Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Keyboard Recommendations
Manyofthekeyboardssuppliedwithlower-costPCsleavemuchtobedesired.Theyoften
have a mushy feel, with little or no tactile feedback. A poor keyboard can make using a
system a frustrating experience, especially if you are a touch typist. For all these reasons,
it is often a good idea to replace an existing keyboard with something better.
Perhaps the highest-quality keyboards in the entire computer industry are the “Model M”
buckling spring keyswitch designs originally made by IBM (or, more accurately today,
Unicomp). Unicomp maintains an extensive selection of more than 1,400 Lexmark and
IBM keyboard models and continues to develop and sell a variety of traditional and cus-
tomized models, including keyboards that match the school colors of several universities.
Unicomp sells keyboards directly via its website at
www.pckeyboard.com
.
Another great
source for IBM keyboards is
www.clickykeyboards.com
,
which offers a number of used
and even new-old stock keyboards, including those with integral TrackPoints.
If you are a ThinkPad user and love the TrackPoint and UltraNav (TrackPoint with scroll
button plus touchpad), you can get an actual ThinkPad UltraNav keyboard in both stand-
ard and portable (without numeric keypad) designs:
• ThinkPad Full-Size UltraNav USB Keyboard—P/N 31P8950
• ThinkPad Travel UltraNav USB Keyboard—P/N 31P9490
The “travel” version lacks the numeric keypad included on the full-size version and in-
cludesacarryingcase.Bothincludeabuilt-inUSBhubwithtwoportsonthekeyboardfor
attaching additional USB devices such as a conventional mouse. They also have a built-in
cord wrap that allows you to adjust the length of the cord as well as to hide it completely
for storage. Although they don't have the heavy feel of the buckling spring keyswitch
design, they do have the same high-quality keyboards as the legendary ThinkPad laptops,
and they include the same UltraNav TrackPoint pointing device. They are both extremely
lightweight: The travel version weighs only 1.17 lbs, whereas the full-size model weighs
only 1.41 lbs. You can get them from most places that sell ThinkPad accessories. A good
way to find the best price is to search for the part numbers online; you can usually find
themforbetween$40and$99.Usingthesekeyboardsmakesthetransition fromlaptopto
desktop easy, because you can have the same keyboard and pointing devices on both.
Other excellent keyboards include the revived Northgate designs sold under the Avant
PrimeandAvantStellarnamesbyCreativeVisionTechnologies(
www.cvtinc.com
).These
keyboards have excellent tactile feedback, with a positive click sound.
