elysion
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Post by elysion on Apr 9, 2012 0:57:34 GMT
www.cherry.de/cid/corded_keyboards_eVolution_STREAM_XT_Corded_MultiMedia_Keyboard.htm?Yesterday, this one had its first real test: It was directly hit by my full coffee mug. Sorry, no pics available from the accident. It was cleaned almost instantly with water. That bloody keyboard is spill resitant and almost indestructible! After a couple of hours drying, it has looked again like it was new and had no flaws. I hate those multi-functional extended keyboards that have almost more special keys than normal keys. I've used a lot of different keyboards in the last 25 years. This one is my overall favourite so far. Typewriting is still a bit better with the corded Apple aluminum keyboard (which is simply the best for typewriting alone), but, overall, the Cherry keyboard is a great choice. It's only slightly more than half the price of the Apple keyboard, works with all standard PC's and any operating system. Cherry makes also a lot of other keyboards. Many of them are regarded as very good keyboards, but I have to admit that I don't like each of their keyboards as much. Cherry was always a very good source for rugged, plain vanilla keyboards with high quality and a good price. I really can recommend this keyboard. Personally, I have the black variant with a Swiss keyboard layout. I'm a Logitech follower for mices, but I don't like most Logitech keyboards (with a few exceptions). Logitech is the master of those awful multi-function keyboards mentioned above (yuk!).
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Apr 9, 2012 2:11:18 GMT
Just goes to show, it takes all sorts. I really don't like Logitech mice, they just don't seem to fit my hand.
My current keyboard is a Logitech G15, with loads of extra function keys. To be honest, I bought the keyboard because I thought I'd be able to assign some shortcuts to some of the extra keys, but it didn't work the way I thought it would and I don't actally use them.
I wish the extra keys weren't there and that the keyboard was a bit more compact, but on the plus side, I really like the feel of the keyboard. It has also lasted really well, about 7 years of heavy, daily use so far and still going strong. And because the keys are back lit I haven't worn the the letters off the keys the way I did with the previous 2 keyboards.
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elysion
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Team Anti M$ AND Facebook.
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Post by elysion on Apr 9, 2012 2:29:33 GMT
I don't like all Logitech mice. But I like the famous MX500/510/518 series and the G5 series. Overall, the MX518 is my favourite. Some of the newer high-end corded models are not my cup of tea. Maybe the successor of the MX518, the G400, is the way to go for me, but I had no chance for comparison so far.
I'll probably have also a look at the Cherry Xero corded mouse later. It's a bit small, but it's cheap.
For me, forward and backward buttons on the side of the mouse are mandatory. It saves me really a lot time when browsing through webpages and makes this also much more comfortable.
The cheap Logitech RX250 is also a very good mouse. It's plain vanilla with no extra buttons, but cheap and very robust.
Input devices are always a matter of taste, just like headphones. Hands and ears differ a lot amongst people.
I've bought many of the Cherry keyboards mentioned above for new PC's at work (together with RX250 mices). The feedback of the users was so far very good. Most of them had crappy HP keyboards and mices before. The HP keyboards are a pain the ass for fast typewriting. I'm writing very fast and I feel quickly if a keyboard isn't appropriate for fast typewriting.
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xerxes
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Post by xerxes on Apr 9, 2012 2:55:13 GMT
I have the two side buttons set for copy (Ctrl+C) and paste (Ctrl+V). I use this all the time when I'm building web sites for copying chunks of code etc. For the last 6 or 7 years I've been using an Intellimouse Explorer 4.0, I find them very comfortable: They seem to last about a year to 18 months before the micro switch under the left mouse button fails. However, when the first one failed I took it apart and kept the three good switches, from the right, and side buttons. I made the second mouse last for several years, replacing the left mouse button when it failed and only recently had to buy a whole new mouse because I ran out of good switches.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2012 7:13:27 GMT
As a much lower user of computers than you guys I find pretty much any mouse is OK with me including the touchpad on my laptop. For more serious input I plug in either the keyboard that came with an old Dell desktop or a Spanish layout Logitech multi function jobby (I only have a couple of keys set up for special functions) for Spanish writings. The Dell is white with white keys and Logitech black on black. I see Cherry do black on silver, which I find nicer on the eye like the laptop. When you are looking for that rarely used special function key, it's a faster find. Mrs cj also has a Logitech Thai script, again multi functional but none of those special keys get used. The only extra keys that get used a lot are music control ones
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Apr 9, 2012 11:09:31 GMT
I've seen also some M$ mices like this in the past and was positive surprised about the comfort. There have been also a few M$ mices with leather covering, which was extremely comfortable.
I've had a look on their current mices and I did not find what I was searching for. The newer M$ mices aren't exactly my taste (but so are also many of the newer Logitech mices).
The input devices of M$ are probably the only M$ product which I DO like, not all models, but they have offered rather good quality. Same thing with the M$ Sidewinder joysticks, which are out of production. Luckily, Speedlink sells the "Dark Tornado" joystick, which seems to be a copy of a M$ Sidewinder joystick.
I'm always surprised how much input devices are available today and that only a small percentage of these input devices are IMHO really outstanding. A lot of input devices are crappy. I don't like these multi-function keyboards and mices because they focus more on the special keys than on the really needed keys. Especially the keyboards get very big with too much special keys. I don't understand also why some keyboards and mices have to be so costly. It's not uncommon for some multi-function devices to cost a three digit value in Euros, Swiss Francs or US Dollar.
The multi-function devices need also often special driver software. Logitech's PC drivers are know to have a few bugs and are not really state of the art. Their Mac software is just awful. I use "USB Overdrive", which is a 3rd party shareware that supports almost any input device that can be connected to a Mac. Great results, regardless of the manufacturer of the input device. Linux is a bit different: If the input devices are not too exotic, most of them are recognised automatically and work very good. The six special keys on the Cherry keyboard and the forward/backward buttons on the Logitech mices are automatically configured, but you can't easily change (with a GUI) the default function. There are ways to do that, but I guess it could be made more comfortable.
Some of the Razor mices almost cost as much as a midrange LGA1155 intel CPU and they got bad reports about quality on some forums.
Some very old input devices like the really famous old IBM PS/2 keyboards are pratically indestructible. They did cost a lot back then, but you also got real quality (and a heavy weight...).
For now, I'll stick with the Cherry (and Apple) keyboards and the Logitech mices. I have a small stock at home and there's no need at the moment to get something else. I'll have an eye on other input devices though. Somewhen, I'll need something else.
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