Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard
See it at Amazon.com for $16.40Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)best keyboard out there
its not wireless, its not even that expensive. But see if you can find it in your local computer store and type on it for a few minutes. You'll see right away why its been rated so highly by everyone.
I still miss my old IBM model M (everyone's favorite keyboard) though it has long since been obsolete (no USB, too loud, too heavy, by today's standards, tho it had the best key-feel and feedback of any keyboard ever made). I havent been happy with any of the new keyboards since 1986! ;) Until now, that is.
I initially went shopping for a Logitech Dinovo (or the S510, which is similar). After trying them out I decided against, since they were too similar to my toshiba laptop keyboard and I was looking for something less cramped.
I came across this one at the store and liked it right away. For me it has the right balance of key-stroke depth and key-spacing. I feel it has just about all the 'positive feedback' and 'feel' as the old IBM M model. Now, you may ask: this keyboard is whisper-quiet and 'soft', while the M model was loud and clackety-clack-hard. How can they be compared? They can be compared in terms of the 'confidence' with which one can type on them, the equivalent typing speeds and error-free typing that both can produce. In my case, I type as well - fast and error free - on this keyboard as I ever did on the model M.
It inspires typing-confidence.
The keys feel substantive under your fingers, meaning you are always sure where you're finger is going. The tactile feedback is quite positive, though it has been described as 'soft'; I think 'bouncy' might be a better word. (Like the old model M, remember?) I think what makes the tactile feedback so nice is that I not only immediately know when a key has 'registered' after I press it, but I also immediately know when my finger has left that key. There's a little 'push'. So I almost never hit two keys at once, or hit a key out of sequence. My fingers fly across it - without the clackety clack, but with as much confidence.
The rest of the stuff on the keyboard are luxuries, and nice ones - the zoom slider, the media and volume controls, and the 'favorites' buttons etc which I have mapped to my favorite applications. I'm sure I will use them. I especially like the 'calculator' shortcut key over the number pad. Its like having a built in calculator since it pops up immediately.
The setup for personalizing the keys is very easy and intuitive. You should update the software to the latest version (in my case the CD was version 5.2 but there was a 5.5 update at microsoft.com/hardware.
If you do a lot of work in front of the computer, you cant get a better keyboard than this in terms of substantive luxury and feel for a fraction of the price of most other keyboards. Other keyboards may be wireless, or sleeker looking, but dont get fooled. For just over 20 bucks you can get a keyboard that will truly make your job easier, connect reliably, and make your fingers fly with confidence.
In sum: Typing comfort is a very subjective thing, but go try it out in a store if you can. Typing on this thing is like driving a go-kart: point and shoot. Feels like a Lexus, priced like a Honda.
(4 out of 5)Great value; solid keyboard
I consider this to be a nice, middle-class wired USB keyboard. The media/shortcut/quick launch keys are convenient and easy to configure and rebind. Keys feel firm and are quiet. My only minor complaint is that the zoom slider does not work quite as well as advertised; from what I've tested, only Microsoft Word works with it consistantly.
(1 out of 5)No good for gaming
THis is a nice keyboard with a nice feel. However, if you plan to use it for ANY applications where you need to press three keys at once, and none of those three are ALT, CTRL or the Windows key (i.e. in a game environment you may need to press "W" to move forward, "E" to turn right and "space" to jump all at the same time) then this keyboard will NOT work. It will only recognize two key presses at the same time within the standard keys. According to the Microsoft website solution center, there is no workaround for this because "this is not a valid key press situation."
The irony is, Microsoft Games publishes a ton of games in which this is a "valid key press situation." Too bad you can't play even those games using this product, made by the same company.
Although I love the look and feel of this product, I will be returning it. Not just because of the problem needing a resolution, in my case, but also because of the arrogance of the Microsoft attitude about the problem.
(5 out of 5)Nice quality keyboard at a great price
This keyboard is a very good value at Amazon's price, and a real pleasure to use. The key travel is soft and quiet, and the keys for My Pictures, My Documents, Undo, Redo, etc. are convenient. In addition to five My Favorites keys, you can also reassign any of the preset hot keys to your liking. The media player controls are handy also, with the volume control allowing small increments of change. The zoom slider works well in Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop Elements, Word Perfect, and web pages; these are the only applications where I've tested it, but the Microsoft web site lists others where it should work. I haven't had the keyboard long enough to attest to its durability, but it seems solid and well-made, and the black-and-gray finish is attractive. If you're looking for an upgrade from the default keyboard that came with your computer, this is an excellent choice and you won't be disappointed.
(4 out of 5)Good Quality Keyboard with only a few quirks.
Microsoft's Media Keyboards have always worked well in our house. No small achievement with small kids around and the number of drinks that are spilled in them. When the last one finally gave out, with the pricepoint on this model it was the natural replacement, despite not being an ergonomic model.
As always lets start with the negatives.
- To be fair, the plastic construction can feel a little cheap - especially the silver areas.
- Secondly, the "zoom slider" for example seems particularly useless. Sure it works and all, but I've not run across a single application where I would use it!
- Microsoft have kept the cost down by NOT including a USB hub in the keyboard. If you are low on USB ports in your system you might want to look at some of the higher end models with the USB hub in them rather than this model.
- Finally, and probably the most annoying, as with all new Microsoft keyboards isthe function key lock - or rather the fact that it defaults to the off position. This means that in order to access BIOS functions during boot, you need to remember to press the F-Lock key prior to pressing F2 or whatever to access the BIOS or the computer thinks you've typed ctrl-z instead! (Note: a previous reviewer alluded to the fact that on some systems a USB keyboard can never access the BIOS. I've never run into this, even with older machines, I beleive they may just have been caught out by the F-LOCK mechanism, but if you have a very old Win98 era system it may be worth checking this first).
On the plus side, its a Microsoft keyboard.
- The quality, as I mentioned above, at least for they key mechanisms is always very good.
- In addition the key response is excellent - just hard enough to let you know you've pressed the key but not too much to strain your wrists all the time. Also the wrist pad (although plastic) is about the right size even for my large hands. And its not too noisy either.
- Finally they "My Favorites" keys are a great addition (this at least they got right). This enables you to have up to 5 website (or custom applictions) pre-programed with a single key touch. I know you can do this with older keyboards but you did lose the functionality of the other hot keys if you remapped them.
At the end of the day however it is just a keyboard and it does the job. So all in all, a great buy at the price, although a USB hub built in would have given it the extra star.