Got this board more than a month ago and used it constantly. To me, it's nearly perfect in all aspects (Fn key positions, aesthetics, feel, size, etc.). Having the keyboard centered in front of you while still maintaining a convenient mouse position is just wonderful. I had some problems with my right shoulder after extended gaming sessions. They're gone now, and I believe it's because of this board. I'm really happy I took the risk and bought a compact... it took less than a week of use to realize it's the best form factor for me and I'll probably not buy anything else in the future.
BUT, there are two issues you should think over before buying a MINILA:
- The right SHIFT. It doesn't use the same switch as the big modifier keys (left SHIFT, CTRL, etc.). These seem to use a distinctive switch that makes a different "clack" and feels better suited for modifiers. Right SHIFT feels like any other regular key, so it's not satisfying to press & hold. It was also very difficult to get accustomed to the small size, even though I almost always press the left-most part of the right SHIFT key anyway (took special note of this before ordering the MINILA). While incredibly displeasing in the beginning, you will eventually get used to this SHIFT key. You will never like it, but it will stop bothering you.
- What won't stop bothering you is the way the Fn modifier behaves. If you have something (other than another native modifier key) pressed while actuating Fn, it will not register. Unlike SHIFT, CTRL, etc., you might find yourself in a situation where you are actually holding Fn but not getting the modified behavior. At high speeds, this happens often enough for the Fn+[;] for Backspace combo to be extremely irritating. Instead of getting a correction, you get a string of semicolons. Attempting to get rid of them results in yet more frustrating semicolons. The only solution is to lift your finger from the Fn key and repress. Admittedly, this issue only occurs with Fn+[;]. The mental pause you need before deciding to press Home/End/Arrow key, etc. was (at least in my case) sufficient to prevent any problems with other key combos. If Filco hadn't included the Fn+[;] combo, I might have never noticed the problem. But it is hard to stop using it.. it's faster and it doesn't take you away from home row.
If it wasn't for #2, I'd wholeheartedly recommend the MINILA to anyone looking for a compact. As it is, I still like it, but I'm disappointed. The only reason I was able to forgive all the pain that right SHIFT caused was the wonderful Fn keys that made my typing faster and more convenient, never straying far from home row. The highlight of this is the Fn+semicolon combo which is easy to learn and super-comfy. However, the moment you get comfortable & fast with all the Fn keys, and are ready to fall in love with the board, it starts to play tricks on you... meh Filco, you should have made the Fn keys work better! Still, it's a really cute board...
Of course, you should think twice before getting a MINILA if:
- you need to press modified Function keys (F1-F12) one-handedly (I use Ctrl(+Shift)+W instead of Ctrl/Alt+F4 to close windows, so I rarely had difficulties, but it is very awkward to press Alt+F4 and the like)
- you want to use Backspace in its standard US position (UNIX pos works fine, Fn+semicolon is even more convenient and easy to learn but see pt. 2 above)
- you use your left thumb for SPACE: the Spacebar on the MINILA is more than half-key to the right! Carefully examine where you press it with your left hand and include some leeway.
- you play WASD games, can't/don't want to remap WASD AND use SPACE frequently. You shift the left hand one key-width to the left when using WASD, so the Spacebar is really awkward to press. It's OK for the occasional jump in an RPG, but it's not good for constant use. Remapping left Fn to SPACE might work for you, but you lose one-handed access to Function keys which sucks almost as much.
