PreviousSaturday 21 February 2004, 9:18 AM
Software problems with Windows XP, hate that function keys don't work as function keys by default!
I've been using Natural Keyboards since they were released in the mid 90s, I was starting to get sore wrists using normal keyboards. I have had a succession of them from the original, through the Elite (dreadful), to the first multimedia version to the current version in cabled and wireless form. I've been using the wireless version for 3 months now.
The quality of the key presses has risen again, not as good as the original, and nowhere near the quality of old 1980s keyboards from the likes of IBM (PC/PS2) or DEC (VT100), but much better than most recent efforts I've tried from different manufacturers (the only keyboard I've found with a better feel is the new Cherry Solar keyboard). The problem today seems to be the marketers don’t believe people aren’t willing to pay for quality keyboards.
The Intelli... software won't run on my system (Windows XP Home UK and Windows XP Pro German), it causes 2-3 second delay between each character and crashes after a few minutes. I've re-installed the previous versions and they run fine.
The mouse is really comfortable and is my favourite mouse at the moment.
My only real complaint is that the Function keys don't function as Fkeys by default. I'm always opening junk mail instead of refreshing lists!
Also, WHY HAVE THEY CHANGED THE EDIT KEYS? The Insert key has disappeared from its normal place and the keypad has rotated 90 degrees with a double-length delete. After years of a perfectly usable standard, that I know by heart, why does it need changing? (this applies to all MS keyboards released in the last couple of years)
VERDICT: Good quality keyboard and excellent mouse, (they need to look at Cherry's new offering for keyboard feel), let down by buggy drivers and (for me) the assigning of the functions keys to alternate tasks by default.
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