Product: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
MSRP: $64.99     Find Lowest Price @ PriceGrabber
Supplier: Microsoft
Author: Nick
Date: July 7, 2006

For several years now, Microsoft has successfully established its name in the peripheral industry.  However, most of their keyboards and mice are not targeted towards gamers.  Today we will take a look at Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.  This keyboard is designed for comfort as the number one priority, but how well will it work for gaming?

Features:

- The advanced ergonomic keyboard design of new Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 delivers the ultimate in comfortable computing. The proprietary “gull wing” design brings the keys closer to the user’s fingers, reducing reach and unnecessary motion while encouraging a more natural position. The keyboard has an optional palm rest for a 7-degree reverse slope, which in a usability study was found to encourage better arm and wrist alignment. It also features a cushioned wrist rest that is 7 millimeters taller than the keyboard, which places wrists in a less awkward alignment.

- Easy-to-access forward and back buttons are located at the bottom center of the keyboard for more convenient PC navigation.

- Zoom Slider features effortless control of digital photos and documents with just the touch of a finger, delivering true compatibility between hardware and software. Simply push the slider, located in the middle of the keyboard, to zoom in and out when navigating large documents or images. It’s the perfect companion for digital camera owners, because 80 percent of them store or access their images on the computer.

- My Favorites Keys deliver one-touch access to your most-used Web sites, files and folders. Simply push and hold the key to assign it to the current destination, just as you would with a car stereo’s preset buttons. The key assignments also move with the individual user settings. In addition, you can simply push the Show Favorites Key to reveal the current assignment of each of the five My Favorites Keys.

- Enhanced F Keys make it easy to complete common tasks with one touch. Keys are conveniently grouped according to usage patterns, such as New, Open and Close. You also can set traditional F Key functions with the F Key lock.

- Customizable Hot Keys, including Mail, Web/Home and Search allow you to quickly launch these programs with the touch of a button.

The Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000:

The NEK 4000 is different from most other ergonomic keyboards currently on the market in several areas.  The first feature that is unique is the ability for the front of the keyboard to be raised instead of the rear.  This allows the user to rest their hands on the wrist rest while keeping their wrists straight.  I found the raised front to be more comfortable than the standard raised back.

The NEK 4000 had little to offer in terms of gaming based when compared to Logitech’s G15.  However, the NEK 4000 was more comfortable than the G15 because of the raised front.  The real advantage of the NEK 4000 becomes apparent once the keyboard is used for a great amount of typing.  My hands did not become fatigued like they did with several other keyboards that I have tried.

The thing I dislike the most about Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is the F-lock function that Microsoft has grown so fond of.  For those that don’t know what F-lock is, it is basically a feature that “adds functionality” to the F keys.  F-lock is toggled on and off by a key much like the caps lock or number lock features.  While F-lock may be useful to some people, I found F-lock to be more of a nuisance.  There were several times while I was reviewing this product that the F-lock would accidentally get turned off while I was playing a game and I would die as a result of my F keys not functioning properly.

Conclusion:

Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is an excellent keyboard for both the office and LAN party environments.  While it cannot beat the gaming keyboards in terms of features aimed towards gaming, the raised front definitely makes it more comfortable than most keyboards on the market.  If comfort is your primary concern and you don’t mind having an ergonomic keyboard, then I would definitely recommend the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.

Maximum CPU gives
The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000

4 / 5

Pros:

+ Front of keyboard is raised
+ Comfortable
+ Connect via USB

Cons:

- F-lock