More specifically, this one, supplied by getDigital.de.

After reading Jeff Atwoods notes, here, and recalling the good feel of a genuine IBM keyboard clattering away as I typed (I guess I'm showing my age again). Also after a not very pleasant interlude with a Microsoft natural keyboard, I decided that perhaps you do get what you pay for, and spent one hundred thirteen Euros, near as dammit the same in UK pounds, on a dasKeyboard. Attempting to transition to a Dvorak layout, I (quite possibly foolishly) selected the blank keyboard, i.e. no key engravings, thinking I could make up some drawings and use them when needed.

I've now had the thing for a few days (good delivery time from Germany, it beat an item I ordered from Lancashire about the same time) and I'm beginning to form a view on it. Anothers review at techreport.com if you want more technical content.

General feel. Compared to my M$ natural it definately feels cramped in the horizontal direction. My hands do feel turned in (out?) at the wrists (my original reason for trying the natural keyboard). That apart I do like the key response. Firm'ish, just the right amount of travel. The clackety-clack I can stand, the twang of the springs is most definately heard, though I don't find it intrusive. It does feel like a quality bit of kit and I'm hopeful of it lasting quite a while, though no warranty period mentioned on the getdigital.de site! It appears that they are classic box shifters, since when I asked if they had any drawings, they simply referred me to the daskeyboard.com site... who haven't yet managed a sensible answer. So much for getting support when you pay a little more?

Other things of note. Two usb ports on the rhs of the keyboard, I found useful for my Wacom tablet (since I had to draw the keyboard layout myself).

Whilst working out how to draw a layout, I decided to take a photograph of the keyboard, see flickr. You may note the 'glossy' (to say the least) base of the keyboard. At a glance looks nice. In use reflects the desk light I have above my desk. I'm sure some salesman thought it appropriate. The actual keys are matt black and no problem. I don't like the shiny surface though. Key spacing is good, and for Dvorak use, I seem to find it easier with this layout than the natural, which is probably what the Dvorak layout was designed for..... in retrospect! Very minor niggle about the repeat rate? I'm led to believe it is as much a factor of software as hardware, but I'm suspicious. It just seems to run away whenever I hold a key for a fraction of a second too long

$kbrate

sets it to a default rate on my system, or so it says.

Using kbdrate without any options will reset the repeat rate to 10.9 characters per second (cps) and the delay to 250 milliseconds (ms) for Intel- and M68K-based systems. These are the IBM defaults.

Which would be fine.. except it somehow seems faster!

Finally the lack of engraved keytops? For normal typing, no problem as I'm sure most of us do not, in general, watch the keyboard when typing plain text. For password entry, the corner cases - those keys we don't use quite so much? I was in the habit of looking down. Now I'm trying to break the habit and use memory. Not easy, but it is coming. Numbers - 8 from 9 from 0. Some of the punctuation characters. That's why I wanted a keyboard... sorry, key symbol, map around. I think this keyboard is going to let me move to Dvorak sooner rather than later.

Would I recommend it? At the moment I'm 50:50. If it proves to be reliable, possibly.