Which keyboard or mouse will make me the most productive?

[jc0481]

I always try to squeeze more time out of my productivity. With that in mind currently looking for a good keyboard or mouse that will enhance my productivity. I have been looking into getting the the TypeMatrix 2030 USB keyboard:

http://www.typematrix.com/

Also the Evoluent Vertical Mouse:

http://www.evoluent.com/

I chose this mouse because I have borrowed this mouse from an old friend. I know this kind of mouse will keep me working longer. Does anybody have used this mouse extensively? I am just looking for more opinions.

Did I make a good choice or will just a regular mouse and keyboard from Best Buy will do just fine? I'm interested to know what people think.

I use my Macbook a lot and have dual booted with Windows Vista. But more often I just use Leopard.

Just looking for some productivity experts out there on the Internet.

 

[Styxie]

Let me be the first to tell you of the good lord Logitech MX Revolution. You will find salvation with this peripheral, my friend.

 

[techound1]

This is also an option: http://matias.ca/optimizer/index.php

I can't recommend them enough - they've got excellent customer service.

 

[nebarik]

Let me be the first to tell you of the good lord Logitech MX Revolution. You will find salvation with this peripheral, my friend.

agreed. i have a MX rev, and its really helps with productivity.

ive programmed the 2 side (thumb) buttons to be expose and expose desktop. the thumbwheel button to be expose applications. and told the thumbwheel to be a application switcher (cmd+tab).

not to mention its 2 top scroll wheel settings (click, or smooth), with the added left/right scrolling too. and laser pointer.

its just that good.

get it!

 

[nilk]

The problem with non-standard layouts is you lose the productivity when you go to sit in front of a standard keyboard, but it could be worth it. Also check out Kinesis if you're looking for a funky layout.

My personal favorite and what I use is Unicomp Model M keyboards (same tech as the IBM Model M's). The keyswitches (which use "buckling spring") are much better in that they give better feedback. I type faster and more accurately on them. Get either the SpaceSaver or the Customizer. Customizer allows you to move keys around, but is bigger than the SpaceSaver.

Assuming you're using OS X mainly, learn some of the Emacs-style keyboard shortcuts that are available in all Cocoa apps (CTRL-A/E/F/B/P/N/D/K/Y and CTRL-H though that's not an Emacs-default). These will speed you up because your hands won't have to travel away from the home rows as you won't need to touch the cursor keys and backspace/delete/pgup/pgdn/home/end when editing text.