QUOTE: "as the whole world uses QWERTY and nothing else" (P.4)

=> Hahaha: Anton Shilov is clearly influenced by the typical american way of thinking: "We are the standard and everyone does like us"

...Well, not always: french-speaking people use AZERTY instead of QWERTY. (yes, I know, we never do like everyone else ; )

But it's a minor mistake, the quality of X-bit Labs reviews stay very high. keep up the good work : )

I think that a blank keyboard is also usefull if one wants to stick it's own letters (Russian, greek, etc...) or game/special app commands (arrows on W,A,S,D).

So the blank keyboard can be an universal multipurpose keyboard (not just for typing text) with just one model. Until OLED keyboards get affordable, this is a convenient solution.

There's another reason for the unmarked version which is that you can mark it yourself. I once decided to learn to touch type DVORAK and spent about two weeks learning it. It's very comfortable. Most people could learn it fairly quickly if they already know how to type, but to do so you need a labeled keyboard for reference. (You also need to figure out how to change your keyboard layout, which is about as hard as turning your computer on.) If I had owned a dvorak keyboard, I might have actually succeeded. But eventually I got sick of the little pieces of paper I'd taped to my keys very annoying while typing) and I gave it up.

Anyway, you could mark the blank keys yourself if you wanted Das Keyboard DVORAK.

When is someone going to come out with a descent ergo keyboard? I use that M$ Ergo 4000 and even though it's the best thing out there(under 100$) that thing is a cheap POS. As in cheaply constructed, not cheap price. I just know that thing is going to fall apart on me any day now.

I'd be interested in this keyboard, but I can clearly see that Das Keyboard would cripple me with carpal tunnel before I even finished an email. The whole deal with the keys being weighted is a nice idea, but it's completely wasted because of the square/flat shape the keyboard is in. Not only that the click click clicking would drive me insane after weeks of use. I don't understand the "resistance" thing, I mean, I know the key has been pressed when my finger is no longer able to move the key downward further. I don't see how that's not enough of an indication that the key has been pressed.

It's just too bad they can't make a descent ergonomic keyboard that doesn't make any noise. I can't possibly be the only one who would want one.

We're not stuck with QWERTY. Windows XP lets us switch to Dvorak easily, in Control Panel/Regional and Language Options/Languages/Text Services and Input Languages/Details/Installed Services/Add/United States Dvorak.

You can make it default, and you can set hotkeys to switch back and forth. Unfortunately the default takes over with each app you open, but the default hotkey to switch back and forth is listed as ALT+SHIFT, but CTRL+SHIFT works instead.

A little panel appears for switching, which you can close permanently. Maybe switching with that stays put.

Anyhow, my default is Dvorak and I'll never go back. You can type 500 words on the home row! No "troublesome pairs." I have keycap stickers on my originally QWERTY keyboard, which is pretty mandatory because the one DVORAK keyboard I tried was a klunker.

Here's some info.

http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/