Look down. That's it, right above your knees. It's your keyboard and chances are good you're not getting everything you should from it.

Some of you old-timers are grinning, as you clickity-clack away on your ancient keyboards, because you've been there, done that. But whether you're staring at a C: prompt or you're new to computing (and to my rants), I think you'll get a kick out of what I have say about keyboards.

First, the Rant

Most of the new keyboards I've tried are mushy to the touch. It feels yucky, like typing on an overripe peach (something my editor says often reminds him of my columns). I wonder if manufacturers spend more than 75 cents on each keyboard, a peripheral that can bump up your productivity tenfold. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little. But geez, would it kill keyboard designers to make the Backspace, Enter, and Backslash keys just a little bigger?

Enjoy rants? Here's another: Steve Manes, PCWorld.com's resident curmudgeon, goes into a tirade about keyboards in "How to Fix Keyboards: Don't Touch 'Em!"

Dig this: If you're as dyslexic as I am, you won't have any problem with this version of Google.

Dig this, too: So you didn't dig the Google thing, eh? Okay, how about an animation that shows Uncle Bill switching to the Mac?

A Few Cool Keyboards

If you have a minute, start by reading my Home Office column, "Treat Your Fingers to a New Keyboard." In it, I tell you about two keyboards--the Avant Stellar and Microsoft's Office Keyboard--and why I like them.

I got dozens of e-mails from readers about that column. I've culled through them and have a few surprise recommendations.

Joe L. tells me "a smile came over my face as I read your recent article ... about the Northgate OmniKey Ultra keyboard." Joe's Northgate is about 14 years old--even older than mine--and he said that "one thing Northgate did right was to make a keyboard that outlasts a lot of computers." I've seen used Northgate OmniKeys on EBay in the $30-to-$40 dollar range. Search on either "northgate" or "omnikey."

"You have overlooked the greatest keyboard on the market," says David S. from Torrance, California. David's talking about the SmartBoard from DataDesk Technologies that has a "QWERTY layout that puts all other attempts at a 'natural' layout to shame." What's unique is that the compact board's keys vary slightly in size. For instance, the keys typists have to reach for (P, Q, 0, and !, for example) are larger than the easy-to-punch central keys.

Steven G. from New York extols the pleasures of using the Versakey Keyboard. It's got 60 extra function keys across the top in addition to the usual 12 (which are on the left side), and all 60 keys are programmable via the keyboard, so no software's necessary.

"I'd rather go without pizza for a whole year than live without my MCK-142Pro," says Norman S. The Adesso MCK-142Pro has 24 programmable keys and a clickity-clack feel.

More than a dozen people wrote to say they're using old Gateway AnyKey 124-key programmable keyboards. These were copies of the MaxiPro-II, a programmable keyboard manufactured by MaxiPro with function keys on top and the side. I use one on a test PC and think it's terrific, with a comfortable feel. The downside, though, is that the Backspace key is way too small. I found about a dozen of these gems for sale on EBay; most sell for roughly $12.

Of course, if you try some of these older keyboards on a new PC, there may be complications. My old Northgate keyboard works fine with a fast 1.2-GHz PC, but to make it work I needed a $12 AT-to-PS/2 adapter. It's available at Belkin; look for the Pro Series Keyboard Converter Cable, AT to PS/2-6 inches (part number: F2N017-06INCH).

Dig this: I've heard that cats enjoy the tactile feeling of walking across a keyboard. That's not a problem unless your system's up and running, in which case those bawdy images may end up e-mailed to your boss. Try PawSense, a $20 utility (yeah, I agree, that's high) that is supposed to detect when a cat is walking across your keyboard. And no, I didn't test it--I don't have a cat.

Stay tuned for keyboard remappers, macro programs, and other keyboard odds and ends in next week's column.

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