Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite - Black

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.6 x 19.8 x 9.5 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B002VRFIL6
• Item model number: A11-00348
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (392 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #31 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices > Keyboards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 5, 2009

Product Description

Color: Black | Style: Retail

From the Manufacturer

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite - Black

The Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite - the second in a series of ergonomically designed keyboards from Microsoft - is the comfortable way to type. Its split gently sloped design allows you to place your hands, wrists and forearms in a natural position for greater comfort while typing. With its improved space saving design, the new keyboard takes up less room on your desktop and fits easily into keyboard trays.

Designed for your comfort

Ergonomic Design

The split, gently sloped shape encourages a natural hand, wrist, and forearm position, providing the comfort you want.

Integrated Palm Rest

The built-in palm rest and adjustable keyboard legs help you work in comfort.

Uses Workspace Efficiently

While maintaining the ergonomic angles and comfort features of the previous version, Natural Keyboard Elite is approximately 18 percent smaller than its predecessor, allowing it to fit easily on desktops and in keyboards trays.

System Requirements

- Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT workstation 4.0 with Service Pack 6 or later, Windows 2000 Professional, or Windows XP Home or Professional

- For Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition: 32 MB of RAM
- For Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP: 64 MB of RAM 35 MB of available hard-disk space

Product Description

The Natural Keyboard Elite is the comfortable keyboard that complements your desktop and fits your digital lifestyle. The Microsoft A11-00348 Wired Natural Keyboard Elites ergonomic design and dynamic features let you easily navigate music and video clips, surf the Web, start programs, and much more. Work in style and comfort with the Microsoft A11-00348 Wired Natural Keyboard Elite. Work more comfortablythe split, gently sloped shape of this ergonomic design keyboard encourages a natural hand, wrist, and forearm position. Designed by Microsoft ergonomics experts, the arched shape supports your hands in a natural, comfortable position.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Keyboard, June 15, 2010

By 

Justin L. Force "Professional Geek" (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite - Black (Personal Computers)

I work in IT, so I get to try A LOT of different keyboards. This is, by far, the best keyboard that I have ever had. I got my first Microsoft Natural Elite about 10 years ago and am only now replacing it because I took it apart to clean it and lost the screws. These things last and last. It got a little louder as it aged, but other than that (and being filthy), it was as good as the day I bought it before I disassembled it.

When I first purchased this keyboard, I immediately picked up about 10 words per minute. I type fast (average around 100 words per minute), and I attribute a lot of that to using a comfortable keyboard.

I code a lot and I email a lot, and I can type on this thing for hours without any wrist or hand strain. The only real drawback is that it's ruined other keyboards for me. When I use a standard straight keyboard, I'm now much more aware of just how awkward and uncomfortable it is. When I use any Apple keyboard, for example, my wrists hurt and my hands cramp after a few minutes.

I recommend this keyboard to anybody for whom comfort is a priority. You cannot beat a split ergonomic keyboard. There may be a bit of a learning curve for non touch typists, but the benefit to your body is well worth the investment.

A final note: I prefer this keyboard over the larger "pro" models because I don't need or like the extra keys for multimedia, etc. and this one is a bit smaller. Also, be advised that they Home/End/Delete/Page Up/Page Down/Insert keys and the arrow keys are not arranged in the standard way. I use all of these keys a lot, but the different placement has never been a problem for me.

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps your wrists straight, March 5, 2004

By 

The Old Philosopher "The Old Philosopher" (WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite (Personal Computers)

I've been using my Microsoft keyboard for about 4 years now. I'm a fairly wide guy, and when I put my hands together, the arms are pointed in from the shoulders. If I'm using a regular keyboard my wrists have to bend outward from my arms to make my hands line up with the keys. Using the Microsoft keyboard, my wrists are more straight so long use doesn't tire them out. It also is supposed to reduce carpal tunnel syndrome where the tendons would have to bend through a bent wrist to work the fingers. The keyboard has all the regular keys laid out fairly well. It only takes a few minutes getting used to the split board. The cursor moving arrows and special function keys are in groups between the letters and number pad, which works well. One thing that seems strange is that the upper row, the numbers, are split between 6 and 7, instead of between 5 and 6. That's because there are the dashes and such on the right of that row. Seems strange though sometimes. You get used to it pretty quick. The wrist pad extension seems good too.

95 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Problematic Key Configuration, May 21, 2002

By 

A Software Engineer (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite (Personal Computers)

I used an older Microsoft Natural keyboard for over five years, and it was excellent. By comparison, conventional keyboards are an occupational hazard. Unfortunately, I broke it while cleaning it, and I had to buy a new one. I picked up the Elite model without looking too closely ... but soon after I started using it, I was cursing under my breath ... because of the arrangement of the Home/Page Up/Page Dn/End/Delete/Insert and arrow keys. They've lost the inverted-T configuration used with the older Natural keyboard. Also, these keys are now half-sized, and therefore harder to hit. These may seem like minor quibbles to some of you -- but they preclude the possibility of hitting these keys without looking at them. This inability is detrimental to any serious touch-typist. I'm a full time IT professional, and as far as I'm concerned, this keyboard is unusable. (My suspicious mind guesses that Microsoft used this bogus configuration to push us to pay for the upscale Pro model, which has the correct key configuration.)

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