Ergonomics, Dvorak and small size: the unusual TypeMatrix EZ-Reach 2030 keyboard
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There are many keyboards in the world, both quite ordinary and ergonomic, with a well-thought-out structure, or frankly strange. The EZ-Reach 2030 keyboard discussed below is not your average keyboard. Rather, it’s a bit of an odd keyboard that many developers and other IT pros who’ve tried it out nonetheless enjoy.
The keyboard is far from new and has been afloat for several years now. You can’t call it cheap, but most non-standard keyboards cost a lot. Let’s see what she is.
Quite unusual
At the first glance at the keyboard, the location of the Caps, Back Space and Enter buttons is striking. They are right in the middle of the keyboard and seem to split it in two. It looks strange, yes, but as far as you can understand, the location of the buttons is quite logical – they are not used as often as the others, but at the same time they are important. They can now be tapped with your thumbs or forefingers, without having to reach out to the edge of the keyboard.
At a second glance, you notice that the Del button is red, so when you delete the text, you will hardly be able to miss. The number block is highlighted in gray, which is also quite convenient. You can activate the block by holding Fn (this is a short-term solution) or Num, which activates the digital block until the next press on Num Lock. At the same time, the right Enter with Shift is not lost – the developers have not forgotten about them. This is an interesting solution, since the keyboards with the number pad are usually quite large and not used as often. Here, there seems to be numbers, and space is not wasted.
The ergonomic features of the keyboard include its size. Firstly, it is quite thin, plus it has a small stand that you can use when needed. According to the developers, the keyboard is specially designed not very large so that it is possible to do without specialized stands, and fingers, palms and forearms are in the process of working in a normal position and get tired less.
In addition, the keyboard is quite narrow, so that the mouse is on the right side, next to your hand, you do not need to reach far for it. If the user is left-handed, the same can be said for the left side.
Another important ergonomic feature of this keyboard is its keys. They are installed in a “scissor” pattern, providing excellent feedback, tactile sensations. Light pressing is enough for them, the keys travel is limited. In general, the keyboard is designed in such a way that the user does not spend too much effort on pressing the keys, but can operate without undue fatigue of the fingers or hands.
Plus, it fits seamlessly into any laptop bag, backpack, or regular bag.
Ergonomics must be ergonomic
Most of the keys important to the user are equipped with special keys. tactile protrusionsso that your fingers can distinguish between the keys in touch typing. Ten keys have protrusions, seventeen – a kind of “homing” panels.
For example, all middle keys have panels. Everything here is organized in such a way that the user does not accidentally press Enter instead of any of the letter keys or the cursor. Such strips are available both for the keys to the left of the center strip and on the right. The side keys have similar strips.
By the way, the keyboard is installed without any problems – no additional drivers or settings are needed. This is a standard PS / 2 PC keyboard with a USB adapter included.
Dvorak layout
As you know, the QWERTY layout was not invented for the convenience of people, but to prevent damage to typewriters. All other layouts that were popular before led to the fact that typists began to type very quickly – so much so that typewriters simply broke.
The layout was created to slow down typing, which saved the unfortunate typewriters from destruction in the first months of use by professional typists.
But there are other layouts as well. One of the more popular alternatives is the Dvorak layout, named after its inventors. It was patented by University of Washington professor August Dvorak and William Dilly in 1936 for typing English characters, as an alternative to the QWERTY layout. The letters are grouped here by frequency of use in the English alphabet, which allows you to type very quickly.
Of course, this layout is not suitable for everyone. For example, here is the story of a user who suffered with this layout for two years, but then returned everything to square one.
What is the point of mentioning this layout and this whole story? The fact is that the EZ-Reach 2030 has a hardware layout switch. On the keys, however, nothing new “grows”, the designations do not change. But those who are used to Dvorak will be able to switch in a second. As for the notation, the keyboard manufacturer seems to sell keyboard overlays, so if you need a Dvorak, you can buy everything you need.
A little about the disadvantages
In general, there are almost none. The only point that can be considered a disadvantage is a large gap with an empty space under it. Perhaps this arrangement of the key is caused by some reason, which we do not know anything about, but the developers do.
But the empty space on the ergonomic keyboard looks odd. On the other hand, these are just petty quibbles that can be considered gust.
The bottom line is that the EZ-Reach 2030 is a great $ 100 keyboard. It is worth the money – not cheap, but not too expensive. The plastic is of high quality, the work with the keyboard is quite normal. Plus it is suitable for those of us who are constantly on the move and in flight.
The EZ-Reach 2030 is a great compromise between price, functionality, size and ergonomics.
