Matias Tactile Pro USB Keyboard

Don writes about his Kinesis Ergonomic Keyboard below. Woe to the person who tries to use his keyboard when he’s not around. It looks like something from the “Star Wars” universe. Don has reprogramed many of the keys to suit his typing style. For example, the delete key serves as the command key. However, the Kinesis Ergonomic keyboard has helped his health and made him a more efficient typist.

The keyboard I love and use everyday is the Matias Tactile Pro. It’s a big white battleship of a keyboard, with real mechanical key switches. It’s inspired by the classic Apple keyboards that clicked when you used them.

Due to the way the keys are spaced, I can type very fast on the Tactile Pro. Also, the feedback in the clicking keys seems to help guide my fingers. Modern mushy keyboards make the fingers slow and weak.

The only downside about the Tactile Pro is that the keys are pretty loud – when I’m typing fast it sounds like a hailstorm on a tin roof. My coworkers don’t seem to mind it too much, though it might be irritating and inappropriate in some situations. I couldn’t use it in my office at home, for example. Also, I wish the Tactile Pro had USB 2 ports, rather than USB 1.1 ports.

Despite the noise, the Tactile Pro is excellent. I am a faster, more efficient typist for it. See it here.