Some Interesting Keyboards on ThinkGeek

My father made me take a typing class in high school…I resented it oh so very much at the time (asdk jkl;…wash, rinse, repeat for an entire semester).  He was a small business owner, before that he was taught how to type by the Navy (and very well I might add, he clocked close to 100 wpm)…he insisted, so I appeased him.  I was all like “when will I ever use a skill like this?  I’m not going to be a secretary!”  Oh the irony.  It’s actually pretty surprising how many people I know who don’t know how to type, but it’s usually not a big deal for them as they don’t work in a field that requires it (IM conversations are tedious at best with these people).  And then there are the people who TYPE IN ALL CAPS (usually family members, we all know at least one).

Anywho, I remember when keyboards were a means to an end; get words into the machine and then do whatever with them.  All keyboards were white, in normal form factor (split “natural” style keyboards wouldn’t debut for a while), and made an assload of noise (clickity clackity clack), and weren’t hot swappable.  I also remember when I did finally make the switch to a split board, I had to virtually reteach myself to type…going back and forth from laptop to desktop is still a total PITA (and when are lappies going to get split keyboards?  Looking down at mine right now, I have 2 inches of unused space on either side of the keypad, more than enough room to split it up).

My how things have changed in past couple of years.  Like many other PC input devices, keyboards have become “accessories”; and I stumbled across a pretty vast array of them recently on ThinkGeek.  Here are a few worth mentioning:

• Das Keyboard.  Super slick looking, the Darth Vader of keyboards.  Look closely and you’ll see that none of the keys are labeled.  I could hang with that; it would force me to finally learn symbols (!@#$ etc, I still have to cheat for some of them).  It also features “key weight sections”; the reasoning being that some fingers are stronger than others, so the keys used by those fingers can be little more weighted, and vice versa for the poor little pinky finger keys.  At 80 bucks though, a little steep for the limited functionality it offers.
• The DX1 Input System.  The ultimate in customability for the uber-gamer/geek.  They keys even sit on top of a clear surface, so you can author custom pages that label each key.  Pretty slick, though I wouldn’t really have much use for it (and at a buck fifty, a little steep on the wallet).
• The Maltron Keyboard.  This thing looks like it’s from outer space, you have to see it to believe it.  I actually would love to take one of these for a test drive, it looks incredibly comfortable (just within the last couple of months, I’ve been having the first signs of repetitive stress in my index and middle fingers…not a good sign).  This baby will set you back 500 bucks though, and it looks pretty hideous IMO.
• Saitek Gaming Keyboard.  Nothing terribly unique here except for the slick blue backlit keys.  But it’s not a split board, so I would never consider it.  At 50 bucks, the price is pretty right on though.
• And finally, the Roll-Up Keyboard.  The name says it all; when you’re done typing just roll it up and stash it.  Not good for gaming though as finding the precise center of each key is essential.  Only 24 bucks as well.

I’ll stick with my wireless natural keyboard/mouse for now, though if my fingers get any worse I may be forced to look at other options (or career choices).  Keyboards have come a long way though…very impressive indeed.