Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for Business - Wired

Comment

Worked great for about a year. Now the number pad doesnt work. Even though the Num Lock is on, the number pad is intermittent. I will be keying in numbers and all of a sudden it will stop working. Contacted Microsoft within warranty period and they said this hardware issues is not covered under the warranty of the product. Do not understand that at all and am very frustrated. I will be ordering a different brand.

Show more

Comment

Love this keyboard. Like that its not WiFi. No need to replace batteries. No extra WiFi "waves" involved in typing. Extremely comfortable, with the upslant in the middle; my hands are in a totally natural position the whole time. A bit of a learning curve after my old one, but Im getting it. I also love the slightly padded rest for my upper hands and wrists. One more thing - it has a very positive feeling - you have to push the keys a little bit, and then they pop up again. I like it better than the almost flat, unmoving laptop keys. Its large - includes a full number pad, but Im fine with the size of it too. Im utterly pleased. The price was right, too. Highly recommend.

Show more

Comment

Why Ive used these since the late 90s: Im in IT and use keyboards regularly in my home and at work. They are all this keyboard. Back in 1997 I dropped my motorcycle and lifted it manually. I hurt one of my wrists doing it. The next day I went to work and found I could only type about a sentence before my wrist hurt. It was a very painful day. Coincidentally, there was a sale on these keyboards going on and I had already planned on picking up two that night - one for home and one for the office. So the next day I plug in my new keyboard and notice my wrist is all healed. But I got to thinking, I wonder if it is the keyboard? So I switch back to the old one and, sure enough, after typing a single line my wrist started hurting again. Ive been in IT since 1983 and am now 64. Im also an avid gamer. Ive never had any carpal tunnel problems nor wrist/finger problems with all of those decades of typing. I owe it to this keyboard.

Show more

Comment

Im yet another Natural Elite fan saddened by the fact that Microsoft no longer makes it. If they started making it again and added some of the features this one has, Id buy a lifetime supply. I had this for about a week and really, really wanted to keep it. Having a dedicated calculator key was great, but even more useful were the page back and forward buttons and the toggle switch to change magnification. That toggle made my life much easier at work; I wish every keyboard had it. I didnt use the riser for the front of the keyboard, though I would have used it more had I kept it just to see if it made typing more comfortable. The padded wrist rest was nice, and the keyboard itself was easy to clean. And although I dont care much about aesthetics, my colleagues all commented positively on the keyboards appearance. Unfortunately, the negatives outweighed all of that. The biggest problem was that the typing experience just wasnt that good. Ive been using a split keyboard for years -- a Natural Elite, as it happens -- but having the center keys be larger than regular keys threw me off. Maybe it shouldnt matter, but it slowed me down and was very frustrating. Also, as noted by others, it is loud. My office has rather close quarters and everyone hears some noise from others, but my keyboard was far louder than other keyboards. Nobody complained, but I was bothered by the idea that I might be bothering others. Then there were the customizable hotkeys that never worked. I would seem to have them set one day, but they wouldnt work the next, and searching for help online didnt yield any useful advice. And then there was the fact that it came without instructions, not even so much as a slip of paper directing users to a web page for more info. Thats absurd. Even the cheapest electronic items Ive purchased have had a manual of sorts, either printed or online. It makes me wonder whether I got a legitimate product, a knockoff, or a refurbished model. After returning this one, I got a Perixx Periboard-512. Its not a sexy looking and it doesnt come with the awesome extras that the 4000 has, but its a smooth typing experience and I can type a report without everyone on my floor hearing me bang each letter. Ideally, Microsoft will someday resurrect the Natural Elite and add those oh-so-useful extras, but this is okay for now.

Show more

Comment

I was having persistent pain in my left thumb, so I bought this keyboard (as well as getting an anti-inflammatory from my doctor and a splint). I do like the keyboard a lot. I initially had trouble with the space bar requiring too much force, but I adjusted to that within a few days. My main complaint about this keyboard is that there is no information about the "f-lock" key. I had never heard of such a thing, and I use my function keys (particularly Shift + F3 to change case) a lot. I could not figure out why my function keys werent working. I am a medical writer, so I spend a lot of time on my computer, and I tend to be fairly technically savvy about such things. Neither I nor my editor could figure it out. When I finally figured it out (with help from yet another person), we realized the f-lock key was the issue and located it and toggled it back on. I then needed to reset the functionality for the Shift + F3 key because in the process of trying to reset it earlier, I had erased its function. It was a big pain and took way more of my time than it should have. I guess some people need an f-lock key? It seems like overkill to me, and it caused me quite a bit of frustration. I wish the keyboard didnt have one (or at least that more information had come with the keyboard about how this key might make you want to tear your hair out).

Show more

Comment

UPDATE : - The space bar never "broke in" and was always inconsistent and a pain. - This keyboard is VERY fragile. I spilled a couple of DROPS of coffee on it (literally dripped out from my cup, not even a real spill), and five keys stopped working. Took it apart and cleaned everything inside but no dice, those keys are just dead now. 40 bucks in the garbage after less than two months of use. Googled around and have seen this is a common enough complaint. I realize electronics are not meant to be waterproof but youd expect a little bit of forgivable leeway.... Comfortable keyboard to use, and a nice layout. I have a few small nitpicks : 1. The space bar does not depress easily at first, but seems to have started to break in. At first I was often missing spaces when typing because the space bar basically felt stuck. 2. Theres only one Window key, on the left. My previous keyboard had one on the right that I was used to using. This is likely a common thing in modern keyboards. 3. I wish the little zoom toggle could be reassigned to scroll. But overall happy with the purchase.

Show more

Comment

Ive been using Microsoft ergonomic keyboards for about 20 years now. I have one at work, AND at home. I almost cant type without one. I had to replace my old PS/2 with this USB for my new computer. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because the space bar is noisy (loud) compared to the quiet letter and number keys. I also read that they break (stop working) for some people, but Ive never had one stop working for me. I just think its a shame that Microsoft seems to have a monopoly on this style/design, or seems to, because I cant find a similar one made by another company. There is one other supposed ergonomic keyboard out there, but its shape is a lot more subtle - almost flat, compared to the Microsoft. Another complaint I have, besides the noisy space bar, is that the number six (6) key is on the wrong side. It should be on the right but isnt. They should have made the seven key the standard size (width) and put the six next to it on the right. The G, T, Y, H and N keys are also wider than standard probably to make it look good. It certainly doesnt hurt the feel, but if every key were where it should be, and the standard key width, it would probably look a little strange. I hope there is competition for it soon, that would probably bring the price down.

Show more

Comment

I got this for my mac computer and it is compatible. This is not very pretty, especially compared to the imac, but my carpal tunnel / tendentious got soooo bad, I had to do everything that I possible could to relieve some pain. This keyboard did help with my carpal tunnel pain, but it started to not work at all after a few months. I had to unplug the usb connector a couple times at first, and it seemed to work well again. But it started getting glitchy here and there after that. So, it is not terrible, but I do expect a product like this to work smoothly for at least a couple years. But-- surprisingly, it did help me with hand / wrist pain. I actually live with extremely severe fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (me/cfs) and it has left me with an enormously sensitive body, always in pain and unbearable exhaustion, without relief. So, I really know the difference between placebo effect and actual, real physical relief. Along with this keyboard, I really struggled with finding the best ergonomic mouse. What I ended up realizing is that TWO MOUSE devices were the best for carpal tunnel pain issues. Here is the reason: Repetitive movement and positioning is what hurts the hands / wrists / arms so much. So-- If you constantly switch your hand / wrist positioning, you dont give the carpel tunnel channel enough time to start swelling and then pinching and then that horrible stabbing pain.. I had gotten to the point where brushing my teeth or holding a mug was unbearable. It was very scary, and honestly, depressing! It all started in early adulthood as well, which was especially depressing on many levels for me. I went to hand therapists, I had physical therapy, everything.. Still, I had so much pain. Now, after switching my desk equipment, I am 95% pain free! I seriously SERIOUSLY never thought that I would get pain relief. The key is to have an ergonomic keyboard (the slight difference in angle is enormous) and to have two differently-shaped ergonomic mouse devices connected all side-by-side. Here is the more expensive mouse that I purchased from Amazon: 3M Ergonomic Mouse, Optical, USB/PS2 Compatible, Small Size, Black (EM500GPS) *Be aware of the size for your needs! (S,M,L) Plus this mouse which was less than $20: Logitech Trackman Marble Mouse *One size fits all One other random thing that helps me, is something that is an all natural supplement used as a natural allergy treatment alternative. It is called D-Hist, and it uses a few all natural anti-inflammatory ingredients. The side bonus is that it helps with pain in the entire body -- and helps with allergies (at least for me. I had never heard of it before Amazon) Here is a link to D-Hist as well: Ortho Molecular Product Natural D-Hist -- 120 Capsules ~Just a quick disclaimer: I do not receive any money or any benefits (outside of personal happiness) from going through the efforts to lay out what has helped me in a VERY VERY VERY LONG journey of serious hand and wrist pain. I am not a medical doctor either, just a regular person, wanting to help fellow sufferers / survivors! Good luck to you all!

Show more

Comment

Hate it for three reasons. 1.) Its HUGE. I wanted to use it with a small corner desk. Its WAY too big for the pull-out keyboard tray. It fits on the tray/shelf but even when the shelf is pulled all the way out, half the keys are still under the desktop. 2.) It only has a USB connection. It wont connect to the computer through the normal keyboard connection. If you dont have enough USB connections you cant use this keyboard. 3.) It has way too many shortcut buttons. Its difficult the use the keyboard without accidentally hitting a shortcut button that sends you off the page or does something else you didnt intend. I do not recommend this keyboard at all. Id give it zero stars but at least one is required to submit feedback.

Show more

Comment

PRO=Its lot more comfortable typing on this than the old-style keyboards; NEGATIVES= 1) KEYs and SPACEBAR LOUD, distracting; 2) As others said, the ZOOM function does NOT work at all; 3) NO MANUAL OR FUNCTION INSTALLATION CD included, so have NO IDEA what the numbered buttons above the F buttons do Note: I found the manual online and even THAT does NOT say anything about those buttons); 4=The spacing ON EACH SIDE of some of the keys are slightly different (i.d., from F to B below it awkward to hit, keep hitting G). The 5th problem is only for watch or Fitbit users: Your watch hits right on the rest area making it uncomfortable unless you change watchband position.

Show more