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| TypeMatrix 2020 |
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Hardware Reviews September 2002 • Vol.5 Issue 9 |
TypeMatrix 2020 | ||
 Ergonomic keyboards alleviate stress in your wrists and fingers by reducing repetitive motions and changing your typing posture. One hallmark of an ergonomic keyboard is a split keypad (the keys for your left and right hands are split apart by about an inch), which helps keep your wrists straight. Keyboard manufacturers also tweak their boards in other ways (raising the keypad or changing the height of certain keys, for example), but few dare to break the golden rule of consumer keyboards: Don't mess with the key layout. TypeMatrix interpreted the rule to mean: If you're going to change key layout, make it better and easy to learn. The TypeMatrix 2020 puts a fresh perspective on what makes an ergonomic keyboard, well, ergonomic. The company made the keyboard small and flat, arguing that the hills and valleys of an average ergonomic board push the tension into your arms instead of relieving it. The 2020's number pad and arrow keys—two reasons to turn your wrist in a very unergonomic way—are a part of the keypad, extending as far left as the N key. You can press the FUNCTION key to access them. Although the 2020 supports the Dvorak layout (an ergonomic key layout in which the letters are reconfigured), the default key layout is similar to the standard QWERTY layout. The letter keys stand in the same QWERTY format as on most keyboards. The difference is that while keys on the average board are offset (the rows are staggered, a holdover from typewriters), the 2020's keys line up perfectly with each other, forming an eerie grid that makes the flat keyboard look flatter. The layout reduces the distance your fingers travel while typing. TypeMatrix also moved some of the peripheral keys, such as the BACKSPACE and ENTER keys, to the middle of the keyboard, shifting some of the stress from your little finger to your forefinger. Set aside a few hours for practice, download the free tutorial software, and glance through the to-the-point instructions. You'll adjust to the relief in your wrists and fingers as fast as you adjust to the keyboard. by Joshua Gulick TypeMatrix 2020 $99 TypeMatrix (800) 234-3975 (805) 682-9777 www.typematrix.com CPU Rating: 4 (out of possible 5)
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