Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #358 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: B2L-00005
• Released on: 2005-09-05
• Platform: Windows XP
• Dimensions: 16.54" h x 92.91" w x 195.28" l, 1.68 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
Work with your hands in a more natural position with this compact ergonomic keyboard. Just plug it in and start typing - more comfortably.PRODUCT FEATURES:Enjoy a drink while you work - this keyboard is designed to withstand an accidental spill;The notebook-like, sleek design of these keys feels and looks great;The stylish, curved design of this ergonomic keyboard helps your hands and wrists rest more naturally for greater comfort;With the touch of a button you can quickly access the Internet;Just plug in this keyboard and start typing - it's that easy to use;Space Saving Design;MultiMedia Keys;Cutting-Edge Design.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Quite possibly the perfect keyboard...
I've through quite a few keyboards in my time. As a part time coder/student, I use it a lot for essays and programming. From the £5 ones that come with your PC, to the crazy MS Internet keyboards with 40 shortcuts and wheel incorporated, I've used at least 5 in the past 2 years alone.

The comfort curve is simplicity at its best. The keys are elegant and comfy to press; they hardly make much of a noise, which is a godsend when you're tapping away late into the night. They also feel productive - while with previous keyboards the "clackety-clack" noise is always a constant reminder that you're working for the big cheese, this one is an absolute pleasure to use; hell, even enjoyable.

As the title suggests, there is a slight curve to the keyboard, with a few of the keys stretched out to adopt to the style. It's fits rather nice with your hands; after a few minutes with it I haven't made a single typo due to the key placement, unlike some previous ones such as the Labtec Slim Keyboard.

Media keys on top are nice and simple too - back and foward, play/pause with volume and mute buttons. Also one for your browser, email and search. There's even a calculator shortcut button tabove the number keypad, ideal for making that quick calculation.

Everything about the keyboard has been wonderfully designed - from the feedback of the keys to the slight curve of the keyboard. Even the lock keys have neat little icons when lit up. If there's one gripe, it's that greasemarks and other bits and bobs that accumulate over time will be more noticable on the keyboard. However, it's nothing a regular wipe can't handle. It's spillproof after all.

All in all, a first class product.

Another Quality MS keyboard.
Keyboard packaging is normal Microsoft style Picutre of the product on the box surrounded in a red border.

The keys on this are pretty quiet compared to a normal keyboard although the space bar is a little loud, comparable to a normal keyboard.
The keys are also a very thin laptop style key.
The keyboard is VERY flat in terms of it's thickness and angle.
The rear upstands wont help much with the angle but its not an issue as this board is simply a joy to type on.
I find its pretty quick, nice and responsive and all typos so far have been my own fault (not key placement) but I find I do make less on this board due to the curve in the keys (which is surprisingly little compared to the "natural" ones that MS do.
For those that like media keys there is, Back, Forward (browser) play/pause, Volume +/-, Mute, Launch browser, Search, Mail and Calculator. A pretty basic selection I must say.

Be aware this is USB ONLY AND DOESN'T COME WITH A CONVERTER! (not that this will worry most people.
Also the cable is a little on the short side so if your computer sits quite far from your base unit you may wish to purchase a usb extention cable.

The things I dislike about this keyboard:

The black shows EVERYTHING. I mean body oils, dirt, the lot. Not a problem as I was aware of what black on keyboards does anyway.
The media keys. I wish it didn't have them, they increase the size of the keyboard wasting my space (an extra 1 1/2" on the top).

Other than my personal issues with media keys MS has made another fine keyboard.

Comfy
If you touch type and you use one of these split keyboards you'll never go back to a standard keyboard without moaning.
I buy these keyboards purely because of the relieve for the wrists. It has other shortcut buttons that work well but I could take it or leave it based on that. You simply apply a function to these buttons and instead of say selecting to open Word on screen you push one of these buttons as a short cut. It also has a zoom feature which makes the text on screen to be bigger or smaller.

I have an older version of this keyboard made in white and it's minging and impossible to keep clean. This one is black so the dirt is hidden, that's a plus.

All in all great when you get used to it. I can see no reason to fault it.