

I can't really fault Microsoft here because USB ports are extremely rare on any keyboard these days. Many of the other keys got larger (tab, tilde), but Enter somehow got smaller. I particularly like the LEDs being front and center so I can more easily see when caps/f/num lock is accidentally set.Īll is not perfect, however.

So many wired keyboards are stuck in that disposable, plastic-y $19.99 low-end ghetto nowadays. This keyboard feels truly solid, like the old Natural Pro.I know it sounds odd, but it's way more comfortable than any plastic palmrest I've ever used. You can't tell from the pictures, but the palm rests are actually padded with some kind of leatherette or naugahyde.It's mostly black.* And black is way cooler than beige-y white.My fingers feel at home again! Here are the highlights: I'm happy to report that the Natural Ergonomic 4000 is a truly worthy successor to the Natural Pro. They just didn't feel right to my hands and fingers. But neither of these were ergonomic, and both had a very cheap feeling. I had reluctantly switched to the Digital Media Pro after some flirtations with the Logitech Elite. This was a dark time for ergo keyboard enthusiasts who happened to be programmers.īy 2004, people had started to mock my ugly-but-comfortable 1999-era Natural Pro. There were a handful of rare and obscure exceptions, but in general, they just weren't being made any more. After that, there were hardly any ergonomic split keyboards with standard PgUp/PgDn clusters.

The MS Natural Pro was discontinued in early 2001. This keyboard is the natural heir to the obsolete but much loved Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro: Now that I own one, I'm not excited any more. I was plenty excited when I saw Microsoft was releasing a new non-mangled ergonomic keyboard - the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. Keyboarding: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000
