Goldtouch KB1 Evoluent Mouse Friendly Keyboard

Evoluent is known for its creative, ergonomic designs. In particular, its ergonomic mouse designs have helped a lot of people deal with repetitive-stress injuries. Unergonomic placement of the keypad to the right of the keyboard pushes the mouse too far to the right on the desktop and forces the user to lean to the right. So I have a lot of respect for Evoluent for designing a keyboard that addresses this. I can absolutely attest to the fact that having the keypad on the left has helped relieve discomfort on a daily basis.The other thing I like about Evoluent keyboards is that they had the courage to reconfigure the keyboard with the Del key down on the bottom row so you don't have to reach all the way over to the right to use it while your right hand is on the mouse (or whatever tracking device you're using). I use Del a lot and it makes no sense that the standard configuration forces you to either let go of the mouse to use Del or reach all the way over to the right. With the Evoluent mouse-friendly keyboard, many of the most frequently used keys are accessible with the left hand so you can track to fields with the mouse and enter and delete values with the left hand without letting go of the mouse. That is an awesome thing for a lot of applications.Having said that, I returned the Evoluent mouse-friendly keyboard without opening it. The spacebar on my last Evoluent keyboard failed after 9 weeks of use. They replaced it (it has a 1 year warranty) but it is a fact that scissor switches just don't last as long as mechanical switches and the spacebar, being under the thumb, sometimes gets hit pretty hard. Maybe it was a fluke, who knows. I'm not going to focus on that, I'd prefer to focus on the positives which is the unergonomic standard keyboard configuration and how it can be solved. The Evoluent keyboard is one solution. Another is described below.My solution to this problem was to purchase a separate numeric keypad that I keep on the left and to buy a Leopold mechanical keypadless keyboard. I used KeyTweak to reconfigure the keyboard mapping so that the Del key and the tilde (`) key are swapped and also swapped the Home/End with the PageUp/PageDown keys, plus another couple adjustments. I purchased a keycap puller to move the physical keys accordingly. But truth be told, I did actually prefer the alternative keyboard layout on Evoluent compact keyboard I had prior to buying the Leopold, and I liked the fact that there were more keys on the bottom row than on the standard keyboard configuration. But after using a mechanical keyboard with Cherry brown switches (google it) I'll never use anything else. Evoluent keyboards use scissor switches, which is the same mechanism used for laptops. I much prefer the response and substance of a mechanical keyboard.The Evoluent keyboard housing is also thin, light and flat which makes it ideal for sticking in your laptop case. In contrast, my mechanical keyboard is solid, weighs several pounds, has about 1.5 inches height in the rear and tilts slightly forward so you can use a wrist rest with it. Most importantly, you might want to consider doing some research into the various switch types before buying your next keyboard. Mechanical keyboards are more expensive but if your livelihood depends on it, it's worth the investment. But if you want the alternative keyboard layout and don't want to deal with manually reconfiguring your keyboard and prefer scissor switches to mechanical, Evoluent is really the only option.I've had a lot of experience with alternative keyboard configurations, and I can say without a doubt that the investment in time required to retrain yourself will pay off. My current desktop configuration is, left to right: Kensington Orbit Trackball with Scroll Ring (which I use just for scrolling - awesome product), Logitech numeric keypad, Leopold keypadless mechanical keyboard, and Monoprice graphics tablet with pen instead of mouse. Total investment: $240. If you don't want to spend that much or don't have available space, I think the Evoluent mouse-friendly keyboard might work for you. But take a good look at the key configuration first. It will take some time to get used to.I'll happily use an Evoluent keyboard for traveling since it is lightweight, portable and has the non-standard configuration. But for my desktop, I need something I can depend on every day for years to come.

I ordered this for my wife's birthday, since it was one of the few Purple keyboards I could find on the internet. I also liked the setup, moving the keypad to the left side. (Can't someone just make a keyboard without the numeric keypad?)When I opened the box, inside sat a SILVER keyboard instead. With just less than a week until my wife's birthday, I contacted the vendor. They apoligized for the mistake, stating that the wording is wrong on the Amazon site (even though it clearly pictures a purple keyboard on Amazon). The vendor offered me the choice to return for a refund or get a discounted price. I opted for the discount.I then took it upon myself to disassemble the keyboard and paint it Purple. It looks great and works very well.Quite heavier than it looks, with the thin case.Windows 7 recognizes it, and the top row of media keys become integrated into Windows 7. Don't have to even issue a power down command now, just hit the Power key on the keyboard to shutdown. Sleep and wake buttons as well.

This is easily the highest quality keyboard I've ever used. I bought it because of wrist strain in my right arm from using the mouse so frequently. I've been using the keyboard for a week and my wrist is improving. Adapting to the different layout takes a little patience, but I actually think the keys are more logically organised than on a traditional one. The little ridges on the delete, down arrow, ctrl and end keys are very helpful. When I first started using it, I had to plug it in and unplug it a couple of times before my computer recognised it, but all has been fine since then.

I'm now on my second Evoluent Mouse-Friendly Keyboard, and I love it. (I accidentally ruined the first one when I spilled an entire glass of water on it.) There's only a small space for a keyboard at my desk, which barely allowed me to fit my mouse onto the keyboard tray. Plus, with the number pad on the right side of the keyboard, I had to sit off-center in front of my screen to type, which created arm and back problems.The Evoluent is lightweight, has a nice touch, and seems to be well-made. All in all, it's my favorite keyboard ever.

This is the second keyboard I've bought of this style from Evoluent. I like the layout, but I've only had this keyboard a few months and some of the keys don't seem to be springing back as quickly as I'd like. I don't recommend the keyboard for playing games. It's fine for typing, but it just doesn't seem to be as good as the previous one I owned.

I purchased this keyboard to use with my Evoluent VerticalMouse 4 Small Right Hand Mouse. Having the 10-key pad on the left keeps the mouse closer to the alpha keyboard. The combination of this keyboard and the vertical mouse keeps my hand, wrist, and arm in a natural position so their is no longer stress on my shoulder. The keyboard is like typing on a laptop vs. other keyboards but that is fine with me. This combination works well for me and I recommend it to others.

Maybe I just got a lemon, or maybe I've used it beyond its allotted lifespan (about four months!!??), but several of the keys keep popping off. I've tried everything to get them to stick back on, and sometimes I think I've succeeded. But a few strokes later, off they come again. Really, really annoying. Nevertheless, I'm ordering another of these miserable things: The design is good, I's used to it, and maybe next time around I'll get lucky.

I didn't realize that the keys would be so compact like a laptop. Since I hate typing on a laptop, I couldn't get used to this keyboard and returned it.I did like how little space it took on the desk though, but I feel typing longterm on this keyboard will bring back my wrist pain again. So back to the $20 Microsoft ergonomic keyboard I go!

Great keyboard. Left side numerical key pad takes some getting used to but is ergonomically as my mouse is closer to the keyboard.

Good quality keyboard, as advertised. Seems durable. Still did not get used to some of the keys as they are positioned differently but they seem to he handy placed.

Very nice looking keyboard. Feels nice, like typing on a laptop but in desktop format. Solid. Low profile.

Works great, just what I wanted. I'm petite (5'0"), so my arms are short and regular sized keyboards are just too wide for me.

had a lefty user at the office. she loves this keyboard.