Logitech announces an ergonomic keyboard with no learning curve
We don't mind a little weirdness in the pursuit of better ergonomics, but we really dislike funky mice and keyboards that require you to relearn how to type and/or mouse. That's why we're particularly excited about Logitech's Cordless Desktop Wave desktop set, which the company announced this morning.
Logitech's new Cordless Desktop Wave mouse and keyboard set.
(Credit: Logitech)For $89 when it hits stores this August, the Cordless Desktop Wave will give you two major ergonomic features. The first is that, as the name suggests, the keys are arranged along a wave-like pattern that ripples across the keyboard. This design is supposed to account for the fact that your fingers are not all the same length, thus the keys the keys near your little fingers and your thumbs rise up to meet your shorter digits. The other feature is the gradual arc of the key tray. The arc is not as pronounced as Microsoft's classic Ergonomic Natural Keyboard, but Logitech's design also doesn't distort the basic size and shape of any of the main letter keys.
We're especially happy about that last part. We typed this very blog post with this new keyboard, and we've been surprised at how the new layout didn't slow us down. With other ergonomic keyboards, any design tweaks usually result in certain keys that are bigger than others, which means we have to retrain our fingers if we want to maintain our standard rapid typing pace (77 wpm, but we don't like to brag). That hasn't been the case with the new Logitech board, at least after about 200 words or so. We'll have a full review of this thing, soon, but so far so good.
Rich Brown reviews desktops and various other components and peripherals for CNET. E-mail Rich. 
Perhaps you should search on 'fastest typists' or a similar phrase? It might expand your horizons a little bit beyond your personal comfort zone. Shame on you for rejecting out of hand designs that might cause you to have to relearn something. Why would you actually continue to do something that would result, or potentially result in damage to your body if alternatives were available? Simply because it might inconvenience you for a very short time to learn a better way? There are other keyboard designs out there besides this new one from Logitech that are quite revolutionary and may well limit or significantly reduce the likelihood of carpal tunnel syndrome, along with significantly increasing your speed. There are also authoritative articles to be found that suggest that the wrist pad might actually CONTRIBUTE to repetitive motion injury, and others suggesting that a negative angle to the keyboard may be also be beneficial despite the fact manufacturers continue to stay inside the box of current design trends so as not to step on certain negative angle patents. Since anything short of the Dvorak layout is decades out of date, of what value are all the improvement achieved in accommodating reach of individual fingers? You're basically cheerleading for a product that allows you to maintain your own personal status quo. So the benefit in spending $89 is what exactly? I suppose it could be the 'cool factor', but I've got to tell you when I'm observed typing faster than the teenagers, that is perceived as pretty cool by some.
Give it some thought. BTW... I have no financial interest in keyboard layout or design. I do have a need to create and edit large amounts of material quickly and efficiently and it simply cannot be done with most 'modern' (they're antiquated in reality... quaint would be a good word) key layouts and keyboard designs. I've tried many 'unusual' designs that were built to solve the problems of finger length and reach. The more radical ones were 'okay' but ended up in museums, perhaps unfortunately. I don't really see that Logitech's new design is advanced sufficiently to be worthwhile for me. Cheers!