Kinesis Freestyle Solo Keyboard - Be Informed, Aware, Comfortable, and Safe!

Ergonomic Keyboards

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Manufacturer:	Kinesis
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Product Description

The Kinesis Freestyle? convertible keyboard is a breakthrough in ergonomic design. Created with input from ergonomists and health professionals, the Freestyle adapts to the specific needs of each user, while providing a stylish accent to any workstation.

Featuring simple, sturdy adjustment mechanisms the Freestyle is intuitive to configure and use. Interchangable accessories provide features never before available from just one keyboard design - the Freestyle Solo?. Two optional accessory packages, the Freestyle Incline? and Freestyle VIP? can be purchased to provide additional capabilities. These three configurations allow the user to choose features that offer complete separation and/or adjustable front splay, adjustable or fixed tenting, plus integrated and removable, padded palm supports.

Other unique features of the Solo keyboard include driverless hot keys for mouse intensive actions, an embedded 10-key, low-profile design to promote neutral wrist posture, a Pivot Tether? connecting the two keying modules together and quiet, tactile, low-force key switches.

Freestyle Solo? Keyboard Features:
Provides total separation of both keyboard modules
Up to 5.25 inches of complete separation of both left and right keying modules. Perfect for individuals requiring greater separation than what is provided by other ergonomic keyboards.

Sleek, low profile design
Most keyboards including ergonomic models have a 10 degree positive slope from the back edge to the front edge. These designs tend to bend your wrists. The Freestyle Solo has a zero degree slope which minimizes the height, effectively creating negative slope and reducing wrist extension. Narrow foot print for comfortable mousing and keying. At only 15 3/8 inches wide the Freestyle Solo provides for close placement of any pointing device reducing over reach issues.

Driverless Hot Keys
Driverless hot keys for commonly used mouse

Product Features

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Customer Reviews

Rated

on 2008-01-04

Interesting ergonomic design concept (or just gimmicky?) but it is true what the other reviewer said that this is unfortunately by no means a soft-touch keyboard. The action is clunky, and while some of the hot keys are useful, others are simply a waste. All in all an overpriced product which I would not recommended nor buy again.

Rated

on 2007-11-11

Although this product isn't available from Amazon as I write this, I am posting my thoughts for those looking for customer thoughts on this product, since I couldn't find many when I was considering this keyboard.

I bought direct from Kinesis and bought the expensive piece of plastic to place the halves togehter in an incline. The angle of separate is easy to adjust on the base.

The other review mentioned he doesn't like the key-clicks; this is a matter of preference of course. I like the key switches on this keyboard much better than my previous keyboards.

I am still getting used to the key layout, however. There are some navigation/bonus keys on the left of the keyboard, which screws up my hand placement--without looking with my eyes, my fingers search for the lower-left key and decide that is 'control' and base the rest of the layout based on that. With this keyboard, my left hand is 2 keys off. I didn't even know my left hand found its way by doing this until I started using this keyboard.

On a normal keyboard, I don't hit the left 'shift' when I often should, instead using the 'shift' on the right--with this keyboard, doing this is problematic because the right shift key is shorter in length to make room for the arrow keys on the lower right. Although it is taking some adjusting, this is probably good for my hands.

I have only had the keyboard for a week, so I have not decided if it was worth the cost--but I am getting faster and more accurate with it, so I am optimistic.

I will try to update this review as my use of the keyboard continues.

UPDATE 27-Apr-2008:

This keyboard is good enough that I bought the Mac version that Kinesis just released. They actually custom made me one with the 20" black PC cable on the Mac version (which they only offer with the 8" cable).

Over the past few months I have found my shoulders less "scrunched" from using this keyboard with the two halves as far apart as possible. I recommend spending the extra money and getting the 20" version, despite the ridiculous price (an extra $40). I have both styles of wrist rest + risers (the one piece and the two piece) and prefer the two piece set.

The smaller sized key surfaces (or the curvature) are still a bit odd for me, but I have gotten used to them. I still don't like the buttons down the left side of the keyboard, but I rarely hit them by accident these days.

The PC version has some small misbehaviors with Leopard on my Mac Pro, so if you're going to use this with the Mac, get the Mac version. I am using both versions with Macs despite this, though.

I bought both of my Kinesis keyboards directly from their web site. Despite the strange ordering process, they have been great to deal with.

Rated

on 2007-08-10

This keyboard is split, which I have wanted to try for a while.
That feature is a good idea, and works well.

However, I can't believe that this $100+ keyboard has the keypress/switch action of the very cheapest keyboards.

The key travel is choppy and requires far too much effort. (Think IBM PS/2 keyboards from the early '90s.)

This problem really detracts from the benefits of improved key placement.