Lenovo Compact Keyboard - Any thoughts?

[Altis]

Hello all,

I had the chance to use a Lenovo G510 laptop, and I have to say that I really liked the feel of the keyboard. It has lots of travel, a very sturdy bump, and made a fantastic sound.

I happened to stumble across the Lenovo Compact keyboard (USB or Bluetooth), and it looks exactly the same as the one on the G510.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with it? I'm mostly trying to figure out if it has the same qualities that I liked about the G510 keyboard (feel and sound) as it would make a great travel keyboard for my work laptop (Dell E5430 keyboard is abysmal).

Here's a link

Thanks!

[dorkvader]

Hello all,

I had the chance to use a Lenovo G510 laptop, and I have to say that I really liked the feel of the keyboard. It has lots of travel, a very sturdy bump, and made a fantastic sound.

I happened to stumble across the Lenovo Compact keyboard (USB or Bluetooth), and it looks exactly the same as the one on the G510.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with it? I'm mostly trying to figure out if it has the same qualities that I liked about the G510 keyboard (feel and sound) as it would make a great travel keyboard for my work laptop (Dell E5430 keyboard is abysmal).

Here's a link

Thanks!

Fixed the link for you.

Looks like the chiclet keyboard they "upgraded" to when the X230, W530, T430, etc. came out. It's not "bad" for a scissor - laptop board. I prefer it to vintage IBM thinkpad keyboards (I think the good ones were made by NMB ?) but I prefer fujitsu's laptop keybaords at the time (t4210/4220/5010 and T900. The newer T 731/732 and 901/902 have a worse keyboard, though the even newer T904 and most modern line for the summer have a very impressive keyboard: I didn't use it long enough to fully evaluate)

[speedygonz]

I was looking at the bluetooth version as well. However, reading the reviews on Amazon made me think twice. Apparently the bluetooth range on it is horrible, maxing out at 3-4 feet, which is way less than the typical bluetooth range. This problem seems to be consistent across users, so it's more likely to be a design problem than a one off lapse in quality control. So I say avoid the bluetooth version. If you're considering the wired version, then I would suggest considering other wired compact mechanical keyboards, unless you absolutely require the trackpoint feature. There are probably quite a few that you can get at a similar price range.

[davkol]

I had a Lenovo SK-8855 R01 made by NMB and it was pretty good (except too big palm rest, stiff flat F-keys and shiny ABS keycaps). I even liked the new thinkpad chiclet keyboard (including its layout for the most part), but…

Dunno, if they've abandoned NMB, but the keys usually start to stick and make “cracking” noise in about a year, just like old chiconys, only worse. Moreover, the new trackpoints reportedly have the same firmware problem as some old ones (like SK-8835 IME): sometimes they simply don't stop moving the cursor in some direction.

[johndavis33]

I'd rather type on my x220's keyboard than mx blues.

[dustinhxc]

Looks decent but Id rather get a TEX YODA.

[vimx]

I have this same keyboard on my laptop.   It is lovely to type on.  I absolutely hate that little red mouse, specifically the terribly positioned mouse buttons.   This configuration started to make my left thumb joint severely hurt, since my tendency was to use the left thumb on the space bar and the left mouse button.   I believe the main culprit was clicking and dragging with that left button at a very non ergonomic angle.   I have since DISABLED this subtle torture device in my laptop BIOS.  If I didn't, I would start using it again without even thinking about it until I had severe thumb joint pain.  Luckily, there is also a generous touch pad below this on Lenovo laptops that causes no such hand pain.  You have been warned!

[davkol]

Dislikes the nipple mouse! Heresy! Burn him at the stake!

[johndavis33]

I have this same keyboard on my laptop.   It is lovely to type on.  I absolutely hate that little red mouse, specifically the terribly positioned mouse buttons.   This configuration started to make my left thumb joint severely hurt, since my tendency was to use the left thumb on the space bar and the left mouse button.   I believe the main culprit was clicking and dragging with that left button at a very non ergonomic angle.   I have since DISABLED this subtle torture device in my laptop BIOS.  If I didn't, I would start using it again without even thinking about it until I had severe thumb joint pain.  Luckily, there is also a generous touch pad below this on Lenovo laptops that causes no such hand pain.  You have been warned!

Interesting... I disable my trackpad in bios and only use the nipple mouse. I have having to move my hands away from the home row on a laptop

[vimx]

I like staying on the home row, too.   I used it like that for six months before it started to hurt. My thumb knuckle still isn't 100% and I disabled it almost five months ago.

[Altis]

Thanks for fixing the link and the responses!

I actually wouldn't bother with the little pointer on it, but just for the compact USB keyboard. I do actually using the Lenovo G510 keyboard quite a bit. I am mostly trying to figure out if this compact keyboard is the same, seeing as Lenovo keyboards tend to look the same but have different characteristics such as depth and feel.

It really says something about me when I consider buying a laptop just for its keyboard..... I'm in over my head!

[daerid]

I absolutely LOVE trackpoints, and I've been looking at this for my next keyboard purchase for quite a while. I also don't mind Chiclet keyboards, any my fiancé's Yoga 2 Pro keyboard feels fantastic, so I'm fairly excited for this. Will report back after I've had a chance to play around with it.

[johndavis33]

Thanks for fixing the link and the responses!

I actually wouldn't bother with the little pointer on it, but just for the compact USB keyboard. I do actually using the Lenovo G510 keyboard quite a bit. I am mostly trying to figure out if this compact keyboard is the same, seeing as Lenovo keyboards tend to look the same but have different characteristics such as depth and feel.

It really says something about me when I consider buying a laptop just for its keyboard..... I'm in over my head!

Keyboard quality is one of the few things I look for in a laptop, hah. I use my desktop for most things, so I don't care too much about performance in my laptops. They're mostly going to be used for light productivity and media consumption. Things like screen, build quality, keyboard and trackpoint feel are the most important, in that case.

Sometimes it really is what's on the outside that matters the most

[Altis]

Keyboard quality is one of the few things I look for in a laptop, hah. I use my desktop for most things, so I don't care too much about performance in my laptops. They're mostly going to be used for light productivity and media consumption. Things like screen, build quality, keyboard and trackpoint feel are the most important, in that case.

Sometimes it really is what's on the outside that matters the most

Well, it is the part you touch. I find that screen and input device quality are my top priorities... pretty much any new computer runs very well (once you toss an SSD in it), so the rest doesn't matter as much for general use.

I also use my desktop almost exclusively, but now that I'm taking online classes (while working) my laptop is in for some more use.

Mind you, I should be upgrading my nearly 7 year old Q6600 desktop already, but alas, I end up shopping for more keyboards.

I think I'm going to go ahead and get the USB version of the keyboard. I'll post back with some impressions if I do.

[Xowie]

Thanks for making me aware of this keyboard! I have been searching for a nice portable keyboard to use with my tablet.

[Altis]

Thanks for making me aware of this keyboard! I have been searching for a nice portable keyboard to use with my tablet.

I had no idea it existed either until this week, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of info on it. I use my Apple aluminum Bluetooth keyboard often enough (I seem to have a decent copy of it), and find the Lenovo keyboards can be pretty decent to type on. I know with the G series they tried really hard to focus on typing feel, whereas I think most companies just put little thought into it and go for the most shallow depth to reduce size.

I'm hoping it will maintain that feel. When I used the G510, the keys had a very nice tactile bump, a great sound, and a surprising amount of travel.

I'm just hoping it's the same with the USB model.

[wes1099]

Laptop keybaords... I gave up on those a while ago.....

[Altis]

Laptop keybaords... I gave up on those a while ago.....

There's the odd one that's good. Lenovo is the only company that has a history of good keyboards and seems to take pride in it.

While I use my mechanicals 90% of the time, there's enough of those scenarios that I need an ultra-quiet keyboard, such as when Mrs. Altis is asleep. Or my neighbors. Across the street.