NEW Microsoft mice and keyboards on the way

SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
edited July 2003 in Science & Tech
It seems like Microsoft have finally decided to update their mice and keyboard designs, with a whole new look. About time, is all I can say.
The new mice will support four way wheel, better autonomy (up to 6 months) and new radio technology that should avoid parasits. The scroll wheel moves up and down and from left to right so you can scroll in any direction when checking out a document for example. The black version of the mouse is supposed to be in leather. There will be a black version of the Multimedia keyboard as well as natural multimedia keyboard.

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Comments

  • CaffeineMeCaffeineMe Cedar Rapids, IA
    edited July 2003
    Are you suggesting that my MS Natural needs replacement? It's just a baby at only 8 years old this month! :)
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited July 2003
    Now if they could only revert back to the standard insert/home/delete/end/page up/page down keyboard layout on the Natural model, I'd be the first in line to purchase one. :)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited July 2003
    SimGuy; on the Natural Keyboard Pro, it is the standard layout...
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited July 2003
    I use the Natural Pro, and I like it, I've always used Natural layouts, it's just the mouse I'm getting bored with. Microsoft keep bringing out all these nice new mice (based around the same design obviously) but hardly any of them are intellimice, which is what I want. So these new mice, being intellimice, I think will please me greatly. On an interfacial level only, of course.
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited July 2003
    Geeky1 said
    SimGuy; on the Natural Keyboard Pro, it is the standard layout...

    I'm typing on the Natural Keyboard Pro right now...

    I'm saying that their Natural MultiMedia Pro Keyboard (or whatever their new Natural MultiMedia keyboard is called) needs to change the layout of the insert/home/delete/end/page up/page down keys back to the normal layout.

    For clarification, check out my l33t photoshop painting :D
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited July 2003
    Yea, that's what put me off upgrading to the Multimedia natural. I'm very fussy about my key layouts.;)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited July 2003
    ah. Yea... I've got the original natural keyboard as well as the pro version. I like the key action on the original much better (the Pro feels very cheap and stiff, although that may be just because it has less use than the other one) but the key layout on the original one is even worse than it is on the natural multimedia one.... not only does it have the phucked up delete/pgup/pgdn/end/home/insert all jacked up, but the arrow keys are all wacky too..
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited July 2003
    Yea that's right, I've got one of the original ones as well, and the arrow keys are tiny, only a toddler could use those for gaming. Still at least Microsoft fixed that problem a long time ago.
  • Red-DawnRed-Dawn Been kidnapped and being held hostage in Edinburgh
    edited July 2003
    any of these keyboards have the built in usb hub that the internet keyboard pro had or have microsoft done away with that idea altogether??
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited July 2003
    Red Dawn said
    any of these keyboards have the built in usb hub that the internet keyboard pro had or have microsoft done away with that idea altogether??

    The last keyboard from MS that I saw with a USB hub was the Internet Keyboard Pro & the Natural Keyboard Pro. I think we're outta luck on that one...
  • Red-DawnRed-Dawn Been kidnapped and being held hostage in Edinburgh
    edited July 2003
    i was afraid so, they finally come up with a handy concept tease us wth it once or twice then throw the idea in the bin.

    looks like i'll be looking for an Internet Keyboard Pro when i change my keyboard
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    That black mouse looks like it's got leather on it :/ That would suck for my sweaty hands :)
  • BlackHawkBlackHawk Bible music connoisseur There's no place like 127.0.0.1 Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Those mouse look really sweet. I also think they should make the natural keyboard better. I got the first one and I still like it but the arrow keys are in a weird position. BTW, anyone know how to clean these damn things?
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    look at all of u...u should be ashamed of urselves..im staying troo to logitech
    ahhhhh
    :respect: logitech
    :mean: m$
  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited July 2003
    Black Hawk said
    Those mouse look really sweet. I also think they should make the natural keyboard better. I got the first one and I still like it but the arrow keys are in a weird position. BTW, anyone know how to clean these damn things?

    Yeah, I did my Pro, last month. It was pretty disgusting, the c*** I found in amoungst the keys (tsk!). Anyway...

    All I did was get a very small flat head screwdriver and flick the keys off the board, one by one. Once I had taken all the keys off, I then cleaned the whole board area, making sure not to lose any springs I might add, then did each key individually with a damp cloth. Re-assembled, and voila, a nice clean keyboard.

    Set aside a good 30 minutes to do it though.
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited July 2003
    I take my keyboards apart entirely. Then I dump all the plastic, non-electronic components into my bathtub which is full of warm water, and wash all the parts with a sponge. By the time I’m done, the keyboards look like new!

    Then again, I use keyboards that are at least 10 years old (I like the clickyness). These babies are not only easy to take apart, but they have a have comfortable key press resistance (thanks to the "clicky mechanism") that simply cannot be beat!

    Thing is, I have to go well out of my way to find them… the one I use on my "Black Box" in my sig. was originally used in the Auto Lab at my school (It was used on an old laser disk Ford Rotunda learning unit). I managed to talk my auto teacher into giving it to me. And thanks to the AT/PS2 converter, I'm good to go on what I'd consider to be the best keyboard ever made.

    Unfortunately, once PS2 ports are phased out, I'll have to get used to the "new" types of keyboards.... with the "soft touch" crappyness.... I like my keyboards loud as hell, thank you very much!

    And I love my Logitech MX700... a mouse simply cannot get any better...
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    My God, what is this trend for bigger, bulkier keyboards? That new M$ one probly won't even fit on my keyboard tray!
  • pseudonympseudonym Michigan Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    Hmm, interesting, the mice might be nice, but I'll prolly still stick with my MX500 and my Elite keyboard.
  • AranyicAranyic Casstown, OH Icrontian
    edited July 2003
    I really like the looks of that mouse. Will make looking through code so much easier being able to scroll side to side.
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