IBM 31P9490 Keyboard for Thinkpad (Black)

by IBM

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.9 x 10.7 x 1.8 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002PUIAA
• Item model number: 31P9490
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #60 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Game Hardware > PC Game Hardware > Gaming Keyboards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 14, 2007

Product Description

The IBM USB Travel Keyboard with UltraNav is compact and lightweight (only 22-mm thick) and includes its own carrying case. The external keyboard enables features such as ThinkPad speaker volume external monitor control brightness system sleep and suspend (on supported ThinkPad systems). The IBM USB Travel Keyboard with UltraNav also features the Business Black color on a unique industrial design.Primary InformationInput Device Type :  Keyboard Device Form Factor :  Internal Connectivity Technology :  Cable Interface Type :  USB Input Device / Keys Qty :  87 Keys Key / Function Button :  Sleep PC Compatibility :  PC Dimensions&MiscellaneousColor :  Black Input DeviceManipulator :  UltraNav; TrackPoint System RequirementsSystem Requirements / OS Required :  Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP Service&SupportService & Support Type :  1 year warranty UNSPSC CodeUNSPSC Code :  43211706 Product IDUPC:  087944860983Manufacturer Part:  31P9490

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not thinkpad quality, disappointing, September 14, 2007

By 

Zhibin Yang (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IBM 31P9490 Keyboard for Thinkpad (Black) (Personal Computers)

I bought it to extend my thinkpad keyboard experience, which was wonderful, to my new Toshiba TabletPC. It has about the same looking and layout as my old thinkpad laptop, which is what I expected.

However, the build quality is poor, compared to the one mounted on the thinkpad laptop and to the mac at my place. The functions keys on the top are shaky. I got a chance to detach some keypads from both the laptop and this keyboard. The plastic components suspending/mouning the keypads on this keyboard are poorly made, tend to be very soft.

These top-row keys are dull as well, not picking up every stroke. Especially bad is the "delete" key, which works only if I hit it with extra attention. I found this to be very distracting.

Also, motion components beneath the keypads seem not well lubricated, squeaking in quiet nights.

For a price around $90 and such a quality, I will hesitate to recommend it to anyone, except that you cannot live without a thinkpad keyboard.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good keyboard, but not Thinkpad quality., April 9, 2007

By 

Y. HO - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IBM 31P9490 Keyboard for Thinkpad (Black) (Personal Computers)

I have a Thinkpad X-31 for almost four years. I use it everyday and love the touch of the keystroke everyday. The keyboard quality on the elder thinkpad model is excellent.

For this reason, when I thought of getting a new keyboard for the desktop using in my office, I thought of the IBM UltraNav USB Keyboard first. I did some research and placed my order in 30 minutes.

Once this keyboard arrived my place, I tried it immediately and it turned out to be a big disappointment to me. It is a good keyboard but not a great keyboard especially when I paid 9x dollars for it. The touch is different. Some key are loose.

On this keyboard, Keys on the corner are loose. The 'insert', 'delete', 'PgUp', 'PgDn', 'Home', and 'F5' keys are loose. And the arrow keys and 'End' key are firmer than those on my X31.

In conclusion, if you need a good keyboard with trackpoint, this is one of the two choices you have. Buy it! and don't compare it with keyboards on your thinkpads. If you want an excellent keyboards, you should get a cherry keyboard for comparable price.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not IBM Quality, August 5, 2007

By 

J. Lund - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IBM 31P9490 Keyboard for Thinkpad (Black) (Personal Computers)

Like a couple of the other reviews, the features on this keyboard are great. I love not having to take my hands off the keyboard to move the cursor.

I was expecting the keyboard to be the same (quality and feel) as my older IBM A31p and A21p, but this is certainly not the case. It might be the quality of newer Lenovo laptops (I don't know since I don't own one).

As another reviewer points out, the keys are not uniform in feel. Some of the keys require so much throw that I find my self having to hit the key multiple times (Specifically Insert/Delete/HOME/END/PgUP/PgDN). I don't have issues with the Dell Precision M70, Kensington Slim Type Keyboard or Logitech DiNovo.

Out of the box without drivers, the keyboard and input devices work in both Vista and XP.

For some strange reason, on the machine with Windows Vista, the keyboard always enables the num-lock key at the login screen. The same machine has XP SP2 and this does not occur... Could be my hardware.

Too bad the logitech dinovo doesn't have a trackpoint.