Product Description

The Maxim adjustable keyboard offers a more flexible, more comfortable design. It's one of the best adjustable keyboards at an affordable price! Its padded, removable palm supports make for relaxed shoulder and neck muscles. The Maxim optional Numeric Keypad connects easily with a phone-style plug to the keyboard. It's a great productivity enhancement if you work with numbers! Your mouse is right where you want it - not at arms length! Even fully separated, the Maxim is narrower than the new "narrow" Microsoft Natural Elite. In a typical split configuration, the Maxim keeps your mouse significantly closer than with any "natural-style" keyboard. The Maxim keyboard accommodates a wide range of user preferences.

Product Details

• Brand: Maxim
• Model: KB210USB

Features

• Standard alphanumeric key layout (Qwerty)
• Smaller footprint positions mouse for shorter reach
• Embedded 10-Key activated by function lock
• Adjustable lateral tilt at 0°, 8°, and 14°
• Removable palm supports

Customer Reviews

This particular keyboard is designed for PS-2, not USB, but will work with USB on a Mac.
First of all, you're probably wondering whether this keyboard is a good idea. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. I bought it to solve the specific problem of a standard keyboard being too wide. The mouse is located too far to the right with a standard keyboard because of the numeric keypad, and holding my arm up to move the mouse (hours every day) had strained my shoulder.

This Keyboard and a Logitech trackball solved my problem. I can now rest my elbows on the arms of my chair and move my hand easily and comfortably to the trackball without the constant strain on my shoulder.

I did not know whether I would like the angled keyboard, but I do like it. I would not want to go back to my old keyboard now.

Key feel is excellent and there is a quiet "click" as each key is depressed. I had hoped the Kinesis Maxim's key feel would resemble the IBM Selectric, but they are more like the keys in the old ADB Mac keyboards. They are excellent but not that much better than the keys in my standard white Mac keyboard, which also has excellent feel.

I ordered the PS-2 version by mistake. I would have preferred the USB/PS-2 switchable version. This PS-2 version is $20 less, so I decided to try a USB adapter. The first one, a molded adapter with PS-2 in and USB out, did not work. The second one, which had two cables with PS-2 in and a single plug with USB out, did work. I forget the brand, but it was specified as Mac compatible.

After the first adapter did not work, I tested the keyboard to see if it would work with a PeeCee PS-2 input. It worked fine. With the second adapter I was in business.

I could have left the keyboard layout alone and used the Windows key as the Mac Command key, but I used "System Preferences/Keyboard" to make both "Alt" and "Fn" work as the Mac Command Key, because I am used to the Command key being immediately to the left of the space bar. The ability to reassign these keys is built into OS X 10.4 "Tiger." I have read that earlier versions of OS X require a shareware program to reassign the Command key, although I have heard it is not difficult to get used to using the Windows key instead of the Command key.

So buy either version of this keyboard. Both will work with USB on a Mac. They are both less fatiguing than a standard keyboard and allow the mouse or trackpad to be placed closer to the right side of the keys.

Worth every penny
I've used this keyboard for eight years plus, and it's one of the best investments I ever made. There is a lot of flexibility in the way you can divide the two halves of the keyboard and in the way it can be angled vertically. The built-in wrist rests are a great advantage. At first I missed the numeric keypad -- not for typing numbers but for typing ASCII codes for special symbols, including accent marks when I type foreign languages. I solved that by making a software switch in Windows from the standard U.S. keyboard to the U.S. International keyboard. There's a learning curve while you get used to the keystroke combinations but they are now second nature to me.

The only con: The wrist pads get grubby after several years, [...] It would be better if the wrist pads were black, not gray, even though the kayboard itself is beige.

Kinesis Maxim split keyboard
I have been using this keyboard full time since at least 1999. It has adjustable separation and adjustable angling so middle can be higher. Two adjustments for each, or you can use it flat. It has had very high use and has not failed. The mouse close to the keyboard because of no separate numerical keypad is an advantage for relaxed sitting and mousing positions--no reaching, just as someone mentioned. I highly recommend this keyboard to anyone, whether they have had tendonitis or carpel tunnel or not. It is a better hand position than the straight key design and not so cumbersome as some others with angled hand postions. I am pleased to see some laptops coming out with slightly angled keys (HP).