Left-handed keyboards are a rarity, even for left-handed people… and that’s a shame. Beyond just being better-suited for southpaws, left-handed keyboards actually have a whole host of benefits for right-handers as well. Today, we’re looking at one such Left-handed Keyboard, which has arrived recently at KeyboardCo.
Left-handed keyboards aren’t completely reversed of course — they just have their number pads on the left-hand side. You can see what this looks like above, and it’s basically what you would expect. You type normally with both hands, and use your left hand to enter numbers or press keys like Print Screen.
So why left-handed? Well, it’s great for entering numbers and using a mouse at the same time, like when you’re entering data into a table or spreadsheet. You also have easy access to the tab key, which is normally far away from the number pad.
Having the numberpad on the left also provides the same comfortable ergonomics that a tenkeyless (no number pad) keyboard provides. You can keep your mouse directly ahead of you, instead of off to the right hand side, which is a much more comfortable position.
This particular keyboard has other ergonomic benefits too. Its keys become slightly raised in the centre, and each is slightly angled. The idea is that you place your elbows slightly wider, with your fingers angled towards the centre. This posture feels more comfortable, and the difference is slight enough that learning the new positioning is a matter of minutes instead of hours or days. It looks a bit odd, but it makes a lot of sense ergonomically.
There are other handy features here too. For example, there are a selection of shortcut keys that run across the top of the keyboard, letting you access your internet browser, perform a search or adjust your volume without using the mouse. This keeps your hands on your keyboard, minimising distraction.
The right hand side of the keyboard is also a bit thinner than you’d expect, with home and end near the top, and page up, page down and delete all in a line above the full-size cursor keys. You’ll also note the handy LED indicators for Caps, Scroll and Num lock on the right hand side.
The Black Left-Handed Keypad Keyboard is a pretty comfortable keyboard to use, and I hope we see more keyboards in future that use it for design inspiration. If you’re interested in picking one up for yourself, click the link below.
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