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Keyboards
In general, laptop keyboards are undersized and can become unbearable after extended use. But there's a convenient solution: an external keyboard, which plugs into one of your laptop's USB ports. Many full-size keyboards are portable enough to bring on the road, so you can have the pleasure of hot keys, numeric keypads, and bigger keys. Work on your laptop without heading into the carpal tunnel.
 
Spillproof, dustproof, highly portable, and cool-looking, if only the Manhattan True-Touch Roll-Up keyboard were more comfortable to type on. There's no setup to speak of--simply unroll the keyboard, plug it into a USB port (a PS/2 adapter is included), and type away. It's a 108-key QWERTY keyboard with a keypad and the standard Home, End, and other command buttons. The spacebar is split into three keys--one long bar flanked by two normal-size keys, which makes the board more foldable but also makes it harder to hit the spacebar accurately. The particularly flat nature of the keyboard makes it fairly uncomfortable to type on; pressing the keys requires a very firm touch. The portability of the keyboard makes it a great accompaniment for travel, but it's not suitable for everyday use.
Chronic cup-spillers may never have to buy another keyboard again. A steal at only $14, the Keyboard for Life's "sealed membrane" allows liquid to run through the keyboard without damaging the internal electronics. But don't think you can operate it while swimming; after a spill, you'll have to shut down and let the keyboard dry before using it. If it should fizzle after getting doused, Kensington offers a lifetime warranty and free technical support. The Keyboard for Life is compatible with PS/2 and USB, and it works with machines equipped with Microsoft Windows 98 or later but offers no Mac support.
The compact Kensington SlimType Keyboard connects via USB 2.0 to your laptop and combines the responsiveness of a full-size keyboard with the convenience of hot keys and a number keypad, which some laptops lack. The $29 SlimType has a row of silver buttons along the top edge that provide convenient access to the audio volume, the media player controls, the Windows calculator, and your laptop's sleep mode. We found that the media controls were compatible with RealOne, Windows Media, and Musicmatch players, but they couldn't be used to navigate the playlist of a streaming music player such as Rhapsody. We had no problem installing the SlimType on a Windows XP machine--we plugged it into a USB slot, and the computer identified it immediately. It's compatible with Windows 2000 but not earlier versions; Kensington's Web site provides drivers for Mac OS X users.
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See USB flash drives
