Ralf, the PSK 5000 is the quietest keyboard I have ever experienced. However, the volume control buttons don't bring up the bars seen with every other keyboard I've used. No software! A keyboard with no software! For $39 dollars I expected software - and volume bars!!

Very quiet keyboard but I need those volume bars.

Sorry can't help you there. I don't know what's supposed to happen when you press one of those volume bars since I don't use them and I didn't get any software with my keyboard either. Somehow the idea of getiing software with a keyboard never even occured to me. You get the keyboard, take it out of the box, plug it in, boot up and start typing. That's all I've ever done. Actually I think this PSK5000 is the first keyboard I've ever had that has anything but standard keys on it.

Sorry about that.

BTW CHHAS started another thread here about another keyboard, Logitech UltraX.

It's deifnitely possible, an old Sun workstation I used to work on years ago had a very nice quiet, smooth feeling keyboard. A real pleasure to use. They were about £300 a pop though (for replacement parts)

Cant find the PSK5000 in uk what is the manufacturer name??? Are there any other names for it? I like the kb alot esp the usb ports. Im currently using Microsofts Natural Keyboard Pro and it has a usb hub which i find very useful to plug my mouse into.

If not its gonna have to be logitecs version. Which looks just as sexie but without the usb hub which i think i'd be able to live without.

Seal

some laptops have very special keyboards, they don´t make a sound

The only two places I've ever seen it for sale both call it the PSK5000.

You can get the Mac version (same as the PSK5000 except there's an "Apple" key instead of a "Windows" key and it's white. I almost bought one of these before I found the PSK5000) from here, and probably other place in the UK too. It's got better distribution in it's Mac incarnation then it does as a Windows keyboard. Go figure.

Does anyone know of a quiet wireless version of either the PSK5000 or UltraX?

Yeah, the new logitec bluetooth set, very sexie and i really want it but it has a pricetag to match its called dinovo and is about £150, or $230+.

I thought Edward Ng found a cheaper and quieter alternative, also from Logitech? Not as sleek looking though.

Edit : found it.

This thread just won't die

By the way, I found what looks like the PSK5000 here at Excaliber PC. They have the UltraX as well. The nice thing about this store is that they not only offer local pickup (Fremont, just North of San Jose) they even offer cash discount. No affiliation, I never even bought anything from them before.

Thanks, I'll swing by Office Depot or Best Buy and see if they have a quiet Logitech keyboard. Hopefully I'll like something under $100.

Just thought I'd give my 2 pence worth... Just had to replace a logitech internet navigator (it stopped just working!), I ended up getting a microsoft multimedia keyboard purely because it was cheap and wasn't beige but it turned out it's a much quieter keyboard.

I've bought a couple of PSK5000's and a couple of UltraX's from ExcaliberPC. I've had great luck with them. Fast shipping and fairly cheap shipping as well. Their price on the UltraX is $8-13 less than the few other places that even carry this keyboard.

So, Ralf (or for that matter, anyone who owns both):

Can you describe in brief the differences between the PSK5000 and the UltraX, and pick an overall winner?

I'd really appreciate a head-to-head comparison.

I will also appreciate that comparison Ralf. I need to get a quiter keyboard/mouse.

Thanks,
Chris

I've already done that, either at the beginning of this thread or in the other giant "quiet keyboard" thread but:

The UltraX and the PSK5000 seem to be physically the same identical keyboard except for one difference. The UltraX is a PS/2 keyboard and the PSK5000 is a USB keyboard. Personally, I prefer a PS/2 keyboard because 1) I use an expensive DVI KVM which is PS/2, and 2) I frequently work in a non-Windows environment and don't always have USB driver support. Otherwise it's a toss-up. Both are great keyboards, and the quietest I've ever found, in my endless quest for a standard-layout, quiet keyboard.

Is there anybody that knows of a quiet mini-keyboard? That is, a keyboard without a numpad and with a length of about 30cm/12" or 35cm/14".

So Ralf, What mouse do you use with your PSK5000 and UltraX?

I really like the MX700 alot, i REALLY love the front and back web side buttons and the up and down scroll buttons.

Is there anything like that that is quiet?

~RaNDoM

diNovo and PSK-3100U are two that I know of.

Newegg has some minis, but watch out for the damned Ins key.

here's one without the Ins key

303x163x22mm

Dunno how quiet it is, but I like the layout on this one. Not a mini though.

Errm, I'm a trackball guy so my mouse doesn't count.

(I use an MS Trackball Explorer, FWIW. It's clicks are as loud as a standard mouse but it doesn't bug me. I tend to use my keyboard in place of my mouse quite often. Keyboard shortcuts = 'da bomb)

I KNEW IT!! i was just thinking that Ralf seems like the trackball kind of person, dunno why.

btw, is there a webpage that has a list of all the keyboard shortcuts?

thx
~RaNDoM

I've never found anything particularly all-inclusive. I find stuff here and there. Keep in mind, there's not only Windows shortcuts, but most apps have their own keyboard shortcuts as well. Then there's also the up-and-coming "mouse gestures" that you can find in the Opera and Firesomething browsers.

Speaking of gestures, I've been quite fascinated with FingerWorks' iGesture Pad. Should be quite silent, with the exception of sounds of frustrated pounding and rabid cursing every once in a while.

For regular mouse I use a MX-310 which looks great besides my UltraX, but is unfortunately not quiet - and as a leftie I can't use those newfangled non symmetric mice without risk of serious injury to wrist.

As a quiet mouse alternative, I have gotten used to the Synaptics Touchpad on my laptop. You click and double-click by tapping on it with your fingers - no clicking sound at all, and it can even interpret simple gestures and launch applications based on them. There are buttons below the touchpad for left and right mouse click, but they're not silent. I haven't figured out if there is a way to do drag and drop or right click without using the buttons.

Anyone know of a quiet wireless keyboard (preferably RF, egronomic) or mouse (optical, with side buttons)? My desk is set up in an odd way, so wireless is a must. Thanks!

Yeah man, right here.

Here is a list for IE that you may find handy (a lot carry over to other apps also)

Just an update: I've been using the UltraX for over nine months now and still love it. Last week though, I added a Logitech MX 1000 to the equation and my man-machine interface is at a whole new level. The look and feel of both devices are wonderful, and they're a great match for each other. No more Microsoft peripherals on this desk, thank you.

My new problem, of course, is that my beige CRTs look shockingly ugly now. Time for an Apple display?

could anyone give a link for UK etailer of the UltraX keyboard? It will be much needed when my machine is quiet enough!

[EDIT] found link to specific thread with sam's two links - nuff said! [/EDIT] .me goes to order one!

Thx a bunch, i will try these out in Firefox when i get a chance

@Sam Williams
I just got the UltraX and the love the look and feel but the spacebar is uber loud everytime i hit it, it is a thuck, thuck unless i try and not hit it hard but my thumb is to fat to controll all the time and its loud alot=(

I am still using the MX700 and i love this duo the only real thing i miss is the circle volume controll from my MX duo keyboard.

also is there anyway to increase the speed when you hold backspace or and arrow button to make it move faster?

thx
~RaNDoM

Glad you like it! Hmm... If anything, the space bar is the -quietest- key for me during typing. I have a really fat thumb too, but I've just realised that my thumb tends to remain in light contact with the space bar while I'm in the middle of a word, so I just -push- the space bar, rather than ever really hitting it. Since the thumb then stays on the key as it rebounds, there's a lot of mass-damping as well. Stealthy!

Come to think of it, I think keyboard noise in general is more a function of typing style than it is of the keyboard. The UltraX does allow me to type more softly though.

---

I also found that my UltraX had a very low repeat rate - much lower than the Microsoft keyboards I was used to. The only method I'm aware of for adjusting this is:

Control Panel > Keyboard > Repeat Rate slider

I set it to maximum the day I got the keyboard :-)