X-Bows Mechanical Ergonomic Keyboard
/x-bows-mechanical-ergonomic-28897.jpg "X-Bows Mechanical Ergonomic Keyboard")
I use an ergonomic keyboard at work, but its QWERTY configuration looks nothing like the X-Bows'. Nothing like a message from the aliens backlit by an RGB carnival. And these aliens want to help us. Help us...type faster and longer. Be more productive at work. These aliens are assholes.
But. We're stuck at work typing for hours and being, or feigning being productive anyway, so may as well let an X-Bows keyboard speed up the process, and ease the strain and discomfort that builds in our wrists, backs, and shoulders along the way.
X-Bows points out that the standard QWERTY keyboard layout - the staggered rows of letters, numbers, and functions - is based on that of a typewriter keyboard. Likely out of tradition and convenience, and so that typing teachers didn't have to redesign their curriculum, given that the only reason typewriters use this configuration is so that their levers wouldn't jam while in use. Not a problem that's carried over to modern day.
The X-Bows has a cross-radial design, angled key columns that they say put your wrists at a more natural, ergonomic angle. X-Bows' ENTER, Backspace, SHIFT, and ALT keys are in the center of the keyboard (though for those who think they'll find that endlessly frustrating to adjust to, X-Bows also includes these keys over the right as "training wheels" as you're getting used to the new layout). This is to remove what they consider to be a lopsided load on your pinky finger. The weakest of your family o' five taps far more than one of your strongest, the thumb, which is comparatively underused. X-Bows makes your thumb earn its keep. Putting these frequently accessed keys in the center of the keyboard also makes them easier to reach.
X-Bows seeks to distinguish itself from other ergonomic keyboards with a learning curve they call "manageable." The letters haven't moved, they've just been spaced and angled differently. Another standout X-Bows feature: the look of the keyboard itself. It's pretty pretty.
If you agree, and have the guts (i.e., patience) to take on a new keyboard feel, pledge for your X-Bows through November 8, 2017.
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