During recent years most every component of the PC has been improved upon or modified in some substantial way. The PC part that seems to have received the least amount of attention is the most basic of input devices; the keyboard. Mice have been fitted with optical sensors and even laser sensors, video cards have come and gone in a storm of expensive upgrades for an endless array of upgrade paths, scores of RAM configurations are available for a particular setup, optical drives have gone from CD drives to CD writers and then from DVD drives to DVD writers and now some these drives can even burn an image onto the label side of the disc. CPUs and motherboards have an even more colorful list of formats and options and than these other hardware and different PC cases continue to flood the market.

So where does that leave the lonely keyboard? The biggest changes made to the keyboard have included adding various shorcut buttons and/or changing the shape of the keyboard including splitting it and angling the sides to make "ergonomic" models. These changes while very helpful to some are still just minor aesthetic tweaks most of the time. Today we will be taking a look at a keyboard which I would consider to be the first major overhaul to the keyboard. The Das Keyboard is a special keyboard in that it offers functional changes which can also lead to the improvement of your typing skills.

Package & Specs

The keyboard arrived from Xoxide in a keyboard shaped box which fit it perfectly. The keyboard was completely unblemished. Included in the package was just the Das Keyboard and nothing else.

The specs for this keyboard are:

Keyboard Features

• PC enclosure reference model
• Black color with matching black cable. Darth Vader approved
• Enhanced 104-key layout
• High-quality membrane switch technology
• Three Windows keys
• Keys withstand over 30 million keystrokes
• USB cable

System Requirements

• DOS, Windows 3.1 or higher. If you still use DOS or Windows 3.1, please send us a postcard screen shot
• Linux, or Mac OS X
• USB keyboard port

Agency Approvals

• FCC Class B
• UL
• CSA
• CIA: approval failed: they were not able to read what people typed

Environmental Data

• Operating temperature: 0C to 60C
• Operating humidity: 5% to 90%
• Operating altitude: 0' to +10,000'
• Operating Shock: 10 G
• Das Keyboard makes a quiet clicky and snazzy sound. It does not require the use of ear plugs

Mechanical Data

• Life : 30 million keystrokes
• Tot. travel : .150" +/- .010" @100g
• Travel to peak : .050" +/- .010"
• Peak force : 2.0 oz +/- .4oz
• Fire point : .110" nominal
  Reset force : .5oz

Package Dimensions

• Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Height: 2.5 inches
• Length: 21 inches
• Depth: 11 inches

Product Dimensions

• Height:
  • front row: 0.7 inches
  • back edge: 1.89 inches
• Length: 18.4 inches
• Depth: 8.28 inches

Electrical Data

• Max. input power : +5 Vdc +/- 0.25V @100mA max
• Phantom key lockout: good for serious gamers who needs to press multiple keys at the same time
• Serial data output: USB

I love the dash of humor that is thrown in with the specs from the manufacturer :) The two main features of this keyboard which are not listed with the specs are the fact that the keys on the Das Keyboard are completely blank (all of them), and that these keys are specifically tuned via their stiffness depending on where they are located on the keyboard. Keys that require your pinky finger to press (when using formal typing methodology; not hunt and peck) take less force than keys that require the thumb or middle finger to press. The goal is to reduce the fatigue of your fingers allowing you to work longer/more comfortably. The reason for the blank keys are that they are intended to force you to learn the keyboard by negating pretty much any benefit from looking at your hands while you type. Here is a chart displaying the key weights which should better illustrate this idea.

Click for larger image.