DKTBoard

Received my Everglide DKTboard Keyboard today. Had been reading about the DKTBoard for some time, but it has only just become available in the UK (although at the moment the US layout is still the only version available - see below).

Initial impressions are that it's a great little keyboard - and I do mean little this is one of the most compact keyboards (sporting full size keys and a numeric pad) that I have used.

Two of the DKTboard's main selling points are

Compact aluminium (read tough and light) frame - great for lugging it around to sites (I work as an IT Consultant all over the UK - so I will get to test this premise pretty extensively).

Backlight Keys for use in dark environments (e.g. at home or that LAN Party you attend).

Can well believe that the DKTboard will be nigh on indestructible (although the keys themselves will undoubtedly still be liable to damage if not treated with reasonable care).

The backlighting is however completely convincing and is the best implementation of backlighting I have seen (I include this in my comparisons section below when looking at the wholly inadequate Razer Lycosa - probably one of the biggest disappointments in my purchasing history).

The backlighting is switchable (i.e. on and off and my only criticism is that it may be a tad to bright and there is no dimmed option - take note Everglide - Although having said that - too bright is far better than too dim).

For anybody that is interested the backlighting projects as a blue grid separating the keys (but additionally like the Lycosa (but a much improved implementation) the characters on the Keys are also backlight, This makes it extremely easy to identify keys in a darkened environment (if you are a semi touch typist like me this is a real bonus).

The typing feel on the DKTboard is a a sort of middle of the road affair, the keys themselves have a nice matte finish that means they are effectively non - slip and positive to touch. The throw (or depth) of the key presses is half way between a standard key press (e.g. cheopo keyboard you get at work, almost any Microsoft Keyboard and back again to the Razer Lycosa) and my preferred style of fairly flat laptop style keyboards (most Keysonic keyboards and my ultimate keyboard - the Enermax Aurora).

The final point I want to make about the DKTboard is something I have already mentioned - the US layout. I was slightly worried that this would be extremely off putting, but as the keyboard adopts the UK layout in software anyway, the only real problem is that a few of the symbols (most obviously the British pond symbol and the @ symbol are in their normal positions but the keyboard obviously shows different symbols).

I was going to say this is not a huge problem if you are a touch (or semi touch) typist, but if you constantly have to look at the keys as you type then this may become slightly distracting. Also as a quick fix in layout aware programs (such as Word) if you Press Left Alt and Shift together then you can swap the layouts (in the UK this appears to swap between UK and US Keyboard layouts).

Overall I give the DKTboard 4.5/5.

Doesn't quite match my Keysonic and Enermax Aurora for typing comfort, but the rugged frame and backlighting almost make up for this.

If Everglide ever do a DKTboard 2 and give it shorter throw laptop style keys (using X - Scissors technology as on the Keysonic and Enermax boards) then it could possibly be the 'Best Keyboard in the world'.