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Review: Dell Enhanced Multimedia keyboard

Sunday February 21, 2010

I’ve long been fascinated by how little attention people pay to their primary means of interacting with their computer, namely the mouse and keyboard. I’ve long been a fan of trackballs, mainly because of the superb ergonomics. I recently found that my aging Microsoft Trackball Explorer actually sells for more now than it did when I bought it at least five years ago.

I also found a really comfortable keyboard a few years back in the Logitech Ultra-X OEM keyboard. At only US$20 even here in Norway, it is the only cheap keyboard I’ve wanted to work on for long coding sessions. It is a very low-profile, low resistance keyboard. Its problem lies in the build quality, and I actually had to repair my space key within two weeks of purchasing it. It should be noted that for the three years after that it has functioned perfectly.

I wasn’t really looking for a new keyboard when I came across Dell’s Enhanced Multimedia USB keyboard while visiting an Australian university. The keyboard oozes build quality, as typical of Dell keyboards. After just spending a minute checking my e-mail using the keyboard, I had instantly taken a liking to the keyboard. My girlfriend noticed, and I got a new keyboard for Christmas. This is a summary of my thoughts after having used it for quite some time.

Layout and ergonomics

The keyboard is quite heavy for its size, and even without the rear feet it is angled slightly toward you. At the front it is almost 1.7 centimetres off the table (2.7 cm at the rear), so this is by no means a super-slim keyboard.

My keyboard is of the Norwegian kind, but the keyboard follows the local conventions of at least Australian and Norwegian layouts. The Enter key is as tall as two other keys, as it should be. The space key is slightly elevated compared to the other keys, so it requires less movement of your thumbs to press.

The keys follow standard IBM placement, with the now-normal addition of two Windows keys and one context menu key. The only keys that have been moved are the Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause|Break group, which is directly over the numpad. These keys are rarely used by most people, and won’t be missed. I use Print Screen and Pause on occasion, and their placement hasn’t bothered me in the least.

Above the function keys (F1-F8) you’ll find a bunch of utility keys. In order:

1. Back
2. Forward
3. Stop
4. Reload
5. Home
6. E-mail
7. Computer
8. Calculator (I use this one a lot)

Getting used to these utility keys takes a little while, and some of them are very useful. However, most people now have back and forward keys on their mouse, and I really don’t see the need for separate Stop and Reload buttons (at least not since Reload is mapped to F5 in all modern browsers).

Right above the Insert/Home group, you’ll find the keys that named the keyboard. There is a media player button, and the normal Play/Pause, Previous, Next, Stop and Mute buttons. There is also a scroll wheel to control the volume. Since I work with a headset most of the day, the volume control is much appreciated.

Typing

The keys are low-profile with a high-quality feel. This keyboard is in the medium pressure range of the keyboards I’ve tried, and the distance to travel is also medium. This is not an ultra-slim keyboard in any way.

There is a very distinct keyboard sound whenever you press a key, so your coworkers can really hear you working. The sound is not as “clicky” as on some of the older IBM keyboards, but it is still very noticable. Some people don’t like noisy keyboards, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

Overall, Dell’s extended keyboard is a really comfortable typing experience, but mind the loudness.

Other features

The keyboard has two USB 2.0 ports at the rear, so you can connect memory stick, phone chargers or what have you easily. Very useful if you have USB devices you frequently plug and unplug.

Dell supplies a wrist-rest with the keyboard. I’ve never been a fan of wrist-rests, and I’ve tried using it with this keyboard, but I’m not convinced it is a good idea with this keyboard. I feel my hands get a weird angle when resting on it, so my impression is that it might be worse for my hands than not using it.

In summary

I can strongly recommend this keyboard for anyone who likes low-profile keyboards, likes keyboards with traditional layouts, isn’t easily annoyed by extra keys, and likes keyboards that give audible feedback while typing.

On the plus side:

• Very comfortable to type on
• Traditional layout
• Two extra USB ports
• Decent volume and multimedia control

On the down side:

• Uncomfortable wrist rest
• Somewhat pricey (but not prohibitively so)
• At least four of the multimedia keys are rather redundant