoft
and Logitech
produce the largest number of keyboards and that's why you'll see many of their
products below. I did not include media center / home theater PC
(HTPC) keyboards.
Ergonomic Keyboards
The $50 Microsoft
Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 splits the keyboard and adds
a removable front tilt plate (not shown) to make the palm rest
the highest part of the keyboard. It also adds a zoom control,
resizes the delete key to the old way (I'm glad), and is a stylish
black. I've
used this at home since May 2006 and love it. I only wish it
was wireless. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 240 reviews, 4/5 stars).
The $65 Microsoft
Wireless Optical Desktop Pro offers a wireless keyboard and
wireless mouse for a moderate price. I've used this at work
for years and like not having wires run across the desk. The
keyboard and mouse can quickly move out of the way when I need
more desk space. I have never gotten comfortable with the
new positions of the Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys that
Excel uses so much. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 40 reviews, 4/5 stars).
The $81 Logitech
Cordless Desktop Wave offers a different ergonomic shape by
keeping the keyboard fairly straight, but raising the middle keys
higher than the side keys. The price is good and the mouse
works well for left or right handed people. Buy it
online.
Read a review from XYZ
Computing (Aug 2007), ExtremeTech
(July 2007), Trusted
Reviews (July 2007), Gizmodo
(July 2007).
The $159 Kinesis
Maxim Adjustable Ergonomic Keyboard offers customized positioning
unlike any other keyboard. PC Magazine thought this was the
most comfortable keyboard since you can tilt and swivel each side
to fit you best. While it's relatively expensive, avoiding carpal
tunnel syndrome is worth it. Buy
it online.
Read a review from PC
Magazine (Feb 2004).
Straight Keyboards
The $13 Lite-On SK-1788/BS is a quality
keyboard that sells for a low price. It helps make $400 computers
a reality. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 240 reviews, 5/5 stars).
The $20 Microsoft
Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000 is a little more comfortable to
type on than a straight keyboard and includes multimedia keys. Its
thin profile keys are similar to a laptop computer. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 160 reviews, 5/5 stars), PC
Magazine (Apr 2006).
The $28 Logitech
Access Keyboard 600 appears to replace the Media Elite above
since the designs are similar. Buy it
online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg (4
reviews, 5/5 stars).
The $31 Logitech
Media Elite is good, average priced keyboard with a dozen multimedia
keys to control music and movies. It has been discontinued
as of June 2007. Buy it
online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 140 reviews, 5/5 stars).
The $67 Microsoft
Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 is a nice keyboard and mouse combination. The
keyboard is thin (flat), so many people aren't used to how it feels. I
like how the home, end, page up, page down, insert and delete keys
are arranged in the old, familiar layout. I'm
not sure how I feel about the Escape keep no longer being in the
upper left corner because of the left side keys. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 25 reviews, 3/5 stars), TechGage (Mar 2006).
The $70 Logitech
Cordless Desktop MX3200 Laser is a nice keyboard and mouse
combination. The function keys are actually small buttons
rather than keys and I've never been crazy about this particular
layout of the delete, home, end, page up, and page down keys. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 80 reviews, 4/5 stars).
The $123 Microsoft
Wireless Entertainment Desktop 7000 looks neat, but isn't very
practical. The keypad, home and end keys are missing. The
keypad is nice for Quicken and the home and end keys are used quite
a bit in email, Word and Excel. ExtremeTech didn't like the
mouse. Buy
it online.
Read a review from Gizmodo
(Jan 2007), ExtremeTech
(Mar 2007).
The $160 Logitech
diNovo Edge is thin (flat), wireless, and includes a touchpad
to replace the mouse. The biggest complaints are that it
shows finger prints and makes noise while recharging the batteries. I'd
suggest waiting for version two. Buy it
online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 60 reviews, 4/5 stars).
Gaming Keyboards
The $43 Saitek
Eclipse Backlit Keyboard has either blue or red LED backlights
to see the keys in a dark room. The keyboard is thin
(flat), isn't cluttered with extra multimedia keys, and is comfortable
to type on. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 900 reviews, 5/5 stars), PC
Apex (July 2007).
The $100 Logitech
G15 Gaming Keyboard (new version, same name, different left keys)
includes extra programmable keys on the left side and the keys are
backlight. Buy
it online.
Read a review from ExtremeTech (Sep
2007).
The $70 Logitech
G15 Gaming Keyboard (old version, same name) includes extra programmable
keys on the left side and the keys are backlight. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 750 reviews, 5/5 stars).
Gaming Keypads
The $35 Belkin
Nostromo SpeedPad N52 is considered to be the best. The
keys are programmable, the wrist rest is adjustable, and there
aren't too many buttons. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from ExtremeTech
(Oct 2006).
The $36 Wolf
King Warrior is a popular gamepad and caters to those who need
extra buttons or a different layout than the Nostromo Speedpad
N52 above. Buy
it online.
Read reviews from owners on NewEgg
(over 60 reviews if you include all of the colors, 4/5 stars), ExtremeTech
(Feb 2006).
