New Standard Keyboard Review - Open the box
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When I opened the box, the first thing I noticed was the keyboard sitting pretty snug within. To be honest, this doesn't leave much room for rough handling of the box. Hit any part of the box with any force, and the keyboard is going to be damaged. This is to be expected in budget-priced keyboards, but for something priced in the $70 range, you would expect the packaging to be a little more protective.
Above are the contents of the box. These consisted of the keyboard, a small flyer promoting "The Sensible Alternative," and small pamphlet titled "Typing Made Easy." This last pamphlet is aimed at helping you get up and running using the new keyboard as quickly as possible.
Zooming in, here is the layout of the keyboard. It's a far cry from the 101-key keyboards that I use normally on a day to day basis. If you look closely, you will notice four distinct groupings of keys. On the left, you see the keys labeled A-M, along with a few misc keys. On the right are the letters N-Z. In the center are your traditional ARROW keys. And finally, along the bottom, are the special keys. You will notice that most of the keys on the bottom row are duplicated. This allows you to hit most letter/symbol combinations with just one hand.
From the bottom, you can see the feet that fold out to customize the feel of the keyboard. Actually, they ended up blending in really well in this picture, but trust me when I say they are there. You can also see the end of the USB cable snapped into its holder on the bottom of the keyboard. The cable itself is wrapped around the entire keyboard (inside a small slot that runs around the perimeter), so you instantly have access to about 5 feet of cable to plug in your keyboard.
On the bottom of the keyboard, near the USB plug, is what I call a cheat sheet. It consists of a sticker, showing key combinations for common shortcuts.
And here is a comparison between the 101-key keyboard on one of my home machines, and the New Standard Keyboard. It is plain to see the difference in size, and, logically, how much less your hands would need to travel while using this keyboard.
Next: Testing and Conclusion >>
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