TypeMatrix EZ-Reach 2030 Dvorak

I’ve had the TypeMatrix EZ-Reach 2030 Dvorak keyboard for a month.

I’m still not typing as fast as when I use a normal desktop or laptop keyboard.  By having all the vowels on the left side of the keyboard, the TypeMatrix splits the keystrokes between hands in a more equitable fashion — lots of alternating hand keystrokes because of its Dvorak layout.  Being slower helps a little because I can reformulate a sentence ten times in my head before I finish typing it.  It’s frustrating when I know exactly what I want to type.

The keyboard is ok, not great. It is similar to a laptop keyboard in size and feel. You may hate it if you feel laptop keyboards are too cramped and don’t provide adequate tactile feedback.  The Tab key is too small.  The Delete key is in an awkward spot.  The function keys are ridiculously tiny.

The TypeMatrix [Fn]-[Cut], [Fn]-[Copy], and [Fn]-[Paste] special keyboard combos sometimes misbehave when I’m editing a file or don’t work at all in some programs. When I notice that the TypeMatrix [Fn]-[Copy] and [Fn]-[Paste] is acting strange, I can no longer do a quick [Ctrl]-[C] and [Ctrl]-[V] with my left hand — I have to stretch my right hand out to do a slow [Ctrl]-[C] and [Ctrl]-[V] or use both hands.  Some of my favorite keyboard shortcuts and macros are harder to do when using different IDES and other editors.

Overall, the keyboard is annoying to use since I could type at a much higher rate on a normal keyboard. Perhaps the EZ-Reach 2020 would have been better with its wider layout, but it wouldn’t be nearly as portable.