First, let’s cover the basics.

The keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard are grouped by function:

The typing keys (in yellow) include the alphanumeric characters that do most of your work. For the most part, they’re carried over from the layout of a typewriter’s keys.

The control keys (in red) can be used alone, or combined with other keys in keyboard shortcuts, which we’ll expand on below.

The function keys (in purple) are used to perform specific tasks depending on the program you’re using.

The navigation keys (in green) help you navigate through and edit a document or webpage. You can use the arrows to scroll carefully, or make larger jumps with Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down. Delete and Insert help you add or remove content quickly.

The numeric keypad (in blue) is available on most larger keyboards, and mimics a conventional calculator or adding machine. It’s handy for entering numbers quickly.

Now, breeze through your work with shortcuts.

Most of the programs you use will offer shortcuts to perform certain tasks more quickly than you can with a mouse. These shortcuts are often written as a combination of two keys. For example, the shortcut for copying content is “Ctrl+C”. To use this shortcut, you’ll hold down the “Ctrl” key, then press the “C” key.

These common keyboard shortcuts work across multiple programs:

Undo                Ctrl+Z
Cut                    Ctrl+X
Copy                 Ctrl+C
Paste                Ctrl+V
Delete               Del (sometimes Delete)

Find…                Ctrl+F
Find Next           F3
Replace…         Ctrl+H
Go to…               Ctrl+G

Select All            Ctrl+A

The first five are especially common, and you can use them in almost any Microsoft Office program. They’re great time-savers worth memorizing.

Next, make the ribbon reveal its secrets.

If you’re in a program that uses the ribbon, you can navigate menus using only your keyboard. Just press the “Alt” key. You should see overlays like the ones below. To get to a specific tab or function, press the key that’s listed in the overlay. In the example below, you would press “N” to switch to the “Insert” tab.

This is useful when removing your hands from the keyboard might cause an unnecessary disruption in your workflow. For instance, if you’re typing a lengthy document or entering a lot of data into a spreadsheet.

There’s more where that came from…

To become even more of a keyboard wiz, check out our full list of keyboard shortcuts.

Learn more about our keyboard offerings on www.microsoft.com/hardware.

- Hardware Team

1. Laptop
   This new class of ultra-fast, ultra-compact laptops is the new standard for mobile productivity. Models such as the Acer Aspire S3 running Windows 7 provide lightning-fast computing, all in a tiny package that has never looked so good.
   
2. Arc Touch Mouse
   The road is no place for superfluous wires and bulk. With the Arc Touch Mouse, you have a fully wireless mouse that folds flat for easy storage. What’s more, the Arc Touch Mouse’s BlueTrack Technology allows you to use your mouse on just about any surface, even the leg of that guy sleeping next to you on a train.
   
3. Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000
   Having a good Bluetooth keyboard is invaluable when it comes to remotely operating your computer during presentations, or just as a more ergonomic alternative to your laptop’s built-in keyboard. In addition, with Bluetooth technology, you get wireless connectivity while saving space in your computer’s USB array
   
4. LifeCam HD-6000 and LifeChat LX-3000
   As a mobile worker, the world is your office, so shouldn’t it have all the proper accouterments? With an HD webcam and USB headset, you can turn any place into a conference room, and now with the Skype Certified LifeCam HD-6000 and LifeChat LX-3000, you’ll feel like you are face to face no matter where you are.
   
   
   
5. Smartphone with Wi-Fi Hotspot capability
   We’ve all been there, you need to access the Internet but a Wi-Fi connection is nowhere to be found. Luckily, many phones such as a Windows Phone 7.5 feature an Internet sharing capability for laptops and other devices. With the press of a button, your phone turns into a wireless hotspot that can provide a shared Internet connection for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.²

– Hardware Team

Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000
“The only keyboard for me”

“This split keyboard took a short time to ‘catch on to’ but now I find it difficult to type on a straight keyboard. It is slightly sloped & has a good rest to elevate the heel of your hands. I find the split keyboard actually improves the speed of my typing as well.”
—Zilla

The Natural Ergo Keyboard is consistently a hit with users, and rates 4.6 out of five stars. In some studies ergonomic keyboards have been found to reduce the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition to comfort and support, enjoy easy access to files, folders, and web pages with handy hot keys.

Check out more features and reviews: http://bit.ly/wHhJBf

Arc Touch Mouse
“Best Mouse Ever!”

“I’ve used this mouse daily for almost a year and can honestly say it’s the best mouse I’ve ever used. Works great on ANY surface, feels great in your hand, and the fold-flat feature is perfect for traveling. And it looks fantastic too!”
—Trailrider

You don’t have to sacrifice style for performance with this gorgeous Arc Touch Mouse. You can use it just about anywhere, even on a rough wood surface or carpet, thanks to BlueTrack Technology. Portability is a breeze—flatten to turn it off, and slip it into your pocket or bag as easily as a cell phone.

Check out more features and reviews: http://bit.ly/zLLwtW

LifeCam Studio
“Extremely Impressive”

“This webcam is of extremely high quality. The picture quality is impeccable and it has a great built in microphone. It has a huge wide-angle view and is perfect for video chats with multiple people in front of this camera. It also features non-digital zoom.”
—davekats

We really mean it when we say this first-class product is the closest thing to being there. And our customers agree, rating LifeCam Studio with 4.8 out of 5 stars. Not only will you enjoy the amazing clarity and detail of HD video, thanks to Auto Focus your video is always crisp. Add TrueColor technology and the High-Fidelity Microphone, and you’ve got yourself a dream machine.

Check out more features and reviews: http://bit.ly/y3APDF

- Hardware Team

Today, Microsoft Hardware offers a more comfortable keyboard experience with the new Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 — the perfect balance of portability and comfort for both tablet and laptop users. Featuring an ergonomist-approved Comfort Curve design, the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 promotes a more natural wrist posture whether you’re typing from your office cube, the couch or your favorite café. The keyboard’s comfort does not compromise its portability because its slim design makes it lightweight and convenient to carry — just throw it in your bag and you’re off!

Ditch the cords, docks and USB Nano transceivers and connect via Bluetooth to Windows-based tablets, iPads and Android devices with ease. Whether you’re searching for the latest music, taking notes in a meeting or just catching up on email, make sure you’re getting things done comfortably. The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 is available now in the U.S. for $49.95.

- Hardware Team

Building on the original Comfort Curve, this new key layout is designed to be a better option for straight-keyboard users and has been improved in two fundamental ways. First, the QWERTY keys are uniformly sized in a way that is more similar to a standard straight keyboard. That increases the familiarity. Second, the curve has been modified to be more organic – adding curvature in the third dimension. That increases the comfort.

This keyboard has been three years in the making and I’m excited that people can finally benefit from it after all of those rounds of research and iteration.

The Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 will be available in August for $24.95 at Amazon, Office Depot, and the Microsoft Store.

- Dan Odell, Certified Professional Ergonomist

Although we use our keyboards all day, every day, sometimes even we can underestimate their ability to make our computing much more efficient for us. The IntelliType Pro software that lets you configure your keyboard has all sorts of cool tricks to make your work faster and easier. If you have hot keys on your keyboard that you aren’t using, why not reassign them to something you will use?

With one key press, you can open the folders/libraries most commonly used.

• Computer
• Documents
• Pictures
• Music

If you want to open a different folder or file, you can assign that path to any hot key or Favorites key. There are several commands to make it easier to manage windows on your desktop.

• Flip, Flip 3D, and Instant Viewer all show thumbnails of open applications, just in different formats.
• Instant Viewer shows all open windows in a grid. (If you are familiar with Mac, It’s like Exposé.
• Flip shows the thumbnails in a rectangle in the middle of the screen, sort of like the view you get when you Alt+Tab through multiple windows. If you have too many windows open (like I always do), you’ll just see icons instead of thumbnails.
• Flip 3D shows the thumbnails in a carousel that rotates as you move through it. Flip 3D only works if you have the Aero theme on Vista or Windows 7.
• Next and Previous window cycle you through all the open windows in the same order you would get if you use Alt+Tab or Alt+Shift+Tab.
• Close window is the same as clicking the little X in the upper left corner of the window.
• Show/Hide desktop does just what it says.

You can easily start several common applications with the commands included in IntelliType Pro.

• Excel
• Word
• Windows Live Messenger
• Your default web browser
• Calculator
• Windows Media Player
• Your Outlook calendar
• Hotmail

If you want to start a different program, just tell IntelliType Pro the path to start it. You can also assign a hot key or My Favorites key to open a specific web page by typing in the URL.
You can assign commands to your hot keys to manage documents.

• Create a new file
• Open an existing file
• Save the active file
• Print the active file
• Run spell check
• Exit the program

Some of the commands are designed to help you see your work better.

• Zoom in
• Zoom out
• Magnify

Note: Zooming doesn’t work in all applications. You can read more about that here.

Here are a few great IntelliType Pro tricks that need a little more explanation.

Back and Forward are like the back and forward buttons in your browser, though back/forward are supported in several other application like Windows Explorer and PowerPoint. Some keyboards include a Back hot key, or often you can just use the Backspace key on your keyboard. Forward is a bit tricky because in many applications it only lets you go forward after you’ve used the back key. While we’re talking about browsers, you can assign a hot key to stop loading a browser window.

The Task Pane command shows or hides the task pane in Microsoft Office.

Lock Workstation and Log Off are helpful keys if you are concerned about people using your computer when you aren’t around. I assigned the Lock Workstation command to my Flip 3D button because I use Alt+Tab instead of flipping. When my hands are full with my laptop computer, my notepad, and my soda can, I can reach down with one finger and make sure my console is locked.

Got any hot key favorites you’d like to share? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

In the last post, we established that there are some really strong benefits to using good ergonomic products.  In fact, there are several large, well designed, long-term studies that demonstrate the benefit of using Natural split keyboards in terms of reducing pain over time and preventing injury.  Since properly designed ergonomic mice and keyboards are measurably better over time, it makes sense that you might wonder why we all haven’t started using them.

In my experience, there are three types of issues that prevent ergo products from being used by everyone:  awareness, difficulty in perceiving benefits, and cost concerns.

Awareness

The awareness piece is pretty obvious.  Ergonomic products aren’t carried as frequently as standard products, so you’re less likely to find them at the local store.  That means that we, the manufacturers, have a challenge to raise awareness and educate about ergonomic benefits.  It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg thing: if customers don’t see products, they don’t buy them.  If people aren’t buying ergonomic products, stores are less likely to carry them.   This can be a tough hurdle.   Some of my work involves raising awareness, and I’m hoping that these blog posts will help out.

Perceiving the benefits

Once people become aware of ergonomic products, the next challenge is convincing them that there’s actually a benefit to using them.  There are some interesting human perceptual things going on that make it hard for people to notice what ergonomic products are doing for them.  The first issue is the difference between short-term comfort and long-term comfort.  The basic idea here is that it’s hard to tell how comfortable something will be a month from now when you only have a few minutes to try it in the store.  Most people can relate to sitting in a chair that felt fine at first, but got progressively more uncomfortable over the course of the day.  Similarly, if two keyboards feel similar in the store, you wouldn’t expect there to be a big difference over time.  But, the studies show that there can indeed be a big difference.

Back to the awareness piece, this means that we, the manufacturers need to have credibility for people to believe in long-term benefits if they can’t feel them themselves during a trip to the store.   My approach is to back up our claims with well-designed studies, let people know that I’m here in Microsoft’s labs working on these things, and, most importantly, to make sure that the ergonomic products we make deliver an excellent experience.  Good products speak for themselves.  That’s the best way to get good reviews, encourage people to become repeat customers, and provide some word-of-mouth awareness.

Another reason that people can’t quickly perceive the benefit of ergonomic products is that it is much easier to feel discomfort than it is to feel comfort.   If you’re used to a certain type of product – you’re not likely to notice how uncomfortable it is.  Conversely, if you’re used to the comfort of a good ergonomic product, you can more easily feel how uncomfortable a traditionally designed product is by comparison.  It’s a barrier at first , however  people who switch to ergonomic mice and keyboards tend to stick with them because they can quickly feel how uncomfortable traditional products are by comparison.

[Image: Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000]

The costs

The final barrier to people adapting ergonomic products is the perceived cost of using them.  Of these, the first big concern is usually about learning curve.  It’s usually something along the lines of “That seems hard to use, I don’t want to re-learn how to _________ [type, mouse, etc.].”   There often is a learning curve associated with new products, but it’s not as big as you might think.  For Natural keyboards, we’ve found that people adjust to them in two weeks on average. It depends somewhat on your typing style.   If you’re a touch-typist, you’re likely to adjust faster.  If your fingers cross over the centerline of the keyboard while typing, it’s going to take you a bit longer to adjust (because crossing over the split in the keyboard will be more difficult on a split, and you’ll have to unlearn this behavior).   For Natural mice, there isn’t a learning curve.  People can point just as quickly as with a traditional mouse immediately.  However, the Natural mouse does feel a bit strange in the hand for roughly 3 days as you get used to the new posture.

Another practical barrier includes the fact that ergonomic products tend to be a little more expensive than traditional products (again, often due to the lower sales rates).   Microsoft’s ergonomic products are not our cheapest products.  But, they’re not our most expensive either.   So, what can I say?  The data on the benefits of our ergonomic products speaks for itself.  Everyone has to make up their own minds about what they’re willing to spend for comfortable mice and keyboards.

Wrap up

People have concerns about costs that you may have to pay now for ergonomic benefits that you receive over the long term creates inertia against switching to ergonomic products.   The attitude is something along the lines of “I feel fine today, so why should I worry about it?”  The answer is that there’s a lot to potentially lose and relatively low cost if you look at it over the long-term.   The transition period is very short when you consider that you’re going to be using a computer for your whole life.

If you have a story about pain at the computer, or if you have a story about a product that has helped you, I’d love to hear from you.   That concludes my three-part blog series, but it won’t be my last post!

-Dr. Dan, Certified Professional Ergonomist

And you’re in luck because major retailers are discounting a variety of Microsoft hardware devices for every special person in your life. Here’s a look at this year’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday discounts:

• Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500: 50% off brings the price to just $14.99 at OfficeMax. Exclusive Colors Jade & Gold as well as Poppy Red, Imperial Purple, Sea Blue, Dragon Fruit Pink

• OfficeMax is also running a “Your Choice $9.99” special on the VX700 Webcam (save $10), Wired Keyboard 200 (save $5) and Optical Mouse 200 (save $5). Take your pick!

• LifeCam Cinema Webcam: $20 off at Newegg.com. With true 720p HD video, it delivers smooth, detailed video and crystal clear audio.

• LifeCam VX-3000: $14.99 online at Tigerdirect.com, Nov. 26-29.

• LifeCam VX-5500: $20 off at Newegg.com.

• Wireless Media Desktop 1000: $24.99 online at Tigerdirect.com, Nov. 26-29 (regularly $49.95 MSRP). $26.99 at Newegg.com. Sit back and enjoy fast, easy access to all your favorite digital pictures, music, videos, and more!

• Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000: $24.99 online at Tigerdirect.com, Nov. 26-29 (regularly $59.95 MSRP). Also discounted at Amazon.com. Make day-to-day tasks comfortable and easier with a more natural wrist alignment.

• For the gamer in your life! Take home the SideWinder X4 Keyboard ($30 off), SideWinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse ($35 off) or SideWinder X5 Mouse ($25 off) with specials from Newegg.com.

• WNOM 3000 Winter Blue: Just $9.99 online at Tigerdirect.com, Nov. 26-29.

• Cooling Base for Notebooks: $20 at Amazon.com (regularly $29.95 MSRP)

All of these deals are only available while supplies last. We hope you enjoy shopping.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

-Microsoft Hardware Team

Have you ever wondered if touch experiences could be effectively integrated (and be more ergonomic) in standard deskbound computing scenarios? As many users interact with complex content creation applications in various verticals such as tech, finance, design, academics, etc., could the addition of touch input and display capabilities on their keyboard actually make them more efficient?

To explore the potential benefits of a dynamic horizontal input experience we here at Microsoft Hardware and the Applied Sciences Group wanted to expand on these questions. We created a concept prototype in the Adaptive Keyboard (see the above video) that suggests that the display capabilities of high efficiency input devices such as keyboards and mice should be as dynamic and relevant to user context as the UI on the PC screen.

The Adaptive Keyboard concept is now part of the Student Innovation Contest at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology. We hope the participating students will come up with truly unique and valuable uses for this particular evolutionary input device concept.

In addition to the device itself, a software infrastructure was developed to quickly enable the students participating in the UIST innovation Contest to create their own on-device experiences. .

We here at Microsoft are constantly looking for the future of PC interaction. While touching the screen of your slate PC is a compelling interaction experience for many scenarios we think there is an opportunity to improve the experiences for those of us working at a desk with keyboards and mice all day. We hope the results of the UIST contest will show us if this particular concept has any legs.

Håkon Strande

Some of the recurring themes that came up were:  What exactly is ergonomics and why is it important?  What is Microsoft’s approach to ergonomic design?  And – what are the barriers to ergonomic products (why doesn’t everyone use them)?  That’s a lot of material.  So, I’m going to break this into three posts to address each one separately.

What exactly is ergonomics and why is it important?

There are a lot of misconceptions about ergonomics out there.  A common view seems to be something like “Oh, ergonomics, that’s what you need to deal with once you’ve been injured.”   The implication there is that ergonomics is a hassle, and you only worry about it when you really need to.  As an ergonomist – I have to say that it shouldn’t be that way.

In actuality, ergonomics is just a field of science that studies the way people work.  In Latin, ‘ergo’ means work, and ‘nomos’ means natural law.   So, ergonomics is the study of work principles.  Understanding how people work enables us to help people work better.  This doesn’t just mean ‘treat injuries’ – but encompasses all aspects of work: help people get more done, get more enjoyment out of their work, as well as stay healthy.  When something is properly ‘ergonomically designed,’ it should mean that the task or device matches the capabilities of the person.

Fortunately, a lot of work has already been done to make computer work productive and enjoyable.  So, as ergonomists, we do tend to focus more on the comfort piece.  But it’s when we forget the other pieces that ‘ergonomics’ gets a bad name.  I can’t tell you how many computer input devices I’ve seen where the designer states that their design is “ergonomic.”  Meanwhile I’m thinking to myself “yeah, but it takes twice as long to get your work done.  So, no one’s going to want to use it.”  That’s bad ergonomic design since it doesn’t consider the whole picture.

Now, let’s focus on why injury prevention in computer use is so important.  One of the main risk factors for injury is exposure time (repetition, frequency, duration, etc…).  Well, you won’t be surprised when I tell you that people spend a lot of time on computers.  Previous work found that people self-reported spending an average of about 6 hours a day on the computer. When exposure time is high, it  means that risk of pain or injury is high.  One of the most interesting studies that looked at pain associated with computer use was published by Gerr et al.  in 2002.  Those researchers followed almost 600 new computer workers from their date of hire through their first year of employment.  One of their key takeaways was that “more than 50% of computer users reported Musculoskeletal Symptoms during the first year after starting a new job.”   When I see that statistic, I’m always surprised that people don’t take computer pain more seriously.  The truth is – if you spend a lot of time on the computer, you’re at higher risk for pain or injury.  Pay attention to your body and take a few simple steps to improve your long-term comfort.  There are a number of great resources available with information on computer comfort, including: the National Institute of Health, HP’s safety and comfort guide, and of course the  Microsoft Hardware comfort page

People who have had injuries in the past tend to be strong advocates and good resources for learning about computer related pain.  For me, an injury is what launched my interest in ergonomics in the first place.  I was working designing exercise equipment on CAD all day, every day.   I didn’t know it at the time, but my desk was set too high causing me to shrug my shoulder as I worked with the mouse.  That was over 12 years ago, and I still have some chronic pain in my right shoulder as a result.  If I knew then what I know now, the injury would have been quite simple to prevent.   Yes – it’s much easier to prevent these types of injuries than it is to treat them.  Fortunately, my computer setup these days is really good so I’m able to manage the injury well.  But, the injury did inspire me to launch a career in ergonomic design and hopefully help other folks.

OK – that’s it for this installment.  If you have a story about pain at the computer, or if you have a story about a product that has helped you, I’d love to hear from you.   Next time I’ll write about my approach to ergonomics here at Microsoft.