Concern

Kinesis has updated the Freestyle keyboard for the Macintosh. I got one, as a thank-you gift.

The original Freestyle works just fine on the Mac, but it suffers from the common problem that generic keyboards suffer from on the Mac — the meta keys are wrong, and special function keys map to things like cut and paste on Windows, which mean little on the Mac.

This update moves the control, alt, and command keys into the right places, colors the keyboard white (it’s not that white is the Mac aesthetic, but still, why does all computer equipment look like 90’s stereo equipment?), assigns the correct functions to the special keys on the left (cut, copy, paste, movement, etc.), and assigns the function keys Mac-style special functions, like brightness control, expose, dashboard, music and volume controls, show desktop, and show dock. There’s a “Fn” key that changes the meaning of these keys back to F1 through F12, and it’s nice because it’s modal: on other Mac keyboards you have to hold down the function key, but here you can toggle it on and off. Fn+Escape is assigned to Force Quit, a nice touch.

The feel of the keyboard is the same, but the keys sound a little quieter, and they don’t seem to need quite as much force to type on, though this could just be a revision they’ve made generally. The keyboard feels as solid as the original.

I like it. It’s a nice touch when companies cater to Mac users specifically, abandoning the old, silly keyboard layouts that have been in use since the DOS era (I mean, come on; Print Screen? Scroll Lock?).

I was pretty excited when I saw that Kinesis, who made my cherished, but now discontinued, Evolution split-design keyboard, were planning to release a new split design keyboard, the Freestyle. My existing pair of Evolution keyboards (one at work, the other at home) were showing their age, and the design of that keyboard is admittedly on the bulky side.

Of course, I wouldn’t have considered buying the Freestyle if it was only offered with a 6-inch separation. Not only do I like having a wide separation of the two modules, I also like putting my trackball in between the two, so it’s very easy to reach, and I couldn’t do either if it only spread 6 inches or so. Kinesis thankfully saw the light and made a version that has a 20 inch cable separating the two modules. A longer cable than that might have been nice, for things like chair mounting, but I don’t think I want it mounted to my chair, anyway.

So, I bought two Freestyle keyboards, and two “VIP” accessory packs (which include wrist pads for each module, and a tilting mechanism so you can “tent” the keyboard modules at one of two different angles). I like it a whole lot, so far.

The Evolution had extremely noisy keys — it would probably rival an IBM keyboard for typing noise. Loud keys are both good and bad; as the typer, it’s satisfying to have a keyboard with feedback. To the people around me, I’m sure it’s a drawback to have to listen to my wild, speedy clacking when I’m on a roll with something. The Freestyle is much quieter; the keys feel rather a lot like the kind you’ll see in, say, a modern Dell keyboard. The keys are nice and large, and take little force to depress. I think overall I like this kind of key more than the clicky mechanical one on the Evolution, and more than the keys on my laptop (the laptop keyboard loses already, since it’s rectangular, but just by key I think I prefer those on the Freestyle).

It’s taking me a little time to get used to the new keyboard, but it is, of course, infinitely adjustable, so I’m sure I’ll be moving and changing things for some time to come. The biggest issue is just finding where the keys are. The design is very compact and simple — the weird curves and space cadet key overload of the Evolution is gone, and we now have a sparse, economical design. I find that I’m having a little trouble finding the home row by touch, and the abrupt edge on the inside of each module means I sometimes dip off into empty space, instead of bumping against the plastic center the Evolution has. After only a day of use I’m already starting to get used to it, however.

The “driverless hot keys” are pretty much useless to me on my Mac, though, since they’re hard-coded to Windows key shortcuts (I’m hoping there’s a way to reassign them somehow). Some of the keys might be useful in Emacs though (control-x and control-c both have dedicated keys). From the factory, the two modules are attached to one another by a “pivot tether,” which anchors the two modules together at their upper inner corners. You’re supposed to be able to separate them with the two release buttons on the top of each module, but I couldn’t get that to work, so I removed the screws that held them there instead.

Otherwise, it’s a standard USB keyboard. A simple set-up step in Mac OS X when I plugged it in was all I needed. It has some nicely bright blue LEDs for caps lock and friends. It feels very solid and well-built.

The VIP tilt and wrist pads are nice, but overpriced. I’m not sure yet if I like the modules inclined, but the wrist pads are nice, with a not-too-soft gel-like material, wrapped in soft synthetic cloth. I hear the pads themselves are replaceable, which is good, given the way the pads on my Evolution have been deteriorating.

Overall, I’m impressed. It’s a nicely streamlined update to one of the best keyboards ever.