A lovely stylish flat keyboard which is quiet, and a dream to use (Logitech Ultra-Flat Keyboard)

Member Name: GentleGenius

Product:	Logitech Ultra-Flat Keyboard
Date:	28/01/09 (401 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet, mostly well placed keys, no stupid additional functions, back to basics

Disadvantages: The "insert" key being right next to the "delete" key

Keyboards are something that over the years I have become very frustrated with. I've found them to be increasingly targeted towards non-typists (which I suppose is understandable now that most people who aren't trained typists have PCs in their homes), and the manufacturers/designers seem to pay more attention to multi-functions rather than placement of keys, smoothness of touch, and other things which used to make the life of a typist so much easier.

I've been through about 20 keyboards during the last 10 or so years, and each one I've used has had at least one feature on it that I've (as a trained touch-typist) found very frustrating. One I used a couple of years ago had the "enter" key in such a stupid place, that each time I went to hit it on auto-pilot, I would miss and hit the "delete" key, which was incredibly annoying. I was stupid enough not to have noticed that discrepancy when I bought it. The most recent keyboard I used was probably the best of a bad bunch, but it died on me a week or so ago, probably due to over-use. I spent a lot of time hunting around various PC supplies shops who'd allow me to test their stock of keyboards, and I was getting irritated that I couldn't find one which was straightforward to use with not too many frills, and had a lovely light touch with the keys in easily accessible places.

Whilst wandering through Somerfield doing my food shopping, I noticed they had a small office-supplies section. I didn't expect to find a keyboard there, but to my surprise there was one....just one for sale. It had been dramatically reduced in price, knocked down from £15.99 to £4.99. The seal on the box was broken, and it was obvious that someone had tried to get a better look at the keyboard, but the inner plastic packaging was intact. I took the liberty of removing the keyboard from the box, and had a little tap around on it, noticing that the keys pressed down with the lightest of touches. The plastic cover was too thick to make a complete examination of where keys such as "enter" and "delete" were placed, but I decided to buy the keyboard all the same, as it was such a bargain. When I got to the checkout, the operator called an assistant over and they both agreed that I could have the keyboard for £3.99, as the outer box had been opened. Of course, this pleased me greatly and I accepted.

Once home, I removed the keyboard from the box, and discarded the plastic protective cover. I read the instructions carefully (which are printed in many different languages - English being the first), and initially tried to fix the connector to my USB port, but it didn't work, even after re-booting the computer. I wasn't sure if that was a fault of the keyboard or my USB multi socket device (that is very old and may have seen better days), so I tried the PS/2 route - re-booted, and hey presto, it worked!

I had a little tap around, finding I could whizz over the keys and press them down very easily, without having to bash them - the merest of light touches is all that is needed. The placement of certain keys isn't 100% ideal for me, but is better than all the other brands of keyboard I have used over the past few years. For instance, the "delete" key is right next to the "insert" key, and I have to be very careful not to hit "insert" by mistake, but I'm gradually training myself not to do that. The noise levels of key-tapping are very quiet, which is a bonus for me as I hate to hear myself type - on a more rattly or stiffer keyboard, bearing in mind that my typing speed is pretty fast, the volume can become unacceptably loud.

Appearance-wise, this is a lovely keyboard. It has a sleek, sophisticated-looking black interface which is shiny, but it does tend to show up finger marks and I thus have to keep polishing it; not too much of a problem though. I am a smoker, and I find the keyboard shows up tiny little specks of ash which on the negative side is irritating, but on the positive side, it encourages me to make the effort to clean the keyboard more often than I otherwise would.

I don't type at a desk; I type with the keyboard on my lap, and in the past I've found certain brands of keyboard to be too heavy on my legs, but this one is so very lightweight, I can hardly feel the pressure of it at all, and the cable is just the right length. All the keys are just the right distance apart from one another, which has served to make my typing a little faster, and much more accurate. I have quite large hands with long fingers, and can find other brands of keyboard cumbersome to use if the keys are too close together - on this one, they are spaced apart perfectly for the shape of my hands and fingers.

I would highly rate this lovely little keyboard which is simple to use, very basic, and isn't crowded out with what to me are useless keys (e.g. a direct connect to the internet key) that I personally have no need for. For me, simplicity is the name of the game, and this keyboard wins hands down.

At long last, I am a happy little bunny, contentedly whizzing around on this lovely and rather stylish - not to mention give-away cheap (for me!) - keyboard. Even at its full price of £15.99, I'd say it's well worth the money, and a decent investment if you do a lot of typing and want something that actually works, instead of being clogged up with useless function keys.

Very highly recommended, very stylish and attractive, lightweight, and utilitarian without being ugly.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Well worth the £3.99 I paid for it!

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