自从我在 1994 年看到第一代自然键盘以来，我一直是(Natural Keyboard)微软(Microsoft)人体工学键盘的忠实粉丝。由于我打字很多，通常每分钟大约 110 个字，符合人体工程学的形状对我来说有很大的不同. 但我知道，完全符合人体工程学的形状并不适合所有人，而且当你第一次尝试时，有一个明确的学习曲线。(learning curve)微软(Microsoft)还有其他符合人体工程学的键盘，在我看来，Sculpt Touch 键盘(Sculpt Touch Keyboard)对于那些想要更方便手的布局但又不想一直使用Natural 键盘(Natural keyboard)系列的人来说是一个完美的模型。所以我非常有兴趣尝试一下，看看我的想法是否正确。
Microsoft Sculpt Comfort -(Box)开箱即用
让我暂时切线向您展示我的桌面。是的，我喜欢自然键盘(Natural Keyboards)。🙂
我找不到这个键盘的任何好的拆箱视频(unboxing videos)。Microsoft自己的产品指南(product guide)在此处，其中包含(here)Silverlight中的简短视频。您需要先安装它，然后才能观看视频并重新启动计算机，才能成功完成Silverlight 安装。(Silverlight installation)
但让我们回到Microsoft Sculpt Comfort键盘：这是盒子 - 另一个Microsoft有吸引力的包装示例。请不要看我手机(cell phone)照片的质量！
以下是包装盒内的物品——键盘(box—the keyboard)、无线加密狗(wireless dongle)和多种语言的简要说明指南。(instruction guide)空格键上的蓝色标签是有原因的，我稍后会谈到。键盘本身非常轻薄。我担心它在我打字时可能不会固定在原位，但它有几个橡胶脚可以将其牢固地固定在原位。
当你把键盘翻过来的时候，你会看到一条带箭头的纸条从电池仓(battery compartment)里伸出来。这是为了防止在键盘等待出售时电池电量耗尽。再一次，它们是金霸王(Duracell)电池，应该可以使用很长时间。
您还可以看到翻转以抬起键盘前缘的小脚，以及带有图标的开关，使其看起来像是用于锁定和解锁键盘。我稍后也会讨论这些项目。
在Windows 8中安装Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
要安装键盘，我认为我所要做的就是为它找到空间（这是最难的部分）🙂然后插入无线加密狗(wireless dongle)。然而，在上网本上的安装有点不太成功。它没有自动安装；我不得不打电话给鼠标和键盘中心(Mouse and Keyboard Center)。当我这样做时，设备管理器(Device Manager)说它正在下载和安装文件，然后它消失了，鼠标和键盘(Mouse and Keyboard) 中心(Center)告诉我没有连接微软(Microsoft)设备。
我尝试了故障排除，但没有成功，发现Microsoft没有在其网站(web site)上提供此键盘的驱动程序。不过，作为一个实验，我尝试触摸各个键，键盘似乎可以正常工作。
然后我使用了久经考验的修复 Windows 方法来关闭计算机并重新启动它。这次当我检查Devices时，键盘出现了。但不是名称，只是作为通用无线键盘(wireless keyboard)。
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而且我仍然从鼠标和键盘中心(Mouse and Keyboard Center)收到消息，没有连接任何Microsoft设备。尽管如此，键盘确实可以工作，除了一个键，当我谈到键盘的功能时，我会解释。
在Windows 7中安装Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
在我的 Windows 7 桌面上安装同样令人困惑。我收到设备驱动程序已成功安装的消息，但是当我打开鼠标和键盘中心(Mouse and Keyboard Center)时，没有出现Sculpt 舒适键盘（我的旧 Microsoft(Sculpt Comfort Keyboard)自然键盘(Natural Keyboard)出现了）。我让Windows找到新的键盘，过了一会儿，无线转发器(wireless transponder)出现了，但键盘本身没有出现。
微软(Microsoft)的帮助说要确保没有其他设备干扰，所以作为一个实验，我拔掉了我的Natural Keyboard，我把它放在一边而不是断开它。这没有任何区别，鼠标和键盘中心(Mouse and Keyboard Center)现在说我没有连接任何Microsoft设备。
尽管如此，键盘仍在工作。我所能做的就是耸耸肩，继续前进(shrug and move)。
我做了一些研究，似乎没有特定的驱动程序，因为这个键盘只需要通用的键盘驱动程序。因此，您应该将其插入并重新启动计算机，并且即使它被识别为通用键盘，而不是Microsoft Sculpt Comfort ，它也应该很快被检测到并且可以正常工作。微软(Microsoft)的一个奇怪的方法，但这意味着它应该也适用于Linux 和 Mac OS(Linux and Mac OS X) X。
在Mac OS X中安装Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
Microsoft Sculpt Comfort 键盘(Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Keyboard)的安装方式与任何其他非 Apple 键盘一样。OS X有一个过程可以识别键盘的工作方式。您所要做的就是按要求按的键。
然后你告诉它你正在使用什么样的键盘，你就可以开始了。
正如预期的那样，该键盘在Mac OS X(Mac OS X)中也能很好地工作，尽管微软(Microsoft)没有说他们为这个操作系统(operating system)提供官方支持。
在Microsoft Sculpt Comfort(Microsoft Sculpt Comfort)上打字
Sculpt 舒适键盘(Sculpt Comfort Keyboard)的触感非常轻巧（我正在使用它来输入这篇评论）。你不需要敲打它，这样你的手就不会累了。Shift、Enter、Backspace 和 Delete 键(Backspace and Delete keys)特别大，这无疑增加了整体的易用性。在数字小键盘的正上方，您会看到一个拨动开关。(Right)
这使您可以将最顶行的键设置为通常的一组功能键，或一组特殊的Windows 8命令键。Windows 8命令的一些图标相当神秘。
从左到右，它们是开始/暂停（用于视频）、关闭音量、打开音量、增大音量(volume louder)、搜索、共享、设备、设置、从左侧滑动、左侧边栏（下一个键没有做任何事情，所以我不知道图标代表什么），然后向下滑动。
Microsoft还将用于切换插入/改写的Insert 键(Insert key)移至该行，您需要将开关置于“ Fkey ”位置才能使其正常工作。我不认为很多人仍然在insert 和 overtype(insert and overtype)之间切换，但是让它成为一个非此即彼的选择似乎是一种耻辱。
所有的键都正确响应。将开关置于Windows 8位置时，所有标记的键都完成了它们应该做的事情，除了我上面提到的一个键。这些非常方便，尤其是Search 键(Search key)。在Windows 7中，该开关位于Windows 8位置，正如我所料，除了PrtScn 键(PrtScn key)（对于捕获屏幕截图非常有用）和Calculator 键(Calculator key)之外，顶行的键都没有做任何事情。我将开关拨到另一个位置，这些键用作功能键，而且计算器键(Calculator key)仍处于活动状态。
有趣的是，在Mac上，Windows 8设置是有效的，而在(Windows 8)Windows 8上不起作用的键实际上做了一些事情——它将所有打开的窗口移出桌面（任务控制(Mission Control)）。按向下滑动键切换到仪表板(Dashboard)（我从未实际使用过的小部件停放屏幕）。(widget-parking screen)
拨动开关(toggle switch)右侧的小图标是电池指示灯(battery indicator)。我认为它应该表明您的电池电量何时变低。当我从电池上取下条带时，它短暂地发光，此后没有做任何事情。
桌面上的键盘放置(Keyboard placement)是一个非常私人的问题，有多种选择。
- 您可以将其平放在桌面上，使按键具有最小的人体工程学形状。键盘中部略微抬高，按键以柔和的曲线排列，让您的双手处于更加放松自然的位置。
- 您可以使用向下折叠的支脚将键盘的前部略微向上倾斜。这是我多年来一直使用的职位。它看起来并不直观，特别是对于像我这样学会在键盘前部低于后部的标准打字机(standard typewriter)上打字的人来说，但它非常舒适并且有助于防止你的手指向上弯曲，这有助于手腕问题。
- 您可以将软垫放在键盘正面，也可以将其取下，让键盘变得更小、更轻。这就是底部的lock/unlock switch您将开关滑动到解锁位置并将其保持在那里（它不会锁定），同时拉下带衬垫的支架。这有点困难，我不确定为什么开关没有锁定在解锁位置。而且由于脚在软垫上，如果你把它拿下来，你就失去了抬起键盘前部的选择。
然后是那个拆分空格键(split spacebar)。这是一个我还没有下定决心的功能，因为我被教导只能用右手拇指按下空格键。如果你按住空格键的两半三秒钟，之后你可以使用它的左半边作为退格键(backspace key)。我认为一般的想法是用你的左手拇指退格。对我来说，作为一名触控打字员这么多年，在其通常的位置按下退格键并不是一件苦差事。(backspace key)对于没有像我一样多练习擦除错误的人来说，这可能是一个更有用的功能。🙂
结论
微软(Microsoft)的设计团队显然在(design team)Sculpt 舒适键盘(Sculpt Comfort Keyboard)的设计上投入了很多心思。它非常容易上手，并提供了许多非常有用的功能。我不确定为什么任何一个Windows 系统(Windows system)都没有正确识别键盘。最终没关系，因为虽然没有得到官方认可，但键盘确实可以正常工作，但缺乏正确的识别仍然是一个难题。我采取了“如果它没有坏，就不要修复它”的方法并继续进行。
判决
如果您正在寻找符合人体工程学的键盘，但又不想对您现在拥有的标准布局键盘做出巨大改变，那么(standard layout keyboard)Sculpt 舒适键盘(Sculpt Comfort Keyboard)应该是一个非常容易实现的过渡。做工和设计(workmanship and design)的质量非常好，键盘本身并不昂贵，尤其是当你购买它时。不过，一定要给它一些时间，特别是如果你是一名打字员。您的手指很可能不会立即找到合适的位置，但很快就会掌握它。我能够在短短几分钟内从自然键盘更极端的人体工程学布局切换到这个布局。(Natural Keyboard's)
The Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Keyboard Review - Is it a Good Keyboard?
I have been a major fan of Microsoft's ergonomic keyboards ever since I saw the first generation Natural Keyboard in 1994. Since I type a lot, and usually at about 110 words a minute, having the ergonomic shape made a lot of difference for me. But I know that the full ergonomic shape is not for everyone, and there is a definite learning curve when you first try one out. Microsoft has other ergonomic keyboards, and it looked to me as if the Sculpt Touch Keyboard would be a perfect model for someone who wants a more hand-friendly layout but doesn't want to go all the way to the Natural keyboard series. So I was very interested to try it out and see if what I thought was correct.
The Microsoft Sculpt Comfort - Out of the Box
Let me just go off on a tangent for a moment to show you my desktop. Yes indeed, I love Natural Keyboards. 🙂
I could not find any good unboxing videos for this keyboard. Microsoft's own product guide is here and it includes a brief videom in Silverlight. You will need to install it before you can watch the video and reboot your computer in order for the Silverlight installation to be completed successfully.
But let's get back to the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort keyboard: here is the box - another example of Microsoft's attractive packaging. Don't go by the quality of my cell phone photos, please!
And here are the contents of the box—the keyboard, the wireless dongle and a brief instruction guide in several languages. There is a reason for that blue sticker on the spacebar, and I will get to that in a moment. The keyboard itself is surprisingly thin and lightweight. I was concerned that it might not stay in place while I typed, but it has several rubberized feet that keep it securely in place.
When you turn the keyboard over, you'll see a strip of paper with an arrow on it poking out of the battery compartment. This is placed to keep the batteries from running down while the keyboard is waiting to be sold. Once again, they are Duracell batteries, which should last quite a while.
You can also see the little feet that flip out to raise the front edge of the keyboard, and a switch with icons that make it look like it's used to lock and unlock the keyboard. I'll talk about these items in a moment as well.
Installing the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort in Windows 8
To install the keyboard, I thought that all I had to do was find space for it (that was the hardest part) 🙂 then plug in the wireless dongle. However, installation on the netbook was somewhat less than successful. It did not install automatically; I had to call up the Mouse and Keyboard Center. When I did this, the Device Manager said it was downloading and installing files, and then it vanished and the Mouse and Keyboard Center told me that I had no Microsoft devices connected.
I tried troubleshooting with no success, and found out that Microsoft does not provide drivers for this keyboard on their web site. As an experiment, though, I tried touching the various keys and the keyboard appeared to be working.
Then I used the tried-and-true fix-Windows approach of shutting the computer down and restarting it. This time when I checked Devices, the keyboard showed up. But not by name, just as a generic wireless keyboard.
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And I still got the message from Mouse and Keyboard Center that no Microsoft devices were attached. Nevertheless, the keyboard did work, with the exception of one key, as I'll explain when I talk about the keyboard's features.
Installing the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort in Windows 7
Installing on my Windows 7 desktop was just as confusing. I got the message that the device drivers had installed successfully, but when I opened the Mouse and Keyboard Center, the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard did not appear (my old Microsoft Natural Keyboard did). I asked Windows to find the new keyboard, and after a bit, the wireless transponder showed up, but not the keyboard itself.
Microsoft's help said to make sure that no other device was interfering, so as an experiment I unplugged my Natural Keyboard, which I had set aside rather than disconnecting it. This didn't make any difference, and the Mouse and Keyboard Center now said that I had no Microsoft devices connected.
Nevertheless, the keyboard was working. All I could do was shrug and move on.
I did a bit of research and it seems that there no specific drivers for it, because this keyboard only needs generic keyboard drivers. Therefore, you should plug it in, restart the computer and it should be detected shortly and work well even though it is identified as a generic keyboard, not as Microsoft Sculpt Comfort. A strange approach from Microsoft's part but this means it should work well also with Linux and Mac OS X.
Installing the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort in Mac OS X
The Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Keyboard installed like any other non-Apple keyboard. There's a process by which OS X recognizes how the keyboard works. All you do is press the keys you're asked to press.
Then you tell it what kind of keyboard you are using, and you're set to go.
As expected, the keyboard also worked well in Mac OS X, even though Microsoft doesn't say that they provide official support for this operating system.
Typing away on the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort
The Sculpt Comfort Keyboard has a very light touch (I am using it to type this review). You don't need to pound on it, which keeps your hands from getting tired. The Shift, Enter, Backspace and Delete keys are especially large, which definitely adds to the overall ease of use. Right above the numeric keypad, you'll see a toggle switch.
This lets you set the keys on the very top row to be the usual set of function keys, or a special set of Windows 8 command keys. Some of the icons for the Windows 8 commands are rather cryptic.
From left to right they are start/pause (for videos), volume off, volume on, volume louder, search, share, devices, settings, swipe from left, left sidebar, (the next key didn't do anything, so I don't know what the icon represents), and swipe down.
Microsoft also moved the Insert key, which toggles insert/overtype, to this row, and you need to have the switch in the "Fkey" position for this to work. I don't think many people still toggle between insert and overtype, but it seems a shame to make it an either-or choice.
All the keys responded properly. With the switch in the Windows 8 position, all the labeled keys did what they were supposed to do, except for the one key I noted above. Those were very handy, especially the Search key. In Windows 7, with that switch in the Windows 8 position, as I expected, none of the top row of keys did anything, with the exception of the PrtScn key (very useful for capturing screenshots) and the Calculator key. I flipped the switch to the other position and the keys worked as function keys, plus the Calculator key was still active.
Interestingly, on the Mac the Windows 8 setting was the one that worked, and the key that didn't work on Windows 8 did actually do something—it moved all the open windows off the desktop (Mission Control). Pressing the swipe-down key switched over to the Dashboard (the widget-parking screen that I've never actually used).
The little icon to the right of the toggle switch is a battery indicator. I think it is supposed to indicate when your battery is getting low. It glowed briefly when I pulled the strip off the batteries and hasn't done anything since.
Keyboard placement on a desk is a very personal issue, and there are several options available.
- You can put it flat on your desktop, giving the keys the minimal ergonomic shape. The center of the keyboard rises up a little and the keys are arranged in a gentle curve that leaves your hands in a more relaxed and natural position.
- You can angle the front of the keyboard slightly upwards with the fold-down feet. This is the position I've been using for years. It doesn't look intuitive, especially for someone like me who learned to type on a standard typewriter where the front of the keyboard is lower than the back, but it's very comfortable and helps keep you from arching your fingers up, which can contribute to wrist problems.
- You can have the padded rest on the front of the keyboard, or you can take it off, making the keyboard even smaller and lighter. That is what the lock/unlock switch on the bottom is for. You slide the switch to the unlock position and hold it there (it doesn't latch) while you pull the padded rest off. That's a bit of a struggle and I'm not sure why the switch doesn't latch in the unlocked position. And since the feet are on the padded rest, if you take it off you lose the option to raise the front of the keyboard.
And then there is that split spacebar. This is a feature I haven't made up my mind about, since I was taught to press the spacebar only with my right thumb. If you hold down the two halves of the spacebar for three seconds, afterwards you can use the left half of it as a backspace key. I think the general idea was to backspace with your left thumb. For me, after all these years as a touch typist, hitting the backspace key in its usual position is no chore. This might be a feature more useful to people who haven't had as much practice erasing mistakes as I have. 🙂
Conclusions
Microsoft's design team has clearly put a lot of thought into the design of the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard. It's delightfully easy on the hands and offers a lot of very useful features. I am not sure why the keyboard was not properly identified by either Windows system. It didn't matter in the end, because the keyboard did work fine despite not getting official recognition, but the lack of proper identification remains a puzzle. I took the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and carried on.
Verdict
If you're looking for an ergonomic keyboard but don't want to make a huge change from the standard layout keyboard you now have, the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard should be a very easy transition to make. The quality of the workmanship and design is excellent and the keyboard itself is not expensive, especially with all you get when you buy it. Do give it some time, though, especially if you are a touch typist. Your fingers will very likely not find the proper places right away, but it should not take long to get the hang of it. I was able to make the switch from the Natural Keyboard's more extreme ergonomic layout to this one in just a few minutes.
