As you can probably gather from my last post, I've recently been searching for a suitable replacement keyboard. As a developer, your main form of interaction with a computer is the keyboard. That's why it's important that you spend the time to find a good one.
When searching for a keyboard, I had two requirements:
- It had to have laptop-style keys, and
- All the keys had to be in the right place
You might wonder why I was looking for a keyboard with laptop-style keys. If you'd asked me about two years ago, I would have told you that I hate laptop keys; primarily because you don't get much feedback from them. They don't make a 'click' noise when you press them, and the travel distance is significantly less.
Well, I've recently realised that less travel distance is a good thing. In my final year at uni, I used my laptop an awful lot -- probably more than I used my desktop. After getting used to the feel of the keys, I didn't really want to go back.
As far as 'normal-layout' laptop keyboards go, there isn't a lot to choose from. Manufacturers who make keyboards with laptop keys for some reason assume that you want the keyboard to be laid out like laptop keyboards too. Arrow keys in weird places, some use a 'Fn' key to access common functions like 'Home' and 'End'.
My recommendation: The Targus AKB04US. I realise that it's not often I praise a product here, but it really is perfection as far as keyboards go. The build quality is excellent, the keys feed solid, and they're all in the right place! It's a shame that Targus appears to be discontinuing this line.