Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
Well i just got hold of one of these keybaords today for £25 at pcworld and the initial impressions are good and they are:
16 hotkeys in which 5 are set to nothing
F keys have dual functions provided by an F lock key
Ergonomic
Zoom slider in middle
Strong design
Wrist rest
The box shows alot of information and makes note of the ergonomics, good for if your buying instore.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0076.jpg Front
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0077.jpg Back
After taking it out of the box im presented with the keyboard and the additional hight block which clips under the front of the keyboard elevating the keyboard on a downward slope, i took this off as i felt it wasnt right but for others it will be very handy.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0078.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0079.jpg
Connecting the keyboard was easy as it uses a standard USB connection, the cable length is ample. The keyboard is supplied with a cd which installs the key mapping software, im not sure if you need to install it first to get the keyboard working as i put both in at the same time, there is a warning on the usb cablesaying to install first though.
The design of this keyboard is great for making you type properly which is use both hands that do half the keys each, so far its not easy for me adjusting as i keep using my left hand to type on the other side :P, it hasnt taken me to long to get a bit used to it so im happy to stick with this keyboard. The wrist rest provided is nice because its covered in the leather stuff on headsets, it provides enough support to make it comfortable for long durations(currently typing for 1 hour so will update if it isnt after).
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0081.jpg
The hot keys provide the basics which are:
Home/web browser
Search
Mail
5 Non mapped keys
favourites-maped to show your current mappings of 1 to 5(can be changed)
mute
volume down
Volume up
Play/Pause
Calculator
So far ive used these a bit and they work fine apart fron the 1-5 hotkeys because i havent found a way to map them in the software to things like next track etc as it will only let you map them to exe files, on the other keys like calculator you can map them for many things which includes preset comands like skip track, i set the forward and back keys at the bottom to skip music.
The keyboard is a QWERTY layout and is angled in the middle so the left slants left and the right slants right, this for me is quite comfy and i havent found any difficulty for reaching keys. Another feature of the keyboard is the top left(next to pause break) has =,(,),backspace which is great for getting these keys quicker over the number pad. The zoom slider in the middle is more of a gimmick in my opinion because many use the scroll wheel on the mouse but it may be useful for others, there are lights at the bottom showing caps lock etc are on/off. I found most keys are nice apart from the space bar as i feel it is a bit stiff and can put me off typing as i have to double space it, might just need wearing in so its not a major issue. The keys themselves are not to loud but still give you that responsivness feel imo so its a win win situation.
So far ive found this keyboard is good for gaming simply because of the left angle slant as the shift key is in reach more so which allows my fingers to rest more so no pain in my fingers/hand :).
The keyboard is pretty big at 51cm~ in length but its still small enough if your on a normal desk and not a slidy tray.
So the total pros/cons are:
Pros
Strong
Ergonomic
Nice wrist rest
Hotkeys
3 year warranty
Good for gaming(in my opinion)
Value for money at £25
Cons:
Space bar is stiff
the 5 extra mapable keys should be the same as the others but are not
I recommend this keyboard to most user including gamers as it is great. Hope this has helped you decide and i recommend buying from a store(pcworld probs) as if you dont like it you can take it back.
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...2/DSCF0080.jpg
9/10 is my Overall Verdict
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
U need to add some pics too mate.
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
I've been using these since they came out, at work and at home, and I couldn't use anything else nw. I suffer from pretty bad RSI and these keyboards relieve it immensely compared to the average design and layout of other keyboards. Oh and as for the spacebar... it loosen up, don't worry. ;)
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
I got one of these at work (Programmer) when i started getting slight wrist ache with a standard Belkin type keyboard. I found the wrist rest to be perfect shape and was comfortable in that respect.
In terms of typing, the odd thing was that for emails and documentation, I found it fine, but I never really got on with it when i was coding. Dont know why really. Possibly because of the different types of keys used (Braces, brackets that sort of thing) but it seemed to slow my coding down, so went back to a standard keyboard and got the company to get me a nice gel wrist rest.
But, if you are just wanting it for standard typing, I would say that its a great keyboard. Nice review and pics btw.
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
Oops! I didn't notice this review. I just posted my own! :p
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
Warning!
I used to use one of these "Natural" keyboards for a couple of years, a few years ago - and it slowed down my typing on a normal keyboard... so make sure you still get practise in with a normal keyboard if you don't want to lose your typing speed
Re: Microsoft Natural Ergonice 4000-mini review
- or get a comfort curve from MS... straight keyboard, but laid out in an ergo way... it's what I use at work anyway.
Got a Natural here, when my ancient one died 9 months ago. Can't use anything but Ergos now/