New Improved EZsee by DC Large Print Keyboard, Black KeyBoard Background and Frame with White Letters or Characters, Wired USB Connector
by DC
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Our Price: $39.95
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: DCColor: Black with White Letters
Product features:
- Multimedia hotkeys - Enhanced 104-key layout - High-quality membrane switch
- English Large Print keyboard provides superior comfort without forcing you to relearn how to type
- Windows 7/95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/ or Mac OS 9+
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of New Improved EZsee by DC Large Print Keyboard, Black KeyBoard Background and Frame with White Letters or Characters, Wired USB Connector
Customer Review: Best We Tested Or Found
Summary: 5 Stars
The online images do not do this item justice. This keyboard is a great visual-aid accessability accessory for both PCs and laptops. This review was based on the findings of a user who has RP with a visual acuity of 200/400 in central fields of 10 degrees each. This keyboard is the length and width of a standard full size keyboard, with keys of a typical size and shape, but it's the character graphics that make all the difference. It weighs about the same as any conventional board, but has a modern look with a thin profile, and includes 2 flip-up feet on the underside that raises the back end of the board about a third of an inch to accommodate comfort and ergonomic preferences. This is a full-featured keyboard with all the bells and whistles. The layout consists of 112 keys, including a standard 60 key American English typing array, a separate 17 key number pad, the standard F-Key series, 9 utility function keys, arrow keys, and 9 media and internet access shortcut keys. Before trying this board, we checked out about a dozen others, and actually tried a few of them, including "illuminated" keyboards. We had high hopes for the illuminated boards, but they actually turned out to be among the biggest disappointments. First of all, the characters on the keys were slightly smaller than expected, (based on the online photos), and the illumination (LED back-lit) was dull and insufficient. This combination made the keys on those illuminated boards particularly difficult to discern, especially with the room lights on. It was even harder (extremely hard) to read them if the back light was turned off. Most of them use "ice-blue" back-lighting, but we found one with white back-lighting. The white was slightly easier to see, but the brightness intensity was the same as that of the other colored back lights - none of which were acceptable for our requirements. Finding none of them acceptable, we went to non-illuminated "Large-Print" keyboards. Depending on the manufacture, these can vary widely in appearance, with variations in font type and size, color combination, and even quality and contrast of printing on the keys. Based on the online photos, we were finding, we were expecting to have to augment the large print keyboard with an auxiliary USB Plug & Play keyboard light; but with this particular unit, it was immediately clear right out of the box that, that was not the case. At first glance, the overall appearance of the deck of this board was fantastic! The keys are brilliantly marked with large bold crisply vivid gloss white fonts and symbols on a matte black background. The legends are printed directly on the keys (no stickers or overlays), and in most cases the legend is the full size of the entire key face. The space bar is not marked however, but that particular key really doesn't need any labeling. For our particular requirements, the white characters on a black background provides the brightest best possible contrast we have seen, and no auxiliary lighting was required to comfortably navigate the board. All keys are easily identifiable from a normal viewing distance, using only normal ambient room light. Unlike some large print keyboards (and most laptop keyboards) the keys on this board are NOT all clumped together in one contiguous cluster. The Escape key stands alone as usual, F keys are in groups 4, and there are separation spaces around the main typing group, the arrow key group, the utility function key group, the media access shortcut group, and the number pad group. Tactile pimples are located on the F and J keys in the typing group, the number 5 on the number pad group, and the UP arrow key in the arrow key group. Three bright green LED indicator lights are also onboard that respond to the CAPS LOCK, SCROLL LOCK, and NUMBERS LOCK keys. This board also supports "system sound" that plays a tone when either of those 3 keys are pressed, but this feature must first be turned ON from within either the Windows "Accessability" settings or "Keyboard" settings within Windows "Control Panel". As a side note, if you use your keyboard frequently on a daily basis, you might consider cleaning it occasionally with a cloth dampened with Armor-All, just to help prevent wear-and-tear fading of the printed graphics, and otherwise protecting your investment. We have seen nothing in the 30 days of use so far that would indicate a potential fading problem, but the original OEM board that this one replaced was only 5 years old, and the markings on most of the frequently struck keys were already half rubbed off on that one.
There were a few negligible drawbacks with this unit, but they were all relatively minor and easily overcome. If you are accustom to the quarter inch spacing between the tops of individual pyramid style keys, and slight up-steps between the key rows on an older conventional board, then this one might take a bit of getting used to. The key faces on this board are all on the same plane, and are only about half as tall as those on older boards. This means that the gap around the top of each key is only about 1/8th inch wide (as apposed to 1/4"), but this provides a broader slightly concave face surface that accommodates larger graphics. This initially gives the illusion that the square keys are bigger than standard keys, but that is only because the top of the keys are broader, while the base of the keys are actually of a typical size. From a tactile standpoint, this quickly became acceptable, partly due to the separation spacing between the various key groups. Another thing that took some getting used to was the relatively silent nature of the key strokes. The keystroke travel distance on this board is only about 1/8th of an inch, and in most cases the keystrokes are so quiet that one may find themself doing a double-take just to make sure that the keystroke actually engaged. However, in every case, every key responded properly, positively and immediately. Initially, we were unable to immediately use the board straight out of the box, because it is a USB Plug &Play device, and the OEM board used a round keyboard plug to connect it to the back of the tower. This particular computer only had 2 factory USB ports, and they were both taken by a scanner and a headset. This problem was quickly overcome by purchasing an inexpensive USB Plug & Play 4-Port Mini Hub (about $10.00), and now all 3 peripherals are connected, with 3 more open sockets available for future devices. It is also this board's Plug & Play nature that allows it to work with ANY keyboard-driven device that provides USB connectivity - including laptops, and even programable mass-storage media center players. The only actual disappointment was the surprising fact the 9 media access shortcut keys were not vividly marked in the same manner as all the other keys. Those 9 keys have no markings on them at all, and instead have small white correlating icons or symbols printed on the deck right beneath each key. The small size of those markings was surprising because there is more than adequate space below each of those 9 keys to have printed larger markings beneath them. Those 9 keys are significantly different from all the others, and are in a row of their own at the upper-most edge of the board. They are lightly colored round convex button-style keys, 8 of which are pea sized, and one that is about twice that size. The corresponding legends below each one are only about 1/4 the scale of the markings on all the other keys. However, they are arranged in an easy to learn pattern: 3 small, 1 large, 3 small, then a 1 inch gap followed by two more small ones. As such, the tactile design and logistical arrangement of those 9 special feature keys should prove to become easy to learn, memorize, and locate.
All things considered, I have to give this item a 5-star rating. It uses less power than illuminated boards, and provides far better accessability usability than they do. In general, the graphics are excellent and very easy to read. The layout is quite user-friendly; and no quality, performance, or technical problems have been detected. It certainly provides the accessability assistance that it was purchased for, and does so with style, and without any auxiliary lighting. As far as full-feature keyboards go, this one is also very competitively priced. If you (or someone you care for) has macular degeneration, or otherwise has trouble identifying keyboard keys, then I highly recommend you try this one. The EZ-SEE is the best low-vision assistive keyboard you will likely find to date - short of turning to brail technology. I'd be willing to bet that once you try it, you won't be seeking a refund. Also, just in case you haven't already discovered it, a fully adjustable screen magnifier is built into Windows operating systems. You can access it through your computer's "Accessability" settings, and you should find that to be a welcome compliment to this keyboard.
More New Improved EZsee by DC Large Print Keyboard, Black KeyBoard Background and Frame with White Letters or Characters, Wired USB Connector reviews:
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1 2 3 4
Description of New Improved EZsee by DC Large Print Keyboard, Black KeyBoard Background and Frame with White Letters or Characters, Wired USB Connector
With letter characters larger than usual and command keys in a larger bolder font, these high-contrast keys can really help those who have trouble seeing keyboards. Perfect for schools, special needs departments and libraries, as well as companies. Warning : The Power code on this product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm, Wash hands after handling.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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