Keyboards

Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?

--
David E. Ross

The Crimea is Putin's Sudetenland.
The Ukraine will be Putin's Czechoslovakia.
See http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_PutinUkraine.html.

On 25/04/2014 22:27:51, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?

perhaps an illuminated keyboard would suit your needs

--
mick

On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa


I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.



--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 25.0
Thunderbird 24.3.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On 4/25/2014 5:45 PM, Wolf K wrote:
On 2014-04-25 5:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?

I found this at TigerDirect:
Solidtek Mini KB-595U - Keyboard - USB - beige

There are also a few brightly coloured ones.

You might well consult an ophthalmologist about cataract surgery. I am
just about 80 and very satisfied with the results. I use a wireless
Logitech keyboard and mouse.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


You should be able to find traditionally colored Keytronix keyboards around.
I have an ancient PS/2 one that looks like this one, while this one is USB.
Can be had for $20 in some cases, so don't pay $50 for one. A typical purchase,
you can get these by the boxload, and that's how the IT department would be
getting them. Rather than one at a time, when parted out by an online retailer.
So if you get these online, they'll probably come in a plastic bag, rather
than a retail "hinged box". And don't expect a CD with one of these,
as there are no multimedia keys to program.

http://az58332.vo.msecnd.net/e88dd2e...00-1508562.jpg

Usually the crap at local stores, is an inferior quality compared to one
of those. I have a couple "soft" keyboards here, which are only suitable
as door stops. Keyboards are one thing that it helps to try them
out in person.

I have one "surplus" store in town, and if anyone was to carry a Keytronix,
it might be them. But the regular B&M stores just pick the cheapest
crap they can stock. Go to China, get lowest price, get plenty of returns, etc.

Paul

Ken1943 wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:18:51 -0400, Paul wrote:

David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?

You should be able to find traditionally colored Keytronix keyboards around.
I have an ancient PS/2 one that looks like this one, while this one is USB.
Can be had for $20 in some cases, so don't pay $50 for one. A typical purchase,
you can get these by the boxload, and that's how the IT department would be
getting them. Rather than one at a time, when parted out by an online retailer.
So if you get these online, they'll probably come in a plastic bag, rather
than a retail "hinged box". And don't expect a CD with one of these,
as there are no multimedia keys to program.

http://az58332.vo.msecnd.net/e88dd2e...00-1508562.jpg

Usually the crap at local stores, is an inferior quality compared to one
of those. I have a couple "soft" keyboards here, which are only suitable
as door stops. Keyboards are one thing that it helps to try them
out in person.

I have one "surplus" store in town, and if anyone was to carry a Keytronix,
it might be them. But the regular B&M stores just pick the cheapest
crap they can stock. Go to China, get lowest price, get plenty of returns, etc.

Paul

Never had a problem with Walmart mice and keyboards, they are usually
brands that I have heard of. The local stores have nothing but wireless
stuff, which I won't touch.


KenW

I think I'm referring to several of my bankrupt mom & pop
computer stores. I know you can buy Logitech in several
big box stores here, for a sight more than $20. But then
the OPs complaint is, that the keyboards are black. It was
the $20 non-Logitech, only suited for making a door stop,
that I was referring to. The Keytronix I picked out there,
may still be cheap, but a bit better than one of those
keyboards with the short key travel and mushy feel.

Logitech (or even Microsoft) make a boatload of different
models of product, and maybe you find what you want after
visiting enough stores.

You could also look for a Cherry product (who make their
own switches). But at $120, that's a lot to pay for a keyboard.

http://www.ncix.com/detail/cherry-g8...x-2d-81700.htm

The 32 Microsoft keyboards on that site, are all black.

There are more Logitech products on the site, but not
many you might like. The contrast on the keys on this one
isn't too good. Reminds me of my Mac keyboard which I
can barely see. The old Mac keyboard I have (Extended II
model) is great, while the Steve Jobs era keyboard
is the pits in terms of read-ability.

http://www.ncix.com/detail/logitech-...92823-1359.htm

Paul

| You might well consult an ophthalmologist about cataract surgery. I am
| just about 80 and very satisfied with the results. I use a wireless
| Logitech keyboard and mouse.

I don't have cataracts, but I do use glasses for
reading. My eyes are aging. I also find it very tedious
to read black keyboards and get frustrated that
random "fashion" should dictate these things. I've
managed to hang onto an old beige one. It may not
be such an issue if you're a good typist, but I type
with 2 fingers and need to see the keys.

On 4/25/2014 2:57 PM, James Silverton wrote:
On 4/25/2014 5:45 PM, Wolf K wrote:
On 2014-04-25 5:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?

I found this at TigerDirect:
Solidtek Mini KB-595U - Keyboard - USB - beige

There are also a few brightly coloured ones.

You might well consult an ophthalmologist about cataract surgery. I am
just about 80 and very satisfied with the results. I use a wireless
Logitech keyboard and mouse.


I had my annual ophthalmology examine just a month ago. The
ophthalmologist said I am at least five years away from needing cataract
surgery. Also, he said there are no signs of macular degeneration or
diabetic retinopathy. Finally, he said that my current eyeglass
prescription (filled two years ago) is still excellent.

--
David E. Ross

The Crimea is Putin's Sudetenland.
The Ukraine will be Putin's Czechoslovakia.
See http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_PutinUkraine.html.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:50:00 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa

I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.

(The last one points to some cell phones and has some links down page,
which I didn't follow.)

In a way, I think the one with large symbols would be a lot easier to
read than the two illuminated keyboards. The latter have small letters,
and the backlight (at least in the pictures) seems to swamp the labels.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Mayayana has written on 4/25/2014 7:29 PM:
| You might well consult an ophthalmologist about cataract surgery. I am
| just about 80 and very satisfied with the results. I use a wireless
| Logitech keyboard and mouse.

I don't have cataracts, but I do use glasses for
reading. My eyes are aging. I also find it very tedious
to read black keyboards and get frustrated that
random "fashion" should dictate these things. I've
managed to hang onto an old beige one. It may not
be such an issue if you're a good typist, but I type
with 2 fingers and need to see the keys.

I have had cataract surgery and, not related, have no central vision in
one eye. The other eye is corrected with trifocals.

I find that the the angle of the light shining on the keyboard is the
most important thing.

I use a Logitech K350 white-letters-on-black-keys KB.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 16:42:13 -0700, Gene E. Bloch wrote:

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:50:00 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa

I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.

(The last one points to some cell phones and has some links down page,
which I didn't follow.)

In a way, I think the one with large symbols would be a lot easier to
read than the two illuminated keyboards. The latter have small letters,
and the backlight (at least in the pictures) seems to swamp the labels.

I looked closer and realized that the one I liked, the second one, is
actually backlighted, but more cleverly than the 3rd and 4th, so that
its large letters are illuminated from inside, and the surround is dark.
No swamping...

The first one is also easy to see, IMO.

But some of the pictures can be hard to judge, thanks to the scale.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

"David E. Ross" nobody nowhere.invalid wrote:

Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died.
The new PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window.
During the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on
overcast days. Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I
cannot see (with my 72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i
order to position my hands correctly on the keyboard.

If you are good at using superglue...

A very carefully placed single drop of superglue on the F and J keys
helps a lot if you can't feel them as is.

On 4/25/2014 2:50 PM, Ken Springer wrote:
On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa


I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.

I just now ordered one of the Amazon keyboards.


--
David E. Ross

The Crimea is Putin's Sudetenland.
The Ukraine will be Putin's Czechoslovakia.
See http://www.rossde.com/editorials/edtl_PutinUkraine.html.

On 4/25/14 5:42 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:50:00 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa

I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.

(The last one points to some cell phones and has some links down page,
which I didn't follow.)

That's interesting. No idea why it happened. Searched via Ixquick on
"pc keyboard white" and get a URL too long for aioe. Pasted into Tiny
URL and to that result.

So tying it again, I get this Tiny URL:
http://tinyurl.com/mtktl27

The Amazon search box says white computer keyboards. After do the above
TinyURL, I hit the GO button for the Amazon search box. Slightly
different URL, but wasn't paying close attention, but I think the
resulting page was a little different.

http://tinyurl.com/mtktl27

And I've gotten the same page both time, a screen of keyboards, not phones.

FWIW, I copied and pasted the URLs.

In a way, I think the one with large symbols would be a lot easier to
read than the two illuminated keyboards. The latter have small letters,
and the backlight (at least in the pictures) seems to swamp the labels.



--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.8.5
Firefox 25.0
Thunderbird 24.3.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:24:52 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 4/25/14 5:42 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 15:50:00 -0600, Ken Springer wrote:

On 4/25/14 3:27 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
Over 6 months ago, I had to get a new PC when my old one died. The new
PC came with a black keyboard.

My home office (I'm retired) has a large, north-facing window. During
the daytime, there is ample indirect light even on overcast days.
Unless I turn on the interior lights, however, I cannot see (with my
72-year-old eyes) the individual keys i order to position my hands
correctly on the keyboard.

Today, I went shopping for a replacement keyboard. I visited two
brick-and-mortar chain stores (a misnomer here in southern California,
where brick buildings are not allowed because of earthquakes) and two
online "stores". The only keyboards I could find are all black or very
dark gray.

Are there no tan or other light-colored keyboards available any more?


How about...

http://tinyurl.com/mbhgetl
http://tinyurl.com/jw4qnag
http://tinyurl.com/n6kzp8u
http://tinyurl.com/nxouok9
http://tinyurl.com/n5c5sfa

I'm not recommending anything, including Amazon, just picked some
possibilities that might work for you.

(The last one points to some cell phones and has some links down page,
which I didn't follow.)

That's interesting. No idea why it happened. Searched via Ixquick on
"pc keyboard white" and get a URL too long for aioe. Pasted into Tiny
URL and to that result.

So tying it again, I get this Tiny URL:
http://tinyurl.com/mtktl27

The Amazon search box says white computer keyboards. After do the above
TinyURL, I hit the GO button for the Amazon search box. Slightly
different URL, but wasn't paying close attention, but I think the
resulting page was a little different.

http://tinyurl.com/mtktl27

And I've gotten the same page both time, a screen of keyboards, not phones.

FWIW, I copied and pasted the URLs.

In a way, I think the one with large symbols would be a lot easier to
read than the two illuminated keyboards. The latter have small letters,
and the backlight (at least in the pictures) seems to swamp the labels.


That mtktl27 URL is fine. Who knows what happened? :-)

I have the link to TinyURL on my favorites bar, and it works a bit more
conveniently. It might also prevent what happened to you. Or maybe
not...

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)