Comments on: Kinesis Advantage Keyboard Looks Weird, Feels Right, Priced Wrong http://technabob.com/blog/2009/12/14/kinesis-advantage-keyboard/ Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Weird Science Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:38:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike H http://technabob.com/blog/2009/12/14/kinesis-advantage-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-50009 Mike H Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:04:47 +0000 http://technabob.com/blog/?p=24416#comment-50009 Strange review... found this as a first-page search hit while looking to download another copy of the manual for my keyboard. Since this is such a prominent page, I'll respond: - re: the price, you either see the value in spending a few hours' wages on the right tool for the job, or you don't. This may not be the right tool for everyone, but knocking something on price in a review always makes it sound like the author is attempting to override the market. Kinesis has been selling these keyboards for many years at this price point, so the market must be saying to them that it's the right price. - re: the small function keys, yeah, it's a design tradeoff. Those are the least frequently-used keys in many workflows. When you do need them, they're there, and big enough that fingers can remember where they are and hit them reliably. As you can see from the thumb-clusters (most frequently-used keys put big and under the thumbs), the designers were mindful of the implications of key size and placement. - re: the "ugliness", you've already noted the high price. The fundamentals of the design dictate the general shape and layout (it's designed around healthy hand placement re: thoracic outlet and other nerve channel compression, and the robustness characteristics of your various fingers), which already puts it at a seemingly-high price. I personally find the form-follows-function results to be beautiful, but maybe you have qualms with the color choices etc., to which I raise the "you've already noted the high price" point: they probably didn't spend development resources on additional design beyond the already demanding requirements. I've been using these keyboards since 2005, after years of other ergo keyboards, and with many opportunities to compare since. As a professional software developer, I would never again use a computer without a programmable, rugged, thoughtfully-designed input device such as this. Hope this review and my comment will serve to make more people aware of the benefits this device has provided to those of us with frail bodies and obsessive work habits. Strange review… found this as a first-page search hit while looking to download another copy of the manual for my keyboard.

Since this is such a prominent page, I’ll respond:

- re: the price, you either see the value in spending a few hours’ wages on the right tool for the job, or you don’t. This may not be the right tool for everyone, but knocking something on price in a review always makes it sound like the author is attempting to override the market. Kinesis has been selling these keyboards for many years at this price point, so the market must be saying to them that it’s the right price.

- re: the small function keys, yeah, it’s a design tradeoff. Those are the least frequently-used keys in many workflows. When you do need them, they’re there, and big enough that fingers can remember where they are and hit them reliably. As you can see from the thumb-clusters (most frequently-used keys put big and under the thumbs), the designers were mindful of the implications of key size and placement.

- re: the “ugliness”, you’ve already noted the high price. The fundamentals of the design dictate the general shape and layout (it’s designed around healthy hand placement re: thoracic outlet and other nerve channel compression, and the robustness characteristics of your various fingers), which already puts it at a seemingly-high price. I personally find the form-follows-function results to be beautiful, but maybe you have qualms with the color choices etc., to which I raise the “you’ve already noted the high price” point: they probably didn’t spend development resources on additional design beyond the already demanding requirements.

I’ve been using these keyboards since 2005, after years of other ergo keyboards, and with many opportunities to compare since. As a professional software developer, I would never again use a computer without a programmable, rugged, thoughtfully-designed input device such as this.

Hope this review and my comment will serve to make more people aware of the benefits this device has provided to those of us with frail bodies and obsessive work habits.

]]> By: Lori http://technabob.com/blog/2009/12/14/kinesis-advantage-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-32081 Lori Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:42:14 +0000 http://technabob.com/blog/?p=24416#comment-32081 I read a lot of customer reviews before I bought mine and they are universally delighted with this keyboard. All report pain relief and many report a faster typing speed. I can't speak for others but if I can work faster AND avoid pain, then I work smarter, make more money and this keyboard pays for itself and some. I got mine here - http://www.thehumansolution.com/kinesis-advantage.html I read a lot of customer reviews before I bought mine and they are universally delighted with this keyboard. All report pain relief and many report a faster typing speed. I can’t speak for others but if I can work faster AND avoid pain, then I work smarter, make more money and this keyboard pays for itself and some. I got mine here – http://www.thehumansolution.com/kinesis-advantage.html

]]> By: Pablo http://technabob.com/blog/2009/12/14/kinesis-advantage-keyboard/comment-page-1/#comment-31900 Pablo Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:11:20 +0000 http://technabob.com/blog/?p=24416#comment-31900 That's a hell of a lot of money for any keyboard. It better come with a happy ending for that price. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyeemtS1jII That’s a hell of a lot of money for any keyboard. It better come with a happy ending for that price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyeemtS1jII

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