
I need to come clean: I thoroughly enjoy working on my PowerBook far more than my iMac G5. Why? Other than the
obvious portability factor: it's the keyboard. Aside from an ergonomic (where'd those go, anyway?), the PowerBook's
keyboard is about the best darn keyboard I've ever laid hands on. Every standard desktop keyboard just feels big and
clunky, and the keys have a lot more travel to them. I can type much faster on my PowerBook's keyboard, and nowadays
it's gotten so bad that I stumble and trip up on regular desktop keyboards. When you blog for a company like
Weblogs, Inc. who revokes one day's lunch privileges for every typo they find,
this can become a serious problem (just kidding about the lunch thing, but let's just say I'm missing a toe or two).
If you're nodding your head in agreement to any of my keyboard obsessiveness, I think Kensington has a good
solution for all of us. I found their
SlimType Keyboard for Mac
at a CompUSA last weekend, and wow did it feel like my PowerBook. Its layout is slightly different from both a
PowerBook and standard Apple desktop keyboard, as the Home/End and Page Up/Down keys are lined vertically on the right
of the Delete/Return side of the keyboard, but its keys have the same low rate of travel and a very similar, solid
feel. I haven't grabbed one yet, but they retail for $40, and some of the online retailers that Kensington's product
site link are selling it for as low as $30.
If you pick one up or already own one, feel free to sound off
with your thoughts.