Review: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

Recently, when reviewing the iMac, some readers suggested there are better keyboards than Apple provides. Some recommended Microsoft’s Natural keyboards. Having used one at work ten years ago and been very happy with it, I decided - as the opportunity had arisen - to buy one.

With the kids’ keyboard on their eMac needing replacing (the left Command key had gone to a better place), I (magnanimously) decided to give them my new iMac’s keyboard and lash out and get myself a Microsoft Natural keyboard. Searching eBay, I found the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 fitted my price and requirements.

Natural Keyboards
Efforts to design a more ergonomic keyboard have been around since God banged his thumb while carving the 10 Commandments using his one key chisel. (And if you’re wondering, that is why he left off “Thou Shalt Not Swear”.)

So Microsoft were not the first but were the first to really popularise ergonomic keyboards. Microsoft’s interpretation was to split the keypad in two and slightly angle the two halves outwards. The theory is this presents a more natural position for the hands, thus reducing stresses caused by repetitive keyboarding actions.

Features
The latest incarnation of the Natural keyboard is the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 (let’s call it the NEK4000 else I will get RSI). Microsoft says: “This keyboard’s curved bed and natural arc encourage a more natural hand, wrist, and forearm position.”

The NEK4000 has a built-in wrist rest. Intriguingly, searching the internet reveals conflicting advice on wrist rests. Some say to rest your hands on them while typing, others others say don’t. Microsoft’s answer has been to include a stand that props the keyboard up at the front. From what I can interpret of the limited information Microsoft provides, the intended result is your hands should be both in the ideal typing position and they can safely rest on the wrist rest while typing. (I’m happy to be corrected, Bill). But I gotta say, it feels mighty weird. It makes you feel like you should change the angle of your screen to be perpendicular to the keyboard. Although, after an hour or so I’ve gotten reasonably used to it.

The NEK4000 has 12 F-keys although when used on a Mac, the F13, F14 and F15 are the PrtScn, SclLk and Pause keys. Therefore, as expected, the last two are used to adjust screen brightness.

An F-Lock key enables the F-keys to perform other functions such as Save, Open, Close and Reply

The NEK400 includes 10 Hotkeys which perform actions such as launching email, muting volume and launching calculator. Plus it has five favorites keys which can link to files, folders, web pages etc. These are clever in that to program one, you simply hold it down for several seconds and it will use the document, page, folder or file selected.

All the hotkeys and the secondary functions of the F-keys are user programmable. Thus on your Mac, you can make the Search key launch Spotlight instead of simulating Command-F.

For people who use the numeric keypad a lot, especially in Excel, the NEK4000 includes four additional keys being: = ( ) and a backspace.

In the middle of the NEK4000 is a Zoom toggle. In supported applications, it simulates the zoom function such as found in image editors.

Shortcomings
The NEK4000 has a few of issues:

- Although it is fully Mac OS X compatible and all extra keys are programmable, they all bear Windows only symbols. I appreciate Mac is only a small market, but if you’re going to make a Mac compatible keyboard, you should include the Option and Command abbreviations and/or symbols on those two keys.

- Zoom is not supported by many applications on the Mac, plus it’s behavior is inconsistent to say the least. For example, in MS Word it activates OS X’s built-in zooming, in Safari it adjusts the font size.

- NumLock doesn’t work. Fortunately it is locked onto numerics. Although, in MS Word it does operate as a delete key.

- Although Systems Preferences displays the NEK4000’s preference icon, clicking it launches a separate application.

Overall
It does take a day to adjust to the split keyboard and if you’re not a touch typist, you’ll soon discover if you’ve beeen cheating and crossing the keyboard. From reports I’ve read on line from touch typists, it also takes them a day to get used to this type of keyboard.

The NEK4000 has encouraged me to try to learn touch typing, which hopefully is a good thing. It would be interesting to know though if RSI is mainly a problem for touch typists. I observed with my typing, which uses only six fingers, that there’s a lot of movement of my hands. Whereas if I’m trying to learn touch type that will greatly minimize the movement of the hands.

On a Mac, the NEK4000 is let down by functionality issues, especially the zoom and num lock problems. So for functionality (on a Mac) I can only give it a 6/10

For it’s design and use though, it scores well no matter what platform you use, and I’ll give it an 8.5/10

So overall, I’ll give the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 a 7.5/10