The rising rate of injuries due to repetitive stress and carpal tunnel syndrome from frequent typing and keyboard use have made numerous people ask if there is an alternative to standard keyboards. Every profession has its equipment and tools of the trade, including typing. The keyboards we find everywhere really aren't the best ones to use and those who type a lot or work at home in writing or data entry positions should invest in appropriate equipment for the task.

Finding a keyboard with a V-shape form would be a great start. They're commonly referred to as ergonomic keyboards, and they make it easy for you to place your hands in a more natural position for typing so the wrist isn't skewed towards the littlest fingers.

Split keyboards take it one step further. They're sold in three different kinds: fixed, adjustable, and contoured. Fixed-split keyboards are actually split apart, coming in two or three pieces, and each person has the ability to set each section of keyboard in the position that's perfect for her or him, so they can more easily maintain the comfortable, proper position from fingertips to elbow. Adjustable-split keyboards also can be adjusted to be on an angle, tilting the vertical center raise. Contoured keyboards receive the prize for being typist-friendly, because they're not only split and angle-adjustable, but the very position of the keys themselves is laid out in curves for perfect finger placement.

And the list of alternative keyboards continues on and on.

Vertical keyboards are split too, only this sort of keyboards are set upright, so the typist's hands are in a hand-shaking position.

Dvorak keyboards are less complicated, they have a different alphabetic arrangement than the QWERTY keyboard that does a better job at evenly distributing typing between all the fingers. Several men and women have made the switch for ergonomic purposes and have discovered that switching over was easier than they thought it would be.

Chording keyboards close off the parade of alternative keyboards for typists, these types use combinations of keys that represent letters, numbers, and even words. Think of playing chords on a piano to obtain a sound, and you have grasped the basic principle of a chording keyboard. The user can position the keypads as they want, and there is not as much finger movement involved, but, these types of keyboards require training and reduce typing speed.

To see whether your current keyboard is keeping you up to speed, go see the About Us page and complete a quick typing test.