Das Keyboard II with blank keys reviewed

Those of us who type for a living are perhaps more attuned to keyboard minutiae than the average computer user, so any 'board that promises to improve our WPM without resorting to a frustrating realignment of the keys naturally piques our interest. The Das Keyboard II includes several "enhancements" that may or may not improve your typing speed by up to 100%, most noticeably the keys themselves, which, while arranged in the traditional QWERTY-configuration, are completely blank. Supposedly the lack of even a single symbol keeps the user from "cheating" and looking down at his/her hands, but Extreme Tech instead found themselves habitually mistyping and wasting time referring to character maps. Ultimately, since the letter-less keyboard only improved the seasoned typists' speed by about 10%, it's the other features of the Das II that may entice consumers, including high-end,"clicky" keys rated to 50 million keystrokes which are differently-weighted to compensate for variable finger strength. Overall, ET gives the blank 'board a seven out of ten, harshing on the rather steep learning curve, but suggesting that first-time typists might benefit from practicing without the traditional "crutch" of illustrated keys.

[moofree @ May 3rd 2006 2:28PM]

By the way, You can buy the classic model M keyboards from Unicomp at http://www.pckeyboard.com/.
Those are the best keyboards ever made.

[Dan Fruzzetti @ Jul 19th 2007 6:14PM]

I wholeheartedly disagree; the M series are a good keyboard, but Fujitsu and IBM have old-style click keyboards (the Fujitsu style has vertical concavity that some people love) with excellent feedback and key pressure, while the overall most tangibly perfect keyboard would be the RT8256C+ / CW+ that is (as of 2002) no longer being made by NMB. They are still available on eBay and other random sales sites, and they boast solid metal-frame construction, adjustable key pressure and key timing (for each individual key) as well as pop-off key surfaces which can be cleaned simply by dunking them in a bowl of warm soapy water. If you really want a keyboard that'll last and look clean for more than a decade, you should seek out one of these NMB keyboards. Simple design and flawless performance.

[Walkin @ May 3rd 2006 2:34PM]

I would get one, but they cost too much.

[Chip @ May 3rd 2006 2:35PM]

I'm currently typing on a Das Keyboard (original, not this new one) and I've found the only time I mistype is when I start trying to think about what my hands are doing. If I just go with the flow and let them find the keys on my own, I type about the same as I would on any other keyboard.

It is kindof funny when coworkers need to use my system though, as I forget that my keyboard has no markings. I keep a second USB keyboard attached for such time.

[Alcaron @ May 3rd 2006 2:44PM]

I dont know that a faux-witty paragraph counts as typing for a living. ;p But I digress.

[Paul @ May 3rd 2006 2:44PM]

Sorry but this seems assinine to me.

[Nate DiDonato @ May 3rd 2006 2:45PM]

This is ridiculous. What's so hard about spray painting a $10 keyboard instead?

[johnpatrickphilip @ Oct 5th 2009 2:52PM]

excellent thought.

[Alcaron @ May 3rd 2006 2:47PM]

Btw I have always thought that these keyboards are just a dumb idea, I mean honestly when I type without looking I do so without thinking and almost never look, but when I DO think about what I am doing I almost always have to look. It would seem like this keyboard wouldn't really improve anything other than MAYBE be a stricter but "better" way for absolute noobs to learn? No clue.

This comment by the way was typed without me looking at the keyboard once...but it DOES have the chars printed on the keys. ;)

[banana @ May 3rd 2006 2:52PM]

Wouldn't this make it difficult to eneter secure (non-word) passwords? Typing becomes easier because your fingers get used to the patterns of words, right? I bet most people type "the" a bit faster than they type "hit", for example.

[AndrewNeo @ May 3rd 2006 3:02PM]

Prank: If you know somebody that always looks down and presses each key individually, replace their keyboard with one of these.

[comrade @ May 3rd 2006 3:12PM]

Great idea. I learned dvorak by using a regular qwerty keyboard and taping a keyboard layout to my monitor. Not being able to look at the keyboard speeded up learning the layout. It took a frustrating 2 weeks to get up to my normal speed, but it was well worth it.

I love that it also keeps people off my computer - it looks like a regular qwerty keyboard but produces gobbleygook when a stranger tries to use it.

[Michael @ May 3rd 2006 3:49PM]

As a roughly 90-GWAM touch-typist, I don't look at my keyboard much. But when I do, it's because I kinda need that character map there to realign myself, and woudl rather spent a half a second reading than a thought process figuring it out.

If youre a new typist trying to learn and improve, I don't see this so much as a better way to learn as a stricter way to learn, and theres a fine line between those two things.

I see blank keyboards as frustrations more than anything for a learning typist...but I kinda want one for myself, now that I look at it.

Weighted keys? Maybe it's not a new idea to you guys, but it is to me...that idea just tickles me pink. =P

[Amit Patel @ May 3rd 2006 4:07PM]

DAS's keyboard is just a Keytronic keyboard with the labels removed. And it costs 3 times as much. They take Keytronic's technology (like the variable-pressure keys) and pretend it's their own. Compare the original diagram from Keytronic:

http://www.keytronic.com/home/products/specs/images/ErgoColkeyv2.gif

to the diagram from DAS:

http://www.extremetech.com/image_popup/0,1694,s=25928&iid=133973,00.asp

Just get a Keytronic keyboard and shave off the labels.

[Alfl dkkfj @ May 3rd 2006 4:24PM]

lkl fjklal kil;fic lldva..emc ial flkoane3q llk aclken .,c

llvil lcale. nldlv.aie asmcldi ald,..cil3 lla8 lca;c

i neugh yew ceen thehs komin

[David @ May 3rd 2006 4:28PM]

This would shut down the place I used to work. I went back for a visit and swapped the C and the V keys. Apparently he used these keys in his password and even the IT dorks couldn't figure it. Two days it took them because the person who sits in the same area didn't remember that I did that. She even though it would be funny to take credit because it was the copy and paste keys.

Anyway. I wonder what would happen if they did use these and I swapped some keys...

[egotman @ Nov 11th 2008 3:26PM]

So the point of your story is that your friend is a hermaphrodite?

[phenoum @ Oct 5th 2009 1:06PM]

@egotman

Wow.... how's that 6th grade english class doing for you?

Ok - lets start:
"He" is the person who'se keyboard was pranked
"She" is the person whom is in the same area as "he" and was aware of the switch.

the person doing the pranking (David) either left, or worked in a different area.......

now - stop reading engadget during your recess breaks....

[wickedawesome @ May 3rd 2006 4:32PM]

So I guess I'm the only one who just thinks it would *look* badass to be typing on a keyboard with no labels. It'd be like when Mister Miagi catches a fly with chopsticks, or when Aeon Flux catches one in her eyelashes. When all you're doing is rerouting the encryptions, it doesn't matter what you're typing! So long as it LOOKS COOL and people go "OOOOH HOW DOES HE DO THAT" and "CAN I FORNICATE WITH THIS TYPIST?"

I'm buying it.

[Morder @ May 3rd 2006 4:47PM]

i think i'll spray-paint my keyboard first thank you very much...then i'll have my ergonomics and save 150 dollars

[anon @ May 3rd 2006 5:18PM]

Being a USB keyboard, I don't know why they don't have an option for a backlit keyboard that you you could turn on or off at will. This will allow you to increase your typing skills but also allow non-savy users and users who are needing to type some funky key combinations to also work without resorting to a character map.

I would actually by one then, as it would be then be a practical learning tool.

[Aman @ May 3rd 2006 6:06PM]

15 - I totally agree with you.

I think it would indeed look cool, but looking cool isnt worth that kind of cash.

[Mark Hoekstra @ May 3rd 2006 6:20PM]

I've been using my homemade das ibook-keyboard for quite some months now and I don't regret it :-)

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/274/ibookkeyboardblues

I guess it has made me a better typist as well... In the beginning, typing passwords was tricky (and having to open a text-editor to see what you're typing is not-recommendable when dealing with passwords... ;-)) but that goes flawlessly too nowadays ;-)

>So I guess I'm the only one who just thinks it would *look* badass to be typing on a keyboard with no labels.

Haha, well, since my blank keyboard is portable (duh) I get reactions of people all the time... ranging from 'too cool' to people who really think it's time for me to visit a shrink... ;-)

[azhure @ May 3rd 2006 7:11PM]

All jokes aside, as a former high school typing teacher, I *can* see a market there for use. Such wondrous inventions like bibs, or grinding the letters off keys, or painting them out with Liquid Paper will now be a thing of the past. Vandalism in the classroom (such as swapping keys around for a giggle) would be a thing of the past. As a touch typing training tool, it seems like an excellent idea. I would have bought one, only the letters wore off my ergonomic Microsoft keyboard a couple of years ago... Same result.

[bliss @ May 3rd 2006 7:29PM]

HAHAHA.. this is totally awesome. I guess there would be no need for backlit keys, eh?

[anon @ May 3rd 2006 7:36PM]

There was another keyboard, I think Russian, that was attempting to produce a keyboad with Mini-LED lights in the keys. Depending on what program you were using, the keys would change color and picture/text to account for different uses.

I don't see much of a real world use, but it was interesting, nonetheless.

[phenoum @ Oct 5th 2009 1:11PM]

yeah - that keyboard's been out for a while now - and is pretty sweet....

Search engadget for Optimus

[Alex @ May 3rd 2006 8:41PM]

@ 12: Uh....that wouldnt do anything. The person would type normally. Switching two letters on the keyboard only throws people who look at the keys off :P Since this keyboard doesnt have the letters written on the keys nobody would be thrown off, nor notice that you swapped two identical keys.

[Maetryx @ May 3rd 2006 9:22PM]

I use the DAS Keyboard as well. It really is the Keytronics keyboard, as alleged above. Windows identifies it as "Key Tronic USB Keyboard" in the Device Manager. So I fell a little silly for spending $80 on a $30 keyboard, but it is pretty nice looking with my Dell 2405FPW monitor and Antec P-180 brushed alumnium case.

[Alex Kessaris @ May 3rd 2006 10:29PM]

I was going to say this is the stupidest thing I've ever seen, however it isn't. It may be a good idea to remove the labels from the keys and type blindly, but it's stupid to use it blindly in QWERTY layout. If you're going to type blindly, take a day to learn the DVORAK layout, and it won't matter at all whether there are labels on the keys, you can type fully blindly and you won't have to resort to german engineering tricks to gain an advantage.

[KrazE @ May 4th 2006 2:35AM]

Well, pianos don't have anything written on their keys and people seem to be able to learn how to use them just fine.

I have an original Das Keyboard I use at work. It's really pretty decent even though it's WAY over priced. It's not all that practical, though I did finally master the art of hitting all the number keys and @#$#^%$ keys after a couple of days.

But you don't buy this thing for a practical reason, you buy it for instant geek credibility. That extra money is a small price to pay for the reaction you get out of your Boss that can barely use a computer. Non-technical folks will think you're some kind of God once they see you use it. Sure it seems like a stupid reason to buy one, but those impressions go a long way when it's time for a raise.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ May 4th 2006 5:13AM]

BTW.

Can anyone recommend good ergo keyboard. I was quite happy Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite Pro user for about a decade. I had two of them. But recently I spilled a beer on my second last remaining one and functional keys stopped working.

Can anyonce recommend a replacement - split keyboard. M$ seems stopped doing ergo keyboards (office keyboards are awful - my friend has one). Das I/II & Happy Hacking have straight layout - while I prefer split keyboards. The split with angle really help my hands. I have googled couple of times - but still out of luck.

[Will @ May 4th 2006 2:51PM]

The first time I saw the original version I really thought it would be a joke. Blank keys for the ultimate nerd who needs to show everybody just how a big nerd he is. I'm German, so the name sounded like a joke, too (c'mon, "The keyboard"?).
Then the way too high price. Hardly believable anyone would buy something like that. Especially because everyone knows the only and ultimate nerd keyboard is my Touchstream LP by Fingerworks. :p

[King Bigos @ May 4th 2006 8:06PM]

Pointless...

[Lionel @ May 7th 2006 12:51AM]

I can't wait to see the Japanese version.

[ssoltero @ Nov 11th 2008 3:16PM]

Don't they have Keyboard Covers that you can type through?
Wouldn't one of those that hid the keys work just the same?

[Dani @ Nov 11th 2008 10:06PM]

um... my ibook just eventually had most of the keyboard labels wear off... it never bothered me though... funny though- my computer crashed and the hard drive fried, so I sent it into Apple, under warranty, and they replaced it, along with putting new rubber feet on where they were missing and putting on a new keyboard... Go figure... this one will probably outlast the ibook.

[GT @ Nov 12th 2008 1:20AM]

I have an original Das Keyboard, and it's a joy to use. I originally purchased it to help learn Dvorak (for which it serves marvelously), but as an added bonus I have learned to type every symbol on the keyboard without looking. This is amazing for speed increase, and I can type in the dark just by feel. Yes, it is a tad overpriced; and Yes, it does have a steep learning curve, but it's well worth it.

The best thing by far is watching someone try to use it who thinks they can type without looking, it's funny as sh1t!