Lenovo ThinkPlus Preferred Pro USB Keyboard - keyboard ( 73P5220 )

Amazon Customer Reviews

(4 out of 5)

Once my favorite

I purchased this keyboard for a new computer, and have used the older IBM analog (the same product) for several years. This Levovo update improves upon the palm rest, which has a thin rubbery coating (but not too rubbery).

I like this keyboard a lot because it looks great in black, and it is so difficult to find a good-looking keyboard with this key layout:

- 3x2 Delete, Home, ect. cluster above the arrows
- Full number pad
- Single row/non-L-shaped Enter key
- No extra hotkeys like for the web, or e-mail, or volume control

The underside has channels/grooves to snap the cable and start it in three directions: to the left, right, or center. This is helps it fit it with you workplace.

For users who like a tilt, the back feet have two heights, which means three possible angles (including feet closed).

A great keyboard, but I would recommend something different: I have since purchased a scissor-switch keyboard by Enermax for another machine. (The scissor-switch key technology is the same technology used in most laptops.) The scissor-switch keys are so much snappier and responsive. They also have less travel. This other keyboard lies very flat, which I used to think would be undesirable, but having tried it, I like it a lot more, as it is more comfortable.

(5 out of 5)

Predictable Lenovo quality design and manufacture ....

Lenovo laptops \ keyboards have maintained the quality they inherited when they purchased IBM's personal computer business. I have been purchasing IBM \ Lenovo Thinkpad Laptops exclusively for the past eight years and will continue to do so as long as Lenovo maintains the highest quality design and manufacture in its products.

(5 out of 5)

The elusive basics

This keyboard gets it all right: understated looks, standard layout and key travel (with no dopey L-shaped enter keys or such atrocities), no silly multimedia buttons (Lenovo does make a keyboard with gobs of them if you're into that sort of thing), comfortable typing, and good build quality.

(5 out of 5)

Ah. Relief!

In 2008, it has become hard to find a decent keyboard. For starters, most manufacturers take it upon themselves to tweak the layout of their offerings, leaving you with an L-shaped Enter key, an extra "fn" button or a rearranged Insert/Delete cluster. I have a computer at work as well (who doesn't?) and for four years I've put up with one of these fancy-schmancy media keyboards. I can't believe the RELIEF I'm feeling after getting this Lenovo product with an unaltered, matching layout! I feel like my spine is taking care of actions such as moving text blocks around.

The quality of this Lenovo is very good. It's a plastic keyboard, so I doubt it'll survive the beer and coffee tests we gave the 3270 of yesteryear. It's also perhaps a little bit too lightweight for my taste. However, the keys feel solid and responsive, no matter from which angle you hit them - again, a relief from my former "ergonomic" keyboard, where the tactile feeling was more of a mushy kind and sometimes a key wouldn't register if you hit it at an angle.

I like the appearance of this one, too. The lack of media buttons gives it a cool business attire, while the non- square layout makes it look more contemporary. I use it on a dark antique desk, and it looks fitting. The two Enter buttons are a dark blue/gray, but they don't stand out as much in real life as they do in the pictures. The wrist rest is also a nice surprise: while you don't need it (the KB stands flat enough), it does fit snugly and has a feeling that I would describe as something between leather and non-slip rubber. It's a little hard though, so it won't replace a gel pack if you need something like that.

The downside of this device is that it requires an unsightly cable connection. However, the extra cable comes with benefits:
- It works. You just type and there it is (I know, Duh, but try a few wireless keyboards at this price!).
- It's secure: whatever you type, it's between you and your keyboard, no password sniffing from your neighbor.
- It can wake the PC (depending on motherboard). I love being able to hit the space bar to power up my PC which is now stowed out-of-sight in the armoire.

Bottom line: for 35-ish $$, this is probably one of the best keyboards and you couldn't go wrong with it.

(5 out of 5)

PC keyboard

Although I have a 17" PC, the keyboard and mouse pad were getting a bit tedious. So I got a the keyboard and ball type mouse and they work terrific