Home > Consumer Reviews > IBM USB Keyboard with UltraNav ( 31P8950 )

Simply put, the keyboards IBM puts in its Thinkpad line of notebooks are the best keyboards I've ever used. The keyboard here is just a large-model Thinkpad keyboard done up for the desktop with USB (with a built-in two-port USB hub). As such, it's perfect. I've wanted one of these since I first laid fingertips on a Thinkpad keyboard in 1997.

I'm a 100 word-per-minute touch typist who's seen a lot of keyboards -- I learned to type on a manual typewriter in the early 1970s and spent summers in college earning money as a keypunch operator on teletype-like keyboards. Before this keyboard, I was always on the lookout for a better keyboard.

The throw of the keys on this keyboard is a lot less than that of a standard desktop keyboard. And although the keys feel somewhat "clicky" (good for feedback), they're also relatively quiet (good for neighbors and family). The key layout is just like on the Thinkpad. I use the windows key a lot, but you can rebind one of the ALT keys in your operating system.

The keyboard extends a long way below the keys, just like the bigger Thinkpad's keyboards. I find this provides perfect palm rests for me.

I would've gotten this just for the keyboard. But there's also a trackpoint built in. And my fingers want to use it due to long experience on IBM notebooks. Of all the notebook pointer technologies, this is the only one that works for me. It works better than other company's implementations of track pointers (like on a Toshiba my wife had). Trackpoints don't bounce on planes or trains like the touchpads. Applying "belt and suspenders" caution, IBM also included a touchpad and two sets of mouse buttons (one high and one low); the pair closest to the keyboard are very convenient for dealing with the endless series of dialog boxes in modern applications.

All told, this keyboard helps my typing speed and accuracy. And even though I'm a speedy typist, my typing and mousing is still the bottleneck in most of the work I do on a computer.

I bought this keyboard when I was trying to replace my MS Natural Elite keyboard with something that included a pointing device. I liked this keyboard enough that I didn't return it, but I'm back using my Microsoft Natural Elite because I've gotten so used to the keyboard layout.

Unlike some other combination keyboard/pointing devices, this one works very well. They keyboard feel is quite good, with a very short, sharp throw on each key, and a well positioned and easy to use pointing device. The only problem with this keyboard is that it is laid out like a laptop keyboard, which means that some keys are too small and oddly located.

In all, its a good choice if you want a keyboard on your desktop that matches the keyboard on your laptop

Well built and sturdy while also sleek and lightweight, this device is a joy for anyone who flourishes typing with laptop keyboards. It didn't take much thought for me to buy second one of these keyboards for my large rolling laptop case, and the travel version (31P9490, identical to this model, except minus the number pad) for my carry-around bag.

Key action is fast, uniform, and comfortable. Its professional and attractive design is a refreshing change from the glut of overly-buttoned contraptions around these days. For those with space saving issues, the USB ports and option to do away with a mouse with TrackPoint are definite plusses.

I have only two caveats, neither of which are really critical. First, although this is a full size board for the character and numeric keys, the layout and size of the lesser-used keys (insert, delete, home, end, page up/down, cursors, etc) are a tad eccentric and will feel small and misplaced to an experienced touch typist. In particular, if you normally use Ctrl key shortcuts by touch, you'll find yourself often hitting either the cursor keys on the right or the function-shift on the left -- which I'm still not completely used to yet.
Second, if you place the keyboard on a slick desktop (my own is on a metal shelf), the board will slide about considerably -- which I remedied with a couple of rubber grip stick-on buttons from the local hardware store.

But overall, I must wholeheartedly concur with all the previous postive reviews. If you conceive yourself a discriminating typist who uses only the best, you won't be disappointed here.

If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, you should invest the money to get the right keyboard for your usage. Lenovo's UltraNav keyboard rates somewhere between three-and-a-half stars and four stars for those who risk carpel tunnel syndrome from overuse of computer mice, e.g., in corporate financial analyst circles. The UltraNav keyboard mitigates problems caused from overuse of computer mice by incorporating TrackPoint and touchpad pointing devices on the keyboard itself. Compared to the grip that is required to actively control a mouse, the TrackPoint requires pressure from only one finger; while the touchpad can be controlled by a light touch.

As other reviewers indicate, Lenovo's UltraNav keyboard is lightweight, and of a solid build quality. I found the UltraNav's trackpoint to be perfectly configured out-of-box. Other trackpoint devices (I've used Dell and HP Compaq corporate laptops) feel "loose" by comparison. The UltraNav's touchpad supports virtual clicking -- which simulates mouse clicks by quickly tapping on the touchpad; and virtual scrolling -- which enables quick scrolling down or across a window by sliding one's finger down the right side of the touchpad, or across the bottom of the touchpad, respectively. The touchpad's driver software enables both features to be tailored to preference, and comes with a practice "game" to help ensure that one's preferences are just right. The UltraNav TrackPoint comes with a third button (in addition to the standard left- and right-click buttons) that can act either as a scroll lock or a magnifying glass. Both the touchpad and TrackPoint may be adjusted for left-handed use. Both are also simultaneously active, but one or both may be deactivated or set to use a subset of their features. I keep both enabled; I use the touchpad to move around broadly, and the trackpoint to move around and select items more precisely. With Lenovo's UltraNav keyboard, a mouse is no longer needed.

The downsides to the UltraNav keyboard generally revolve around its lineage as a ThinkPad laptop keyboard. Like most other laptop keyboards, the UltraNav keyboard has tiny function keys, and tiny Insert, Delete, Home, End, PageUp and PageDown keys. Several keyboard functions -- including the three volume buttons, the Fn key, and the blue mechanic (ThinkVantage) key -- may be rendered useless for those who don't pair their UltraNav keyboard with a Lenovo computer. Lenovo should have been smart enough to include software to help such users remap all of those non-functional keys to do something more useful. This keyboard also lacks Windows keys (the Windows key and right-click key), and instead has [Previous Page] and [Next Page] keys. I'm not convinced of the utility of the latter, because it is just as easy to press and to move backwards and forwards in a web browser.

The UltraNav keyboard also includes two USB 1.1 ports; which are less useful today than when this product was introduced, since many USB devices these days can take advantage of higher USB 2 speeds. Remember to install the UltraNav drivers -before- plugging in the keyboard into your computer for the first time. Windows Vista 64-bit users should consider using the latest generic drivers from Synaptics because Lenovo's Vista 64-bit drivers doesn't support virtual scrolling for the touchpad. Both the Synaptics and Lenovo drivers however, do not support the magnifying glass action for the Trackpoint's third-button.

Lenovo's UltraNav keyboard merits serious consideration from those seeking a solid alternative to computer mice, and can sacrifice a bit of keyboard functionality. Hopefully the next version of this keyboard will incorporate with Windows keys (since they were made available in the ThinkPad 60 series keyboard), USB2 ports, and maybe multi-touch support for the touchpad.

Been using this keyboard for about a month now and love it. I've always typed better (70+ wpm) on laptop keyboards when compared to desktop keyboards (50+ wpm). I even used a Microsoft Natural keyboard for a number of years until I realized that I do better on laptop keyboards. I've also been having wrist pain when using a mouse. I do not get this pain when using the touch points/touch pads on laptops. I started "The Hunt" for a desktop USB full size laptop keyboard with a built in touch pad/touch point. The IBM was the only one I could find. IT ROCKS! I love it. I'm consistently typing at 70+ wpm on it with no wrist pain. The quality feels good. The keys are quiet but still retain the laptop "clicky" noise. I did, however, have some driver issues as I was mating it to a Dell laptop that already had a touch pad and touch point. I have the laptop docked and had to disable the built in touch pad and touch point on the laptop to get everything to work correctly. It still flipped out a little when having both sets of drivers installed. I removed the Dell drivers, installed the IBM drivers and got the keyboard tweaked to perfection. I then reloaded the Dell drivers and all is well except for the fact that I cannot access the mouse preferences when the IBM is plugged in. Funny. Oh well. I guess this is an isolated incident when pairing a keyboard with a built in touch pad/point to a computer that already has a differently branded touch pad/point. It's worth it. I did not have this problem on another pc or my IBM laptop BTW. If you're considering this keyboard, don't. Just buy it already!