Someone I know is happy with this compact, Cherry-based keyboard:
Paolo
Paolo:
Oh, sure. Where was this information before I doled out $150US for the Tactile Pro? =-)
Mechanical switches rule, and the keyboard you linked to has more USB ports than the TP2. It’s not an “extended” keyboard though, so the TP2 has the advantage there.
And I’d also like to get in on the Mighty Mouse conversation. I have mixed emotions. Never had a problem with the side buttons – I use them to call up Dashboard – and I like the whole buttonless thing on top. To that extent, it feels very Apple-like.
The scroll wheel (button? blob?) is annoying though. Great for the 65% of the time that it’s not all gummed up, and a pain in the arse for the other 35%.
SC
P.S. (OT): Just downloaded the new Safari and all the boxes around the buttons on this page are dark and cool looking. That’s kind of neat.
[quote=“AmberV”]
Does anyone still make a good sized trackball? I could never stand those tiny thumb sized ones, nor understood why they made the switch. How can one digit more suited for gripping and stabilising than manipulating be better than three highly dexterous digits?
Apparently the Kensington cat-hair collector I used to use has been replaced by an optical version, which should in theory be easier to keep clean than its mechanical predecessor. That’s the only full-size 'ball I could find. Logitech, Microsoft, and Kensington make various versions of compact trackballs. The one I use (which I’ll probably replace with a full-size Kensington) rolls its 2-inch ball with a finger or three while the scroll wheel and left and right mouse buttons belong to the thumb.
As for how this system can be “better?” Don’t know; not a doctor. But since I replaced my mouse with a trackball 12 years ago, I no longer need a doctor, nor a physical therapist, nor cortisone shots, nor constant painkillers, nor wrist braces, nor plaintive cries to my wife to come help me get the lid off the pickle jar. Now I’m back using lifty tools like chainsaws in my non-keyboarding time, and the only thing I changed in my work day was replacing a mouse with a trackball.
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Oh, I didn’t make myself clear. I fully understand how a trackball can save your arm. What I meant is that I didn’t understand why the industry moved from a large ball, with a great deal of fine control and the ability to use multiple fingers (decreasing finger strain), to a small one digit ball. Then I looked at the designs and realised why: buttons. They probably figured they could get more sales from potential mouse converts if the buttons looked remotely normal.
An undoubtedly stupid technical question:
I was reading a blog entry about the Tactile Pro 2, in which the author laments that the single USB 2 port is only good for a mouse.
While his complaint is a little overstated, it did get me wondering: If I plug my Mighty Mouse into the USB 2.0 port, will I get better performance? So I did. And I think I am getting smoother scrolling and more precise response out of the MM.
So to the techies in this forum: Is that my imagination? Can a USB 2 connection improve mouse performance?
Given Keith’s interest in purchasing a 23" / 24" monitor, in the near future it might become possible to open simultaneously more than two panes in Scrivener’s main editor …
Only if your USB 1 ports were flakey.
Dave
No, it won’t. 
Thanks for all the suggestions so far, I’m still pondering…
Keith,
I’m a fiction and academic writer, and though I write all my first drafts with a fountain pen, I spend endless hours at the keyboard. When I moved to my MacBook Pro, the only minus was the keyboard. It was really soft, and all that, but it didn’t have the response I was used to. Some weeks later, I developed all sorts of pains–neck, shoulder, wrist, you name it. Thus I started my quest for an external keyboard.
I literally tried dozens. None of them felt solid enough, or stable enough, or to give the necessary tactile feedback. Until I found a web site devoted to the old IBM Model M keyboards. I thought they were long gone (along with real wood for furniture, and real fruit for ice-cream). I found one on e-bay ($18 + shipping) that was practically new. I had to buy a PS/2 - USB adapter ($10). So the total was about $40 for the keyboard. It’s loud (I have my own studio, so I don’t mind), but the feeling is great. I can type for hours on end without feeling tired, and without getting the lap-top cramp. On top of that, it’s a keyboard made to last.
As for screens, get the biggest Apple cinema display you can afford.
To be honest, I’m perfectly happy with the standard keyboard that came with my Power PC G5. I never considered buying something else.
And my mouse is still the corded Logitech Mx 500: robust, reliable, perfect! And my next mouse will probably be again a Logitech. I have tried mice of various other brands (Microsoft, MacAlley, etc.), but I vastly prefer Logitech.
Since there is no category here for this, but it might be of interest of others here is a Mac product timeline: mactimeline.com/
Thanks 451. That’s awfully… um… random of you.
You might want to wait until Leopard comes out. Since it’s supposed to have resolution independence (which is the reasoning, they say, that the 17" MB pro got that screen resolution increase), there might be new, higher resolution Apple monitors. Of course, this is not based on any rumor or anything, just my speculation.
–rob
Oooo…another new Mac keyboard! 
http://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=2946
The description makes it sound a bit wimpy for those of us who love a good clickety-clack as we type, but for those who prefer style…
Well, if you want to get into the realm of luxury keyboards, The Optimus Maximus is not out yet, but looks to be the ultimate keyboard for any setup or language. Instead of printing what a key does onto the key, each one has a tiny high resolution display which can be programmed. So if the key types an ‘L’ it will display ‘L’, if it opens your favourite web browser, you can put the icon for that browser on it. Special setups can be created for individual programs (see their Photoshop layout in the demo section). You could have a Scrivener shortcut cheat sheet displayed right in the keyboard, adjusting itself as you press modifier keys. Like Apple’s laptop keyboards, it has an ambient light sensor which adjust the lighting of the keys as the room changes. It uses mechanical switch keys, but the FAQ does not mention how loud the tactile feedback is.
The price? A cool € 1256.86!
I wonder how it compares to a Macally Icekey. I do like the design of the Celesta, though. Very nice.
Cool? At today’s exchange rate that would be $1,680.05 USD!
That is what I wondered too, Studio717. They described the key action in pretty much the same way the IceKey is described. I’d love to get both of them side by side and see if it is really worth the extra $90.
One caveat, for me, are the two USB ports are located on the right-side. That’s a no-no as I plug two Griffin PowerMates into my current Apple keyboard. Hmmmm…