Ergo-Flex Keyboard USB BLACK

by Comfort Keyboard

Product Details

• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• ASIN: B000M9EPUA
• Item model number: USB5-0BLK#
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 19, 2004

Product Description

ErgoFlex Sections can be separated up to 7 feet apart, as each section is separated with a completely distinct base which allows the ErgoFlex keyboard to conform to people's differing shoulder widths. Unlike the Comfort Original or ErgoMagic keyboards, the ErgoFlex is a FLAT design.Mapping and Key Map Functions Remapping mode allows you to customize and map your keyboard This can be useful for software applications that require the repeated use of one or more specific keys. It is also useful for consumers who simply find it more convenient to have various keys rearranged. And yes, every key on the keyboard is programmable. We'd call it a "key differentiating" feature - but then we'd be "off the map" right?Individually programmable macro keys A macro is multiple keystrokes stored in a single key. Pressing that key plays back those multiple keystrokes. If you find yourself typing a particular series of characters repeatedly, you can program that series into a macro key. You simply select a key to represent the series of characters. You may also program macros to reassign (remap) keys on your keyboard. In addition, you can use a macro to exit a program and enter another program quickly. A series of macros can be stored as a 'macro file' to your computer's hard drive. Each Macro file can hold up to approximately 1378 keystrokes. All 1378 keystrokes can be assigned to one macro or as many as 94 macros, using any keys except those listed below, with varying numbers of keystrokes per macro.Programmable Repeat Rate Value The repeat rate value (RRV) is the rate at which a key repeats itself when held down. "Delay until repeat" governs the first repetition; "repeat rate" governs later repetitions. This can be manipulated by certain operating systems as well.Supports All MS Windows OS Microsoft Windows 9x, Windows NT Windows Me Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows Vista Apple:Macintosh USB port, 9.0, OS X (10.1.5) or later SUN:Sun Micro Systems w/ USB port.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ErgoFlex Keyboard - Great in Theory, but..., January 28, 2011

By 

Frogman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ergo-Flex Keyboard USB BLACK (Personal Computers)

I recently purchased an ErgoFlex keyboard for an employee at the recommendation of an ergonomics expert and it came highly recommended. In theory, everything about it makes it a very versatile and great product with lots of useful bells and whistles (and not too many at that), but that's only if it actually works. Unfortunately, one of the three panels of the unit I purchased doesn't work properly. Regardless of how gently you touch any of the keys, the result is two keystrokes per every one made. This isn't just annoying and very frustrating, but it renders the keyboard useless. For instance, it's quite a problem when using the delete key or scrolling using the arrow keys to name a few of the more frustrating results. Not being so quick to assume it's a defective product, I went through the manual for help and also browsed online for solutions. It appeared this might have been a problem with the RRV (repeat rate value) function which allows ease of use for someone who is physically unable to key with any force. Using the manual for guidance, I turned off this feature but this did not resolve the problem. I also restored the keyboard to the original factory settings assuming this simply could not be the default setting, but that didn't solve the problem either. After a few other attempts and a reasonable amount of time spent troubleshooting, I decided it was time to swallow my pride and contact the manufacturer's tech support. So I sent an email to the provided address hoping the issue had an easy fix. However, after the initial email and two follow-up messages and 23 days later, I have yet to hear back from anyone! Unfortunately, calling Comfort Keyboard System directly for tech support hasn't been an option, and I can only hope that doing so would result in a significantly better response than my emails received. Regardless, if Comfort Keyboard System provides an email option to their customers, then it isn't unreasonable to expect a reply or at least an acknowledgement within 23 days. More than the keyboard's malfunctioning itself, this is my biggest issue with the product, for in all fairness, this might have been a mere matter of bad luck in that I simply ended up with a rare defective unit. Therefore, I won't assume the product itself is poor, which is why I'm giving it the benefit of 2 out of 5 stars. In fact, it is a thick and sturdy unit and looks quite durable. However, being unable to fix the one panel and not getting any assistance from the manufacturer's tech support (customer service is so important!), the unit is pretty much rendered useless to me and I'm now forced to return it.
I'll definitely remain in the market for a keyboard like this, but I'll be sure to look for one built by a different manufacturer than Comfort Keyboard System.

4.0 out of 5 stars Broken/unfixable key repeat rate setting, November 18, 2011

By 

Mike - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ergo-Flex Keyboard USB BLACK (Personal Computers)

Like the earlier reviewer's experience: the leftmost panel's key repeat rate is wrong - in particular, the initial repeat delay is zero (so the moment you touch a key it starts repeating rapidly), and the repeat rate for that panel appears stuck at the fastest possible value. You can set the keyboard's repeat rate through your O/S (tried Windows and Unix), and while the other panels' key repeat speed changes, this does not appear to affect the leftmost panel. Comfort's manual (and website) all mention that the repeat rate is programmable via the keyboard, but I can find no description anywhere on the keystroke sequences to use to set this. As a result the keyboard is impossible to use.

Update: I contacted the guy that sold this to me (at ErgoExpress), who had me phone the owner of the company that makes them (Comfort). Both of these guys were awesome. After some discussion of the above symptoms, he decided the problem was related to the voltages on my computers' USB bus (his guess was they were slightly high, which is apparently becoming more common on newer and off-brand computers), and sent me a USB cable with a resistor wired in. I was somewhat skeptical, but the cable has arrived and the keyboard now works perfectly (and it is a great keyboard).

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent invention, well-made, highly adaptable., March 19, 2011

By 

J. Dee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ergo-Flex Keyboard USB BLACK (Personal Computers)

I don't commonly write reviews, but I felt compelled to do so with this item, partly due to the low rating it had received from another customer--our experiences are quite different!--and also partly because, when I had first envisioned a fully-split keyboard (which I had mistakenly assumed would not exist!), this is what I would have invented. Imagine my pleasant surprise upon discovering that some fine genius had managed it already--and has it in production!

Other split keyboard designs don't really make much sense; why should one be tethered with an eight-inch, or even twenty-inch, cord? Why leave the keyboard in the primarily right-handed configuration? This model accomplishes to win out in both of these respects, and the entirely up-to-date connection (USB) makes it just as simple to deal with as any other store-bought keyboard. Another good feature is the lack of a need to load any software on the computer--it's entirely "plug-and-play", thus ruling out another potential inconvenience or incompatibility (then again, I do use a common OS). The designers seem to have considered all the details that can make other products so infuriating. No problems here!

I decided to buy this keyboard after I had been sitting at the piano one day, subsequently moving over to the computer and assuming the same position. I was suddenly struck with the realisation that typical typing posture is absurd and uncomfortable--why be stuck, day in and day out, typing within the width of what is, more or less, a single octave? It's much nicer to move the keyboard apart (about two feet, in my case) so as to assume a more natural posture. I'm certain that it will pay off in the long run. It took about two seconds to accustom myself to the new way of doing it, and already I'm a satisfied convert.

Personally, I think a flat cable, rather than a coiled cable, would make the best type to use as interconnects. But, this is merely nit-picking, and it's certainly not a facet that would affect my rating, or induce me to trade it for another model. Granted, I haven't had to contact customer service, so I can't comment upon that--but my keyboard was without flaw, straight out of the box.