Unicomp Keyboards

[Stephen Coates]

Has anyone here heard of Unicomp keyboards?

They make keyboard that are identicle and similar to IBM's model M.

Apparently these keyboards are very good and I was thinking of getting one to replace my Dell keyboard which I sometimes find a bit difficult to type on (I don't know why, but sometimes I find a perticular keyboard difficult to type on, then later, I find the same keybord really nice).

I will probably get either their Customizer 105 or the SpaceSaver as I need Windows keys. It's just a shame that they don't do the Customizer 105 in beige as I would probably have one of those if they did.

They have a nice looking website which would be better if they supplied some more information about the keyboards here: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/

[Harrison]

Wow! Those keyboards definitely look retro! I've not seen any like that for many years. I think the last one I used was a Compaq keyboard attached to an XT style PC. A long time ago. They definitely look robust! If bulky and old.

It is interesting that you mentioned you have in the past found a keyboard hard to type on, and then later found the same one nice. This happened to me with the Microsoft Internet Keyboard. A couple of new PCs arrived in the office years ago and I had to set them up, and at the time I thought the keyboard was horrible.

But now I use the exact same keyboards on all of my own PCs and love them. I can type fast, the keys feel nice to press, and it is responsive so I can type fast without many errors. I highly recommend the Microsoft Internet Keyboard for you to consider buying as they are very well build and robust, and unless you need a wireless setup I don't think a more expensive keyboard is really worth the money. And best of all is the price. £10. You can't grumble about that now can you! :)

[Buleste]

Don't like those keyboards they're tooo practical. No UFC (Useless Flashy Crap) on them. Give me one that glows in the dark and can wipe my arse any day.

[Harrison]

I did actually see a really cool keyboard the other week that I'm tempted to buy. It has a light sensor, so that as the light level drops the keys light up with a great looking cool blue backlight. It looked great.

But if you want the ultimate in UFC included in your keyboard then you have to go a long way to beat the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard.


http://www.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/3789-1.jpg

[Stephen Coates]

We have some Microsoft keyboards at college which have a funny layout (They arn't rectangular). I think they are supposed to be more 'ergonomic' or something. They feel quite nice but were quite difficult to type on a first due to the odd layout, Now I find them OK but I would still prefer a normal keyboard.

I have used keyboard which have buckling spring thingys and mechanical switches and thought they were quite nice. My Apple Extended Keyboard II is on which uses the mechanical switches, and is another example of a keyboard which I sometimes find nice and sometimes struggle with. But it's switches do have a nice feel to them.

[Buleste]

Thats close but it has a standard keyboard layout. If it had the ergonomically designed keys then it'd be close because then it would just about become impractical for use. Try this one for UFC keyless keyboard (http://www.keybowl.com/)

[Stephen Coates]

I tend to prefer plain looking things these days. Sometimes useless lights might look good, or the idea might sound good, but I really wouldn't want to be sat in a room full of differnt coloured lights coming from different objects.

And blue lights are a big no no. I do like the colour of blue lights, but I just can't get on with looking at them. They look blurry.

I think i will be able to make an exception for the bit of red light which comes out of the back of my Microsoft mouse.

EDIT: These are the keyboards we have at college http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=040

[Harrison]

Oh, those ones with the slightly curved keys are fine. Some laptops use similar layouts now too. I thought you meant those touch typing keyboards with the split keys like this one. (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=022) I've never got on with those.

[Stephen Coates]

i have never typed on one of those split ones before and I don;t really want to. The thought of it make me glad I have a normal keyboard.

I can type quite well without looking on those curved MS ones though.

Hmm. I just got an email back from them saying that it will cost about $50 for them to ship a keyboard to me.

[StuKeith]

Ive just ordered my 3rd one of these!

Natrual 4000 (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=043)

great keyboards, and I use all the buttons. I'm on the 3rd as they don't seem to stand up to kids pouring drinks over them too well! Very comfortable and nice to use.

I'm using an old usb acer one atm, and i find it hard to type as the keys are close together and I find im getting cramp again!

I can however type well on my laptop??? :blink:

[Stephen Coates]

Hmmm. I'm glad you like the keyboard then. There's no way I could be getting on with having the keys in those awkward positions and having all the extra function keys at the top. I would find that rather annoying.

[Harrison]

Because of design packages I have to use a traditional shaped keyboard, instead of a curved one. And also they are no good for gaming. For design packages such as everything from Adobe I mostly use keyboard shortcuts for everything instead of the mouse. It speeds things up 100 fold, but with this split of curved designs it wouldn't work.

[Stephen Coates]

Why wouldn't a curved keyboard work for the shortcuts? Would it just be awkward to find the right key to press?

Does anyone know if if keyboard shortcuts are quite popular amongst people that are new to using computers? I have noticed that things seem to be more graphical all the time, and some of the beginers books that I have looked at havn't said much about keyboard shortcuts. I wondered because my grandparents recently got a computer, and we were sorting through some photographs that someone had given them on a CD. I copied them onto the HD, nd then we were deleting the ones they didn't want using IrfanView, and they seemed to find it easier using the left and right arrow keys to move between photos, the delete key to delete the photo and the return key to confirm the delete. Seemed a bit easier than moving the mouse between the toolbar buttons.

[Harrison]

Keyboard short cuts tend to be used my by advanced users. But when I ever show anyone a keyboard shortcut they instantly think how useful it is and then continue using it themselves.

As for shortcuts for something like Photoshop, the reason is because you use a lot of key combinations for many shortcuts. Such as using the Alt, Ctrl and Shift keys in combination with letters or numbers. And normally it is faster because you leave one hand hovering over the left-hand corner of the keyboard, and the other on the mouse. Those split keyboards would be annoying too because the 1-0 keys are used for opacity shortcuts.

[Stephen Coates]

Why is it that some keyboards, have keys such as Shift, control and return, all in a brown colour, rather than beige, which the rest of the keys are? Is this to make them easier to see? I have noticed that alot of newer keyboard that are black or grey or silver, don't have these keys in a different colour.

[Harrison]

Umm... keyboards haven't had different colours for many years Steve! You are definitely living in a parallel retro world somewhere it seems. I do however remember that in the 80's and early 90's a lot of PC keyboard did have different colours keys, as did the lovely coloured Amstrad CPC range.

Not really sure of the real point other than to distinguish the keys from the rest.

[Stephen Coates]

Define many years :huh:. My 1999 keyboard has the two colours. Whereas my old Apple keyboards don't.

I don;t really have any need for the two colours, but I am actually quite liking them now.

[Harrison]

Well... 1999 is now 9 years ago Steve so that is definitely many years in my book. ;)

[Buleste]

Now you've revealed that your keybourd is from the last millenium then it is classed as old (probably works better than some new ones though). Personally i don't give a flying fig about the colours of my keys just as long as i can use it who cares. Now colours of cases thats a different matter altogether. Pimp my PC anyone?

[Harrison]

Definitely. Case design is a whole different thing. Glossy Piano black finish for me! I love my Thermaltake Tsunami case with it's cool blue glow.

[Buleste]

Neon, LED's glowing fans and pure Disco magic for me. check out logisys (http://www.logisyscomputer.com/) for great tacky ideas.

[Stephen Coates]

I've decided to stick with plain beige for most things. Doesn't really stand out too much and everything matches.

Also, things which arn't shiny are much less prone to getting scratched. Shinyness is one thing which puts me off some recent things. My shiny printer is definately begining to show some small marks from where I have dusted it, as is the cover of my turntable.

I have been quite tempted to get a case and stick LEDs in it just for the fun of it, but I don't think I would want bright coloured LEDs all the time.

[v85rawdeal]

Can you get beige coloured leds?

I suppose you could get some custom-made.

It would almost be a Douglas Adams thing to do.

[Harrison]

Somehow I could have predicted beige would be a part of your life Steve! ;)

I think you need to watch this: http://www.bebravenotbeige.co.uk/

I'm sure there is a phobia for shiny things. Anyone know the name for it?

[Harrison]

Can you get beige coloured leds?

I suppose you could get some custom-made.

It would almost be a Douglas Adams thing to do.

That is pure genius. Apologies to everyone, but that one is getting a POTM nomination from me.

I instantly remembered the whole black spaceship section of Hitch Hiker's. :D

[Stephen Coates]

Looks like I will have to wait for the Unicomp keyboard. I tried to order one but they won't accept my Solo card :(

[AlexJ]

I'm sure there is a phobia for shiny things. Anyone know the name for it?

Chromophobia?

[Harrison]

Looks like I will have to wait for the Unicomp keyboard. I tried to order one but they won't accept my Solo card :(

Maybe it was too beige?

[Buleste]

I'm sure there is a phobia for shiny things. Anyone know the name for it?

Coatesaphobia???

[Harrison]

Nice :thumbs:

[Buleste]

I know that Dulux are renaming their beige range to Shades of Stephen.

For a list of phobias go here. (http://www.freewebs.com/cry-blood/thephobialist.htm) I think Epistemophobia- Fear of knowledge is apt for this site.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- Fear of long words. Who said english isn't a fun language.

[Harrison]

Kainolophobia - One for Steve.

[Stephen Coates]

I suppos ethat does apply to me a bit. Although I don't exactly have a 'fear' of new things as such.

My Solo card is actually very purple.

[Stephen Coates]

Since I spilt orange juice on my Dell keyboard, causing some of the keys to stop working, hence I needed a new keyboard. I couldn't order the SpaceSaver from Unicomp since I don't have a credit card.

I thought about getting a second hand model M but they were getting a bit expensive, so I ordered a brand new Unicomp keyboard from a supplier in America who was selling the big ones without the windows keys for $15 plus postage. Only issue is that it has a german layout, but it doesn't really matter what the layout is as I can type without looking at the keyboard.

This one was built in 2006 and cost about £35 including postage. It is lovely to type on. I can type very quickly and accurately on it. It is also very noisy :)

[Stephen Coates]

Hmm, £36. I thought it cost a bit more than that. I suppose it must have been very good value then.

Anyway, it gave up the other week. I think some of the conductive traces on the plastic films are not much good. Unfortunately though, in order to access that bit, you have to break off plastic rivets. No idea why IBM etc didn't bother to use screws for this. I will now have to screw it back together.

Fortunately I had a spare Apple Pro Keyboard which I have used for a while, but it is no where near as good as the Model M.

So, instead of buying a new Model M from Unicomp which would cost a fortune in postage and import taxes, I got a second hand IBM Model M off ebay. It was made in 1991 and cost me about £45 inc postage. It came today and works nicely. Just needs a bit of a clean up though as it is a bit mucky.

[Harrison]

Are those the really heavy IBM keyboards?

[Stephen Coates]

Depends how you define heavy, but they are much heavier than most modern keyboards.