Wired 200

hi there

over the last few months it feels like i've been hitting the keyboard quite hard, really. here to a degree, for sure, but also in other matters. the sounds it was making as i hammered away were mostly of an unpleasant and unhappy nature, then - in particular the space bar, which was starting to sound springy. springy in the sense that it would "pop" at any moment.

out with the 'Wired 600' keyboard then, and off i went to find  a new one. which was surprisingly a difficult thing to do. a visit to several retailers saw a distinct lack of choice in keyboards available for sale, even in "specialist" computer places.

with it being pretty close to Hobson's Choice in the matter, i have then ended up with the Microsoft Wired 200 keyboard, upon which i now type this.

i would find it very hard indeed to argue or disagree with anyone if they suggested that should a choice of thousands of keyboards been out there i would have got this one anyway as it has the world "Clavier" on it. i have no idea what it means, probably French or something for keyboard, but that's an excellent word.

why wired? because i really like wired things. my (considerably) better half did groan a bit that i did not get an unwired or if you like "wireless" one. well i am sorry, but i really don't like the idea of being forced or coerced into damaging the businesses of wire producers to the instant financial benefit of battery producers. i will make that decision when i am ready, and not a moment before.

if for some reason you were wanting to look inside the box of a Wired 200 keyboard then here you go, but i am not sure what it is you think will be in there other than a keyboard.

i sometimes struggle to understand the logic behind the numbers MicroSoft give their keyboards, but in this case at least one can see that the Wired 200 has a good deal fewer bells and whistles than the 600 model i had. i do still hope that MicroSoft one day launch the T-800 or T-1000 keyboard, just to see what James Cameron does about it. if he notices.

anyway, from the 600, gone on the 200 are the "multimedia controls" from the top of the keyboard.

i do not miss them, for i do not believe i ever once used them. for controling the volume there's kind of a big stereo that the sound pumps through, and that comes with volume control. in respect of the play/pause button, it really has not been the issue to use the mouse to click the button on a media player that MicroSoft seem to think it is.

a small, partial loss is the fact that the new one does not* have a calculator shortcut key as the 600 featured.

it was a bit handy, that was, in particular when i needed to work things out in Pounds or Dollars for you dear readers here. Hey ho, it's easy enough to open it off the start menu (none of your Windows 8 nonsense here), or i could always make one of them class desktop shortcuts for it.

enough of what i have lost, let us look at what i have gained. starting with what could well be the most impressive range of green lights ever to grace a MicroSoft keyboard.

i don't think that picture does the light justice. whereas the 600 had some sort of elegant, subtle, trendy light thing, this one features what can only be described as a beacon of activity. if you have ever had a dream of a keyboard with the most amazing, bright green lights on it possible as far as human knowledge has allowed for the creation of, this keyboard is for you.

and since we speak of keyboard, the keys deserve a look too. oh yes, they are chunky. chunky, chunky, chunky. like Chunk out of Goonies, only keys on a keyboard rather than a kid looking for pirate treasure.

i don't know about anyone else, but i rather like the chunky ones. they make touch typing a good deal easier. i have notice i have so far in writing this made nowhere near as many typo things as i used to with the 600 model.

some keyboards go for such a low down, small set of keys that they might be trying to pretend they are some sort of touch screen thing. Not the case here. with a Thor ruler of 15cm in length and a bit of string i have done the calculations and have come to the conclusion that these keys here probably use about 50% more plastic than the ones on the old keyboard, or thereabouts. this represents ace value for money, a tremendous boost for the plastic industry and is no doubt sensational for the environment. if the plastic is here in my keyboard, it is not out there choking ducks or badgers.

with the world wanting to go all touchy feely with screens or have wire free keyboards i am not sure if anyone is going to have any use for these comments, but if you have, there you go.



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* fixed for the amusement of the CCP