I love that idea. I think I have suggested in the past that the cord be removable, with a female USB connector on the keyboard, but I didn't think to suggest a wireless option too. I really like the combination of a removable USB cable and wireless. That would make my keyboard much more portable when I travel with it.

While we're not sure we're ready for a wireless version just yet (mostly because of the potential increase in cost), we love the idea of a standard USB to mini or micro usb cable to connect the keyboard. We will definitely take that into consideration. Thanks!

I would like a USB to mini cable option as well. I've been placing my Typematrix keyboard directly over top of my laptop keyboard (where it works surprisingly well, allowing me to use the touchpad normally), and a 3 inch cord would be perfect, instead of the current long one which sort of gets in the way or hangs down.

Qwasty's suggestion of having the USB cable independently connected to both keyboard and PC is just great!!

Have you thought about reviving the split design for a new model? I love the old 2020 split model because it's better for the wrists. Even if the 2030 is smaller, bringing buttons from the sides to the center would help separate both hands and such make it healthier.

I also love the 2020 layout more that 2030 for the same reason. I believe the space between the hands should be slightly increased rather than decreased.
- The "alt-tab" key is a pain. While the idea itself is nice, the location makes it very easy to press by mistake.
- I found annoying having to move my right hand away from the keyboard to grab the mouse for a short use while I'm tying. Having a pointing stick or even a small touchpad at the center of the keyboard would be ideal!

Even though the TypeMatrix keyboard has one semi-critical flaw when it comes to the dvorak layout for my native language Norwegian, I am loving it after only a week. And since I am a consultant I move between offices a lot! I also use the keyboard for gaming, and thought I haven't tested the TypeMatrix for ghosting issues, it works great for my current needs.

Azmeuk's idea for a hybrid keyboard with wireless capability would be ideal for me. I could easily bring the keyboard with me wherever I go, recharge it when I have to, use it wirelessly when working, and corded when gaming. As for the cost, even though this is the most expensive keyboard I have bought to date - and being a former (!) victim of RSI I have gone through a lot of different keyboards and mice - I would gladly pay a little extra to have wireless capability and a rechargeable battery. My only reservation though is that the batteries would have to be replaceable. None of that Apple-stuff where you have to ship your gadget half way around the world to a laboratory to have people with ph.ds take it apart just to change the battery.

As for wireless technology - if I could have it work with my iPad too (yes, I know. And I use it all the time!) that would be great!

-Stigster!

An idea just struck me: If you make a loose cable version, couldn't you also make a dongle-thingy with wireless capability and sell it as an optional extra? If the dongle isn't too large and sticks out too much from the keyboard it would be a perfect optional extra that I would definitely buy.

-Stigster!

Hi,

I would like to take advantage of this discussion to make another suggestion.

I've been convinced of the ergonomic 'sensefulness' (I'm not sure you've got this word in English...) of straight key columns for years, that's how I discovered your keyboard maybe in 2004-2005. But for all these years I haven't make up my mind about buying one because of one only reason: your columns are vertical! And more important than the comfort of my fingers is the comfort of my wrists. If I want not to twist my wrists, I need my arms in alignment with my fingers. With you vertical columns, this would result in me having my elbows separated by 20 cm. And guess what, I have 70 cm-broad shoulders between my arms that prevent me from having my elbows that close!

So please, are you considering to separate your keyboard into two independent parts for each hand (like the Kinesis freestyle)? That would just be the perfect keyboard I have been expecting for all those years...

Thank you for your answer, best wishes.

Personally, I do not like the material the skins are made of, or keyboard covers in general. I prefer to touch the keys directly. I would really like it if you brought back directly printed dual labeling for qwerty-dvorak. Maybe add qwerty-colemak as an option too, or do some kind of triple labeling (although at that point you are starting to get a bit crowded on key labels).

Alternatively, maybe you could equip the keys with e-ink tops so they will change to match the current setting. This lets anyone set whatever they want for the key bindings and still be able to read their keys, and makes it really easy to do any foreign language (for example, the lack of a skin for Japanese would no longer be an issue).

My biggest problem with your keyboards is the numpad. I really want to have a real one; I do not like this whole switching business. For me, it just makes me never use it, which is a waste on a $110 keyboard. Also, I have to constantly fiddle with the numlock, since I have an external numpad unit. I have to constantly turn numlock on and off to make the TM keyboard work correctly in conjunction with it. At the very least it would be nice to have a switch to tell the keyboard to ignore numlock for the numpad replacement keys so the right side is not half useless half the time.

As a programmer, what I would love most of all is a double numpad. The one on the right is the standard one and the one on the left gives direct access to all the symbols you normally need to hit shift to get to, like %,?,| etc. Hitting shift and reaching all the way to the number line is the biggest source of strain for me. You could have an option to swap the pads with a keypress, even. In keeping with above suggestions regarding usb hookups, maybe make one or both of them optional and have them fit into usbs on either side? Then you could also sell them as separate USB attachable devices; I know a ton of programmers who would love to have a symbols pad like this.

If the TM had a numpad, I could unconditionally recommend it to everyone I know. As it is, I can't recommend it for anyone who works with numbers very often, at least not without recommending that they also get a numpad module and be prepared to deal with the numlock problem.

Please either get rid of the special keys or locate them outside the normal typing region. The rightmost row being so close to the other keys is making me constantly open my mail, my calculator, etc. by accident. These are not keys that need to be hit without picking up your hands, and it would in fact be beneficial not to have them right there in order to avoid accidents. The only one that is really useful is the www key, and that would be better placed where right alt is now. Put right alt where desktop is and get rid of desktop entirely; it also causes too many accidents and if you are going to the desktop you are already using your mouse, so it has no purpose.

The same for the play, app, and shuffle buttons on the lower left. I would much rather have less distance to go to hit alt and start. Having them there makes me screw up my music and accidentally open WMP all the time. Always having cut, copy, and paste located on the lowest row without needing a modifier would be handy. Just reverse those keys so ctrl, start, and alt are all on the row where ctrl is now and make the media controls their own buttons somewhere else. The app key is not needed; you almost always end up needing to use the mouse for those functions anyway.

The special keys should be off by themselves, say across the top above the functions keys where they are accessible without being in places that lend themselves to errors. The upper row on the MS ergo 4000 is a good example of what I mean. All those keys are items that you want to have separate access to (or that are not needed), not things you want to hit from the home row or even have a chance of hitting by accident while touch typing.

I'm not sure that a wireless keyboard would be really useful (are-you moving your keyboard anytime?) but add a usb hub for quick usb access and a trackpoint in completion of a mice could be nice.

Hey all,
We just wanted to chime in here real quick - while we can't comment on each of your great ideas, we are certainly reading this thread and discussing your ideas internally - so please keep them coming. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

-TypeMatrix

I'll throw in my two-bits.

1. I don't like the skin. I feel sloppy and imprecise when I use it. As a Colemak user, I'd love a printed keyboard with Colemak on it, but I'd settle for a keyboard with everything but the actual letters (all the volume keys, special functions and such) just like your standard blank skin.

2. I really miss a separate number pad. I use mine all the time, and after several weeks of use, the necessity of two-handing the numberpad drove me back to a regular keyboard.

3. ...but I love the small size! I realize that this point and point 2 can't co-exist, but I'm just telling you what I feel. :)

4. I love it that I can select Colemak from the keyboard. I do a lot of work via terminal servers and RDP, and being forced to use Qwerty whenever I'm in a VM or remote connection is intensely frustrating. This feature alone brings me back to the TypeMatrix again and again.

5. I love the position of the PgUp/PgDn/Home/End keys. Miss them greatly on any other keyboard.

6. Generally, the TypeMatrix lacks physical landmarks. It's very difficult for your hands to find where they are, as it's simply a grid of keys. Most other keyboards have separation of groups that let your hands know where they are.

7. It sits well on my laptop keypad. Without this ability, the keyboard would be a non-starter for anyone who uses a laptop.

Conclusion:

I'm still hot and cold about this keyboard. The size and hard-coded Colemak are huge pluses. The lack of a physical number pad and general lack of landmarks (plus the added burden, of course, of not being able to use other keyboards and needing to lug it around with my laptop) are significant negatives. I don't know which one will win out, but I'm back on TypeMatrix for now.

Kind regards,
Korey

1. Negative angle tray. Like Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.
2. Removable coard (like stated above).
3. Reprogrammable. I lot of geek use your keyboard, so were able to hack it. If you can't make it for now, just set up a community and give all the information you can and we'll make the rest. That would allow you to keep your final design and source code safe.

Olivier Toupin

@olivier:
Regarding the ability to reprogram, while we don't explicitly support, this there are lots of ways to do this already. Check out the following threads:
http://forum.typematrix.com/discussion/63/keyboard-layouts-for-windows-all-versions/
http://forum.typematrix.com/discussion/25/tutorial-how-to-remap-typematrix-keys-mail-calc-www-desktop-play-app-etc.-with-autohotkey/
http://forum.typematrix.com/discussion/21/a-handy-tip-for-mac-users-keyremap4macbook/

But even if this doesn't satisy, please be assured that re-programmability is something we are keeping in mind, and high on the list for the next round of hardware upgrades.

-TypeMatrix

The removable cord and negative angle tray would really make my day.
I used an NEK4000 before the 2030 and the negative angle tray and built in wrist wrest are the things I miss the most. I got a little foam wrist wrest but it is just not the same.
The removable cord would just be good because I can't change skins very often, since getting behind the computer, unplugging the keyboard and dragging the cable back out is not simple on my setup. Having a removable cord would make it possible for me to actually use alternative skins.
Speaking of, what happened to the Colemak and Japanese skins?

@void2258: Have you considered making a very small cut below the hole for the USB cable? Many users do this with no impact on the skin and obviously this makes it much easier to remove. Are you using the older skins or the new ones?
I know Colemak will be included in the next batch of skins, I will have to check on the Japanese ones.

-TypeMatrix

Software Developer
I love this keyboard, I have had it for about 2 years, I ended buying a second one for work because I was carrying around it all the time. Here is what I love:
-Full height keys feel great compared to the half height that is so common these days.
-Small footprint
-The layout of the keys with the enter,delete,BS key in the middle is brilliant. Why would I want to use my weakest smallest finger to press the enter key?!!

What makes me ~NERVOUS~~ about this keyboard!
-I don't always have it with me and adapting back to a traditional keyboard is painful.
-Not sure if TypeMatrix will have a Bluetooth version anytime soon. I would love to use it with my iPad and other devices.

@sbollig

One of the owners met a producer of blue tooth keyboards at a recent electronics show and there is some renewed consideration. That's all I can say for now, but we're hopeful. Keep in mind though that even that work comes to fruition, it will be still a while.

By the way we've been told that there is a USB adapter that works with the IPad and our keyboard. Doesn't quite have the convenience of Blue Tooth, but wanted to make you aware of that.

-TypeMatrix

I love everything about the Typematrix 2030, however, there is one issue that makes the keyboard unusable (for me), and that issue is the narrow width of the keyboard. With the width of the keyboard, I have to twist my wrists at an angle of about 30 degrees--this provokes my RSI symptoms and is what makes the keyboard unusable for me.

What I would like, and would be happy to pay for, is a split keyboard. In this context, I don't simply mean a slight separation between the two halves of the keyboard (in the way that the 2020 has)--unless there is a gap equivalent to the width of my shoulders, then my wrists will still be twisted. Instead, I want two separate sections which I am able to place separately or at the minimum for there to be a hinge so that I can angle the two halves (and to be useful for me, I would want to be able to achieve an angle in the range of 60 to 90 degrees between the two halves).

Others will have different needs, but **for me** this is the minimum requirement.

There are two other "would be nice to haves" for me:

* First, I would like to have a wireless keyboard (ideally Bluetooth).

* Second, I would like to have the facility so that the Dvorak layout is permanently selected (in other words so that I don't have to select the Dvorak layout every time I switch on my computer). A small slider switch would achieve this goal for me. I hope it goes without saying that I would want the Dvorak keys to be marked without the need to purchase a skin.

Clearly both of these additions would have cost implications. I would be happy to pay more for these features.