Friday 31 October 2008

Lighted Keyboard - keyboard, cyborg


There's something about the feel of these quiet keys that draws me back. The keyboard has features that seem especially suited for a writer. First of all the keys feel unusually smooth to the touch and the edges are soft so for someone who types fast, the sensation of moving over the keys is more pleasant than other keyboards I've used. Each depression offers a light resistance that is consistent all the way down which I find not only provides good feedback but is very satisfying. I seem to make fewer typos. I've used several other keyboards that have too light a touch to suit me. With those, I either skip letters because I think I've depressed the key all the way, but actually haven't, or conversely repeat letters because the key goes down too fast and stays down a fraction too long. I find the action of these keys to be perfect.



My requirements for a keyboard were that it had to be corded to work reliably with my computer, i.e., fast all the time with no lag. The keyboard had to have audio adjustment buttons so I could mute the sound easily when on the phone and alter the sound level as well. I find the sound level adjustment better than my previous keyboard because each depression of an adjustment key makes a noticeable difference so usually only a few depressions are necessary to get the change I want. It takes 25 depressions of 'louder' key to go from no sound to top sound, so there's a good range, but I hear a difference each time I press it. Perhaps my previous keyboard was unusual, but it seemed like I had to press a key a hundred times to make a difference.



The right most of the four hot keys above the number pad adjusts the backlight from off, on-bright, on-dim, off again. The bright is too much for me so I'm happy to have a less bright setting. I wouldn't have chosen red, but it serves the purpose. The backlight feature is especially useful to me when I'm typing in the late afternoon and darkness creeps up. If I'm engrossed in something, turning on the backlight allows me to continue working until I come to a good stopping point and can tear myself away to turn on the ceiling light. The other good thing about the backlight is that it shines through the letter on each key. Hopefully this will ensure that these keys remain readable long after other keyboards' letters have worn off.



My keyboard didn't come with the software to program the function keys, but the enclosed booklet gives the website where it can be downloaded if needed. I only program the function keys with macros in Word and Excel so I don't need the software for fancier operations and can't speak to that.



The detachable wrist rest isn't the keyboard's best feature for a writer. It's great for a gamer who may be using the letter keys with one hand and the arrow keys or number pad with the other, but for someone who has both hands on the keyboard all the time, the wrist rest doesn't provide even support for both hands. Still that hasn't slowed me down.



I like the ledge above the function keys, which I use to rest a pen, and I like that the lock indicator lights are obvious (in the center above the function keys), bright and clearly marked so I can instantly tell if I've got something locked that shouldn't be--instant notification when I hit the Caps Lock key by mistake.



The keyboard's protruding corners seem a needless design affectation, but don't interfere with the function I like so much. So far, I'm more satisfied with this keyboard than any in my past experience and highly recommend it. Cyborg V.5 Keyboard

Purchased for a work setting where I needed a keyboard that was wired in, but offered good key travel and a decent layout. I've used this for a while now and it's pretty well met my expectations.



High points;



- simple controls for volume above numberpad, handy for adjusting audio when someone shows up in cube.

- good key travel - some cheaper keyboards use shallow keys which for my taste tend to be hard to type on.

- adjustable backlighting, three levels (all red) which is fun, although in an office setting doesn't do much for me.

- software from internet allows you to remap function keys and a few others to perform specific tasks - haven't used, but it's there.



Low points:



- keys have a bit more resistance than I'm used to - can feel a little pain in the back of my hand after typing a while. We'll see how that works out in the end. (Keyboards are a very personal thing, however, and I suspect there are others that don't mind the stiffness of the board)

i bought this for my husband after we broke his cheapo keyboard. which was also loud and would wake up my baby with the stupid clicking. this arrived in the mail and i surprised my husband with it for birthday. he has has it for 3 weeks and Loves it.. the lights look really nice. and the red lights shine great. looks really good with his gaming computer we own. ours did not come with a disc to program it either. but thats ok. the keys still make noise but are much easier to push and sound almost like a laptop keyboard. my husband no longer has to turn on a super bright lamp to see his keys at night anymore. over all i am satisfied with my purchase and if it ever brakes i will buy another one.

This keyboard is great for the average gamer. The lighting looks really nice, it really looks much better than i would have thought in the dark. I can dim the light too if i wish, I actually keep it dimmed - it looks quite nice in a dark room still.



The keyboard seems to be of good quality, my only complaint was the "enter" button near the number pad was sticky when i first got it, but after a day of usage it ceased to be sticky and works like normal again. It also said it came with a CD/software to program the keys, i didn't recieve any in the box but im not going to return it for that reason since i don't really plan on using that feature anyways. But it would have been nice to know that i could if i had wanted



The keyboard actually feels really good. The keys are somewhat soft but not so soft that its feels weird. You get the right amount of repsonse from the keys. I can be gentle on the keys when typing and i'll have no issues.



It looks really good on the desk too. I must admit when its next to my gaming rig with all of its LED fans and such it really makes the set up complete for me. Some people might not like that it's not wireless, but i don't mind at all - if your a gamer you know wired is better. No worrying about intereference or any missed key strokes with this keyboard. Plus i don't have to change batteries!



Overall, i would buy one again (and i probably will) It's looks alone are enough reason for me to buy one again but the way it feels and the feel of being quality made really makes this keyboard a good buy for any gamer. I will note though, that if your doing some SERIOUS gaming and you need lots of programmable keys and different lighting features, this keyboard probably won't do it for you. - Keyboard - Gaming Keyboard - Back Lit - Cyborg'


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