Suggest mini keyboards and stuff and rejoice!

Visti

Don't rejoice.

I do, however, think I need a really small keyboard for my laptop. I have wrist pains (I stretch before and after using it, as I'm prone to that particular wrist injurt, that I can't for the life of me remember what's called in english) from using the idiotic touchpad and writing in awkward position on the keyboard. So what I'm looking for is a nice, preferably wireless keyboard that I can move around to accommodate various sitting positions.

One-handed, ergonomic use would be a huge bonus.

Stuff I already considered and would like more opinions on:

Frogpad :

First thing that sprang to mind. Ultraportable, linux-friendly, onehanded. Even mentions carpal tunnel friendliness on the site. But really, my primary coincern with this one is that it doesn't really look like it justifiably costs $150 AND shipping to Denmark. I mean, I would bite the bullet for sure, if that was the solution to my wrist problems, but I don't know if it will help and it's a lot of money for finding out, so here I'm mostly looking for people who have tried it and can vouch for quality and so on.

Logitech Dinovo Mini:

Not too sure about this one. Looks really good, is again ultraportable. Has a little touchpad in it, which is pretty awesome. I think the full keyboard thing might actually put a lot of strain on my wrists. It's not really designed to be ergonomic at all, but rather aimed at the media center market. It does, however, look damn snazzy and that's probably the main reason I still consider this one, which is really counterproductive, I know. Costs the same as the frogpad.

Matias Half-keyboard:

I don't actually know too much about this one, but would love to hear more. It's basically laid out like a regular keyboard, except only a half at a time. When you hold the space key, it becomes the other half. Dreadfully simple concept that could potentially relieve stress from stretching. Looks like it might be ideal for a lefthanded only operation with a pointing device in the right hand. It costs the same as the others, a downside seems to be that they now focus on the full keyboard, which is not at all what I need. That means I have to again, order it from the states adding P&P to the $150.

So, that's it. Those are the ones I've looked at so far. They all cost exactly the same (I've just realized while typing this up. Also typing sucks, which is the root of the problem here. But I digress. END PARENTHESIS!).

If anyone have other suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Likewise, should anyone have opinions on any one of these. I have invested in a little mouse, that relieves the touchpad problems, but if anyone have a totally awesome(tm), better solution for that, I'd love to hear it as well.

Mangaroo

apple wireless keyboard (the thin small aluminium one) is not quite small enough for one handed use but it is pretty damn small and light (and very sexy). Quite expensive though...(although not as much as the ones you've shown!)

(google)



edit: did you mean carpal tunnel syndrome?

OremLK

It's actually cheaper than all of the above, though. The ones the OP listed are all $100+ keyboards I think. Cool keyboard and exactly what I plan on getting when I get a Mac Mini with limited desk space, but I'm not sure it's quite what the OP is looking for. Seems more like a lap-or-desk implement than a whatever position I want keyboard.

OP: I would say the DiNovo would probably be all right if you can type with your thumbs without strain. Probably no worse than fiddling on a cell phone or playing a console game, right?

maximumzero

OremLK wrote: »

It's actually cheaper than all of the above, though. The ones the OP listed are all $100+ keyboards I think. Cool keyboard and exactly what I plan on getting when I get a Mac Mini with limited desk space, but I'm not sure it's quite what the OP is looking for. Seems more like a lap-or-desk implement than a whatever position I want keyboard.

OP: I would say the DiNovo would probably be all right if you can type with your thumbs without strain. Probably no worse than fiddling on a cell phone or playing a console game, right?

The Apple wireless keyboard is fucking awesome.

Great battery life, great size, and overall a great product. It's what I use with my 24" iMac.

Visti

Mangaroo wrote: »

edit: did you mean carpal tunnel syndrome?

No, at least not yet. It's ..uhm.. tendonitis, I guess? I'm really prone to getting it from both playing instruments and typing and what now. When I get it, it pretty much renders my wrist unusable for a week from pain.

And as OremLK pointed out, a regular compact keyboard is not exactly what I want, since it's less about stretching the fingers and more about being able to have the wrist at a natural angle in non-desk situations. It may still be what I end up getting because of the steep price on the other available solutions, though.

Another contender, that I'm really wary about is the chorded keyboard like the GKOS:

GKOS Keyboard

It seems to have a steep learning curve, no arrow keys and quite frankly, limited initial use. It does seem more approchable than other chorded keyboard (minus the frogpad) and the site provides schematics for making one yourself. Which, of course, I can't.

tsmvengy

If you are getting wrist pains from writing on a laptop keyboard then one of those tiny keyboards is probably not going to help all that much (one-handed typing on those half keyboards might.) You need to work on ergonomics - get a wireless notebook mouse and sit at a table or desk. That will help far more than changing your keyboard around, since you'll still be sitting in crappy positions that put extra stress on your arms/wrists.

Visti

tsmvengy wrote: »

If you are getting wrist pains from writing on a laptop keyboard then one of those tiny keyboards is probably not going to help all that much (one-handed typing on those half keyboards might.) You need to work on ergonomics - get a wireless notebook mouse and sit at a table or desk. That will help far more than changing your keyboard around, since you'll still be sitting in crappy positions that put extra stress on your arms/wrists.

I realize that, but I just my laptop a lot and hardly ever in a situation where I can actually sit a desk or even a table. Ergonomics when it comes to wrists is mostly about keeping the joint straight, something I would be able to do by having something like the frogpad that I could either hold in my other hand or put it on my lap or stomach. Granted, the difficulty I'm having with the laptop is mostly with the touchpad, but typing directly on it almost always puts my wrists in a position that bends it to much in either direction.

OremLK

I can't imagine things like the Frogpad being anywhere near convenient or fast for typing. In your situation I'd get the DiNovo and type with my thumbs, which shouldn't require you to move that joint, I would think.

The bonus is that you could also use its touch pad with your thumb.

Visti

Reconsidering the Slim Apple one again, will it work on Vista?

Mangaroo

im using it on vista x64. i didnt install any software just set it up via bluetooth. everything works except the function keys (currently). there might be a way to do get it to work (i read a while ago but people seemed to have trouble with it and i didnt pursue it further).

I use it at my coffee table in the living room because its small and doesnt take much space. sometimes i lounge back pick it up and put it on the couch's arm to type, it's pretty agile.

Sorry i don't have much experience with the other keyboards you mentioned

maximumzero

Visti wrote: »

Reconsidering the Slim Apple one again, will it work on Vista?

How to get Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard and mouse working with your PC.

Yes.

Visti

Thanks for helping me out, guys. Still haven't decided, but I just can't bring myself to shell out for one of those specialized devices, so I'm pretty sure I'll just get a compact regular one.


EDIT: Some of which are also surprisingly expensive! What the hell? The Happy Hacker keyboard doesn't have F-keys and is supposedly a no-nonsense stripped keyboard. But the price makes it seem like it's made out of solid diamond. Jesus.

maximumzero

Visti wrote: »

Thanks for helping me out, guys. Still haven't decided, but I just can't bring myself to shell out for one of those specialized devices, so I'm pretty sure I'll just get a compact regular one.

I would. The Apple keyboard is about the smallest you're going to find for a "normal" keyboard.

Everything else seems to be like typing on a cellphone, which is going to limit your typing speed and ends up defeating the purpose in the first place.

maximumzero

Sorry to bump a 7-month old thread, but it just occurred to me that the keyboard that Logitech makes for the Wii should work perfectly with Windows.



For anyone that's still interested.