Adesso Tru-Form 150 3-Color Illuminated USB Ergonomic Keyboard AKB-150EB

I have had this product for several months now, and I love it. This is definitely the best and maybe only ergonomic lighted keyboard product. I love it because I type a lot at night in the dark and being able to see the keys without needing brighter lights on is great....and being able to adjust to color and intensity is fantastic. Overall - it is a great product and I recommend it highly. It has lasted well with heavy use, and seems to be very durable and well constructed. But in the interest of being completely objective, it does have a few drawbacks. It does not have any legs/clips on the bottom. I prefer a bit of a tilt to my keyboard, and while it might be less ideal from an ergonomic standpoint, not being able to flip out a little leg kickstand thingy on the back edge of the underside of the keyboard is just strange feature omission. And while it does have a nice array of function keys it does not have a calculator quick launch key (or a programmable key) which I would rather have than some of the other keys they provide along to top row. Also, the space bars are separate and a bit short. I wish they were longer and came closer together to each other (it takes some getting used to that when your hands are properly aligned, there is not enough of the space bar under your thumb on the left hand). It drove me crazy for about 3 weeks, but your hands will adjust and now I am used to it. They left a space there for their logo...which ought to go elsewhere so that left spacebar can be larger. And finally - I wish they would make a wireless model. This only comes with a cord at the time I am writing this. I prefer cordless, but I gave mine up to be able to type effectively at night. Not really a huge issue, the cord provided is nice and long.

I love that I can see it because for some reason keyboards are made black with tiny white printing on the keys. This was fine when my vision was young not so much now. I love that the keys light up, you have a choice of 3 colors blue, green or red. You can brighten or dim the light. The letters and numbers are nice and big. Best of all it's am ergo keyboard so I can place my hands down and go. My other keyboard was lit up with multiple colors and had huge letters and numbers, was very pretty but it was a plain straight keyboard with very shallow keys so my fingers couldn't feel the home keys and would slide off all the time. Didn't feel right. This one feels great. Keys are nice and high and I'm glad to have found it, took some doing though. It's not a huge market as of yet for some reason.

I write this review typing with this keyboard and I like it!Below is a wall of text, skip to the end for overall impression. But read on if you are a professional who uses a keyboard for many hours a day, every day, 300+ days a year.I'll start with a short story - I was searching for stock corded + illuminated + ergonomic (curved) keyboard for many, many years. I even wrote to Microsoft and Logitech at some point desperately asking for one even a prototype that won't go into production. Nada.I started my career with Microsoft Natural and used one for a long time.Between 2009 and 2011 I was using the Microsoft 8000 set. it was quite good despite the $300 price tag and slow wireless connection. On one bad morning keyboard stopped pairing to Bluetooth and became an expensive paper weight. I'd have purchased another as I really got used to it and the mouse from 8000 set is the best mouse I've ever owned (and still use!!!), but the set wasn't in production anymore, I didn't want to get used off ebay for hygiene reasons and power consumption of this cordless illuminated keyboard was driving me crazy. On a lot of occasions batteries were dying right when I needed them most facing deadlines.I've tried several expensive keyboards like DSS Kineses, but didn't like the feel. Next came the Microsoft 4000. Corded, curved but without illumination. 4000 proved to be the best keyboard on the market in my opinion and I've replaced two of them over the last couple years because of weak spot where cord is attached to the keyboard and gets teared with heavy usage. Up until this week I was using the custom made aftermarket Microsoft 4000 with illumination, laser etched letters and reinforced cord that was purchased for almost $500. I basically earn my bread with a help of a keyboard, often work until 2-3am, so it's my work tool, thus the investment was perfectly justified. You can find a couple of youtube video from seller who modifies Microsoft 4000's and posts them on ebay from time to time.Now, Adesso has put this keyboard on the market that has almost everything I'd ever wanted from a keyboard, and at unbelievably low price. Below is a short review after 2 days of intensive use (several multi page documents, a lot of browsing for black friday deals. etc).Pros:1. Curved!2. Illuminated!3. Corded!4. Large well visible letters! They are far far better than those on my custom 4000. I love it5. Green light is probably the best to use - doesn't stress the eyes and looks great in the dark. Blue and read are just OK.6. Tactile feel is quite close to 4000. If you used one - this Adesso will be quite easy to switch. While I can't type completely blindly, thus a need in illumination, my fingers still 'remember' where the letters are and find the needed button with ease.Cons:1. Several buttons get stuck... On my keyboard. I don't know if they would on other units, though. Left Space bar, Left Alt, Right arrow key. These are the keys that I use a LOT. Buttons stuck somewhere in the middle. This means - that you won't get a hundred of spaces in your document if your space bar gets stuck, as you still have to press further down to have a 'click'. The button just doesn't return all the way up and you need to help with your fingers to 'un-stuck'. This is really annoying as you don't get the tactile feedback, but at least this doesn't ruin the document. I'll see if this cures itself with further usage.2. Lack of soft leather pad as on Microsoft 4000. I didn't think it was important until I realized there's none on Adesso and it's somewhat uncomfortable to have palms resting on solid surface for several hours. I'd probably fit and glue a soft pad from my old broken 4000.3. Cord... It's of exactly the same thickness as on Microsoft 4000 and without any sort of rubber dampers. Meaning - that the keyboard will likely die in 12 months when wiring in the weak spot gets damaged and tears. Time will tellOverall, this keyboard is a step in the right direction and I'm glad Adesso pioneered with this model.I hope someone from Adesso management reads this: "You've created a great entry level keyboard. Now, please, create a $100-150 version, a little larger overall (like Microsoft 4000) with significantly larger Ctrl, Alt, and Space bar buttons, more expensive and durable button membranes/springs that won't get stuck under any conditions, add leather pad for wrists and put a thick indestructible cord. Also add an on-board USB (or two) ports and mic/headphone jacks. I'll be your free beta tester and first customer.For now I'll use this keyboard instead of my custom 4000 because the illumination is great, I see all letters a lot better, and I can live with semi-stuck buttons as long as it won't affect writing. Will post updates later to keep this topic alive.