Give Your Wrists a Rest
The best ergonomic keyboards
It’s hard to pick a comfortable keyboard, not least because different computer users
can have different needs. We asked Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University, to pick three of the best keyboards for
aching wrists. —Shivani Vora
GOLDTOUCH GO!
weighing just over a pound, the
Go! is ideal for road warriors who
don’t want to sacrifice ergonomics.
It has a split design: the keyboard
is divided into two angled halves,
which naturally straightens the
hands and wrists. the two sides
can be pulled apart for larger
users. COST: $139
KENSINGTON COMFORT
TYPE SLIM KEYBOARD
the Kensington looks like a
traditional keyboard, which makes
it easy to use. but the keys are
angled toward the center, which
allows for a straighter and more
relaxed wrist posture. the extralow
price is an added bonus. COST: $20
SUGARCRM
the dominant player in free,
open-source CrM, SugarCrM
has an active community
support forum—which is great,
because the free version lacks
tech support. Software develop-
ers have created cool add-ons;
one allows you to check custom-
ers’ twitter updates. SugarCrM
is also adept at pulling customer
data from social networking
sites. the paid version starts
at $499 per year for up to five
users; it includes cell-phone
access and an offline mode.
JASPER FREEBOARD
Most people spend almost twice
as much time mousing as typing,
Hedge says. the freeboarD has
a mousepad built in, which prevents
overextension and straining.
there’s a snap-on attachment
for lefties. COST: $149
ZOHO CRM
Zoho is entirely web based, so
it’s simple to set up and use.
(the free version of SugarCrM
runs online, but you still have to
download and install some complicated code.) Zoho CrM also
integrates seamlessly with other
Zoho programs, such as e-mail
and web conferencing. If you
have more than three users, you
will need Zoho CrM pro, which
includes e-mail marketing
features and runs $12 per user
per month. —John Brandon
portable power
A netbook with juice
Netbooks are fine for viewing websites
and checking e-mail but not so great
for editing photos, creating powerpoint
presentations, or watching high-def
movies. the lenovo S12 changes that,
thanks to the NVIDIa IoN chipset, the
same chip used in the apple Macbook.
the S12 has only 1Gb of raM and a
160Gb hard drive, but the chip makes
it powerful enough to run windows 7.
other perks include a 12-inch screen,
a full-size keyboard, and up to six
hours of battery life. Yet it has a
decidedly netbook-like weight of
3. 4 pounds. COST: $429
