Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000

[Rob Williams]

Ergonomic keyboards are one of Microsoft's specialities, so how does their latest 7000 desktop fare? Notable features include 2.4GHz wireless technology, zoom button, hot-keys, soft palm-rest and also a new mouse that promises 6-months of battery-life on a single charge.

You can read the full review here and discuss it here.

 

[GeekGirl]

I want to add an addendum to this review.
Since using this keyboard nonstop since I received it, I have noticed a strange little quirk.

With my old keyboard, if I was typing away happily and my processor decided to grind for some reason, everything I typed would simply sit in the buffer until the gerbil took a break and then all the text would appear in the app or field I was typing.

With this keyboard, (and granted, this could not necessarily be keyboard related), if I'm typing away happily and my processor decides to grind, only some of the letters I type seem to make it into the buffer, so that I eventually get something that looks like pfe instead of maybe the word preferred.

At first I thought I was running low on battery power but that does not seem to be the issue. I'm going to switch back to my other keyboard for a week to see if there's a correlation.

Let you know!
~Kiersten

 

[dor_z]

i have something similar...

hi,
i have the 6000 mouse & the natural 4000 keyboard.
i don't like wireless keyboard coz i type & game alot... hate to stop for batteries search.
at the natural 4000 there are 4 indication leds. i think that the model on the desktop 7000 is the first keyboard i saw without these led... i didn't believe it till i looked closely at the picture.

i use microsoft ergonomic keyboards 12 years no.
i had 3 models so far & i liked them all including the current natural 4000.
the zoom thing is very useful in explorer, office & picture things...
i know ctrl+scroller does the same, but since i have this model, i use it...
the back & FW keys usefull in explorer & players the uses back & fw function for pre & fw of Ffw & Fbk on songs & video... (VLC...)
the 4000 model, compared to the other models i had is the most comfort i used so far with the nice pad & highet adjusment is perfect for my configuration.

the mouse:
i love this mouse, a mouse should fit in the users hand, & everybody has a different size. but for a 20h a day user, i feel the different in my rist from my prev mouse. when i go to work on someelse's pc, i feel my rist uncomfortable.
i don't know your had size- but i think maybe you held it wrong.
your had should rest at the pad & not on the mouse. everyone who saw my mouse said it is a big & uncomfortable, but when i told them how to hold it, they changed their mind.

the F lock- i say don't be cheep on buttons & put 12-20 buttons extra, like in my prev model- microsoft natural keyboard i had 19! very usefull buttons & a usb hub. this is one of the reasons i didn't want to switch keyboards... but i spilled a huge cup of coffy on it someday & i had to wash it very carfully & throuly... & the keys never got back to their softiness again so i had no choice....


overall, i love microsoft's products. i used a lot of keyboards & they are in a very good quality...


Dor.

 

[GeekGirl]

I do agree, I've come to love this mouse without even realizing it. It wasn't until I went back to my 'flat' mouse that I noticed how much my wrist hurt, and my fingers. This 'raised' mouse is definitely better, and yes I'm on my computer a good 15 hours a day as well, but it is still a little big for me.

One other thing to note. I am finding this keyboard to be a complete battery hog.

I wrote this review on August 23rd. I reviewed the keyboard for about 12 days give or take, can't remember exactly. So let's say from the 11th until today, the 28th, I have gone through three sets of double A batteries. The set the keyboard arrived with and two pair of fully charged Maha / PowerEx batteries. And not once did the low battery light indicate I was getting low, not once.

When I first swap in new batteries, the light turns green for a few minutes then goes out. It doesn't glow amber as a warning, it doesn't glow red as an alert. Instead, the only reason I knew my batteries were dead/dying is letters would slowly be omitted from my typed text. At first just a letter here or there, then entire words turned into jumbles of vowels, and then nothing....

So beware, that nice little light on the keyboard, like the goggles, does nothing.

That being said, the mouse is still on the original pair of batteries included, without a single hint of slowing down.


Thanks for your input, all.

 

[GeekGirl]

Same keyboard - new/similar problem.

This keyboard is less than 1 meter away from its usb antenna, which is in a direct line of site to the keyboard itself.

Every single day, I have sporadic losses of signal between the antenna and the keyboard. The mouse has absolutely no problem whatsoever.

I've eliminated almost everything running on my machine, including firewall, antivirus, etc - opened notepad and began typing only to find sporadic losses of signal. (ok one just happened typing this up argh!) What initially happens, is (and I type VERY fast) I'll be about half way through a sentence and I'm usually waiting for the keyboard to catch up, it lags about a letter or two behind, then seems to spasm and choke, just stops relaying my keystrokes altogether. But instead of caching what I had typed like my old one did, it just ignores that and picks up again where it woke back up.

This is annoying when writing up text, but is DEADLY when playing an mmorpg. Today I put fresh batteries in the keyboard (about a pair a week) and set off to do a quest in my favourite mmorpg. Right off the bat, there were issues with text, then my character would run a few steps and stop when I was using the W to advance her (not on autorun). I was surrounded and tried to attack but the keyboard had fallen asleep on me and failed to notice I was hitting the Delete button pretty hard and repeatedly, meanwhile swearing like a sailor to attack.

Enough is enough. I'm going to keep this mouse as now I'm totally in love with it, but I'm going back to my old cordless keyboard that never gave me issue, and required batteries once every two months, not once a week.

Now I get to find out if I can actually use the two antenna, the new mouse and the old keyboard.

Wish me luck!

 

[JustinRHyde]

Caps lock light... (or lack of)

Overall this package is great - i'd recommend it to any natural keyboard fans.

The lack of a caps lock indicator light or a popup on the screen is annoying, and to a lesser extent the same goes for num lock.

The light is on my system, but i use a docking station so most of the time it's out of the way and can't see this.

In vista the change in state is signified using a visual popup in the bottom right corner of the screen - which is perfect, just like the +/- volume and mute in windows xp, why can't microsoft add this into their intellitype software....

The only other gripe for the keyb is the noisy space bar

That said I think it's the best natural keyboard from Microsoft to date.

The new 2.5GHz receiver is way better than the old lumpy receivers from previous generations of Microsoft wireless devices, that had to sit on your desk and look ugly (they did have caps lock status light on though lol!). I'd buy this receive on it's own to replace the old receivers if they work (I'll test this when I get back to my office and try it with my old keyboard)

As for the mouse it's great and it works okay for games. My only small niggle is the forward and back buttons are slightly too far from my thumb's natural resting place (and I have quite big hands so this must be more of a problem for many other people!).

1 other thing if microsoft is reading this... please switch over to bluetooth for you next natural keyboards so we can ditch the receiver once and for all, have great distance and have a foxy blue light somewhere on the device

 

[Unregistered]

Help! How soft are the keys?

I'm using the old Wireless Natural MultiMedia split keyboard. Oh irony and pain - the keys are SO hard touch, I am ready to cry. My laptop has super-soft touch, but no split. Rock and a hard place. Can someone please comment on how hard/soft the touch is on the 7000? Thank you!!!!

Ellen

 

[Rob Williams]

I'll nudge K towards this thread and maybe she can help you. I've never had keys so hard that I've wanted to tear up though... that's pretty hardcore.

 

[GeekGirl]

I hauled out my old natural wireless keyboard and put it beside this one (the 7000).
Comparing them side by side (one hand on each) I see what you mean about the stiffness of the keys on the older one. I never really noticed before when it was the only one I used. In all honesty, I don't think the 7000 is as soft as a laptop, it still requires a little more push, but not so much as the wireless multimedia one.

And yes, the 'clacking' space bar is still annoying to this day. I also had to move the USB antenna to within about 6" of the keyboard itself, making it almost wired.

I saw the 7000 in Best Buy the other day, if you have access to a Best Buy store, stand and test the keys out yourself sometime, I think you'll find them softer but not as soft as your laptop. (And yes, I think the butterfly keyboards of past laptops were sweet, when they worked.)

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, hope that helps.
~Kiersten

 

[Unregistered]

Thanks

Thank you so much, Kiersten, this is very helpful. I will go look at it at Best Buy. It's so amazing to me that given that they are partially marketing to people w/injuries that they wouldn't think of soft touch keys! I appreciate your help so much!

Ellen

 

[Rob Williams]

It's so amazing to me that given that they are partially marketing to people w/injuries that they wouldn't think of soft touch keys!!

That's a great point...

 

[Unregistered]

Hey, I'm a 16 year old who in the last 4-5 months began suffering from nerve damage in both my hands/wrists. Despite music being the main contributor to my problems, without trying to be smug I must say that I tend to type much faster than the average typist. I also spend a considerable amount of time at the computer daily for a school student (About 3 hours on weekdays and 5+ hours weekends)

I am looking into a wireless (preferably however I'm not limited to it) keyboard and mouse package. In particular I've been looking into the Logitech cordless wave keyboard and mouse (Found here: http://www.digitalhome.com.au/Compu...ogiech/CODLESS__WAVE__Keyboad_And_Mouse/18889) And the Microsoft ergonomic desktop 7000. I was leaning towards the Microsoft due to reading that it is more ergonomic as opposed to the Logitech Wave as being more comfort-focused.

I really like the mouse of the Microsoft 7000, and it looks like it would be much better for my hands than the old simple microsoft mouse I have now however after reading this thread I have been put off on buying this set. Geekgirl mentioned that she found she had to replace the batteries weekly. This is a huge shock to me, so much so that I wonder whether something was not right. It is clear that Geekgirl is spending 10 or more hours typing a day but having to change the batteries weekly even when being used 10 hours a day is ridiculous. If that wasn't off-putting enough than the need to have the keyboard 6" away from the receiver is almost the end to this desktop for me.

What I want from a keyboard and mouse is that it is comfortable to use and promotes natural posture of the hands and has decent battery life. I keep my tower under my desk about half a metre from where my feet would be if I was sitting upright in my chair where I would sit normally at the computer. If you have taken the time to read through my post than I thank you and hope that you could leave your advice on what keyboard+mouse (Preferred to be bundled unless the price is roughly similar with individual mouse and an individual keyboard) to get. Also, any opinions on the Logitech Wave would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance, I might also mention that It's great that I don't have to register for the site just for one thread.

 

[Unregistered]

I am the same user as the one above, However I am unable to edit my post and apologize for the double post however not long after I made the post I realized that the Microsoft website did not mention that the Wireless Desktop 7000 works with Windows Home Edition.
If it does not work with Windows Home Edition, unfortunately I must completely take it out of consideration (I'm not prepared to change my OS unless I absolutely have to).
Once again, sorry to double post but it may save someones time who would have gone into the trouble of kindly answering my questions about the product.

 

[Unregistered]

Toolbar widget needed for state display

Some one should write a small tool bar widget to display caps and numlock state. At times hit the State keys and don't notice until I notice all caps or I have gone to the front of the line rather than typeing 3....

 

[Merlin]

Yeah, I hate having to install batteries in anything.
It may stem from xmas time, when you have to buy batteries every week after then.
Nothing like just plugging it into the USB and leaving it there.

There is a soft keyboard, if you can call it a board, that you can roll up.
all rubber, and its scotch proof and beer proof as well, ( from experience )

But then, it's not wireless

:techgage::techgage: Merlin :techgage::techgage:

 

[GeekGirl]

Latest addendum to this review.
On 02 June 2008, the laser in the mouse burnt out.

Since this is a sample product, they cannot replace the item.
I'm mouseless :|

The advice of the guy on the phone - go buy a new mouse.
Genius.