Form factor
Traditional keyboards are divided into three main varieties —
full-size,
compact and
ultra-compact. The main difference between them is that full-size models have a Numpad — an additional block with numeric keys and arithmetic signs. Compact models, respectively, do not have a numpad, and in ultra-compact models, the arrow block is either completely absent or located under the Enter key in the form of very small keys.
And full-size, and compact, and ultra-compact keyboards can have different types of layouts. At the same time, the arrangement of letters and numbers above the letters in all types of layouts is the same, the differences are in the shape and position of additional keys (special characters like backslash, system control, modifiers like Shift and Alt, etc.). Here are the most popular options:
—
ANSI. The "American" layout format, the distinguishing features of which are, in particular, the same width of both Shift keys, the same labeling and assignment of the Alt keys, the single-row Enter key and the backslash located above it (which is often made slightly longer than the standard key).
—
ISO. "European" layout format. The Enter key occupies two rows, while at the top it is slightly longer than at the bottom; the left Shift is shorter than the right one, there is a
...backslash next to it; next to the bottom of the Enter may be a second backslash or other special character key; the right Alt is designated as Alt Gr and is intended for entering additional characters in European languages.
— K.S. The "Korean" keyboard layout provides a double-row Enter, as in the ISO described above, however, in this case, the lower part of the Enter is made longer, and not the upper one. The backslash is above Enter, next to Backspace, and Backspace itself is the same length as standard keys (that is, noticeably shorter than in other layouts).
— JIS. Keyboards with a "Japanese" layout have a double-row Enter with an increased length of the upper half — like the ISO described above. However, in this case, the backslash is not located on the left side of the keyboard, but on the right, next to Enter (where an additional symbol key can be located in ISO). Additional character keys may be provided — next to Backspace (as in KS) and/or to the left of the right Shift. In addition, the right Alt can be formatted as Alt Gr.
In addition to compact and full-size, there are also non-traditional keyboard formats:
— Numpad. Separately made block of numeric keys. With the help of such a device, you can, in particular, turn a compact keyboard into a full-size one. Among other things, this combination can be useful for travel: packing a Numpad separately from the keyboard is easier than finding a place for a full-sized "board". Another option for using the Numpad is to connect to a cash register, terminal, etc. to work as a calculator keyboard or in a similar capacity.
— Keypad. A specialized device in the form of a small (approximately 15 – 20 keys) keyboard under one hand; usually, it is complemented by an arm rest, and often also by side buttons for the thumb. Such devices are especially convenient for games and are mainly used in them — certain game actions can be attached to the keypad buttons (including those that are usually implemented through the menu or a key combination on a standard keyboard). The keypad can both complement the main keyboard and serve as a completely separate game pad.
— Non-standard. Non-standard format keyboards that do not belong to any of the varieties described above. The specific design and use of such devices may vary. So, these can be game models in the form of the left half of a standard keyboard (this part is mainly used in games); ultra-compact models for tablets (see "In the direction"); keyboards for TVs, supplemented with special buttons and designed to be held in two hands in the manner of a gamepad, etc.Palm rest
The presence of an additional
palm rest in the design of the keyboard. Such a stand is located in the lower (closest to the user) part of the device and is a kind of continuation of the “board”, providing additional support and increasing the comfort of use. However, comfort is largely a matter of personal preference, and not all users like stands; therefore, most often they are made removable.
Number of buttons
The number of buttons in the design of the mouse, which is included in the kit. The minimum number of such buttons to work in most modern operating systems is two, and a larger number, usually, means that the mouse has additional functions. For example, the third key can be used to change the resolution of the mouse sensor on the fly, for the function of double or triple click (the latter is used in games for shooting in short bursts); a pair of buttons on the side under the thumb is usually configured for the "back" and "forward" functions in the browser, etc. And in gaming mice, there can be more than a dozen additional buttons for the fastest access to various game functions.
DPI switch
The presence of a DPI switch button in the design of the mouse.
This button allows you to change the actual resolution of the sensor — in other words, the speed of the cursor on the screen — on the fly, without going into the computer's software settings. This feature is useful primarily in cases where different DPI values are needed for different tasks — for example, if in some game situations you need increased accuracy of movements, for which you can sacrifice speed, or if the mouse sensitivity in the game is not configurable, and the default option is not satisfied.
Sensor resolution
Resolution of the optical sensor used in the bundled mouse. Like a camera matrix, such a sensor consists of many individual photosensitive points; this parameter indicates how many sensor points are for each inch of the surface on which the mouse moves.
Although high DPI values \u200b\u200bare often considered an indicator of good mouse accuracy, in fact this moment only affects the speed of moving the cursor around the screen (and not the actual one, but the maximum possible one — the “working” DPI value in the settings is often reduced, otherwise using the mouse would be inconvenient ). Therefore, high sensor resolutions are important mainly for working on large monitors, and even in such cases, indicators of 1000 – 3000 DPI are considered quite sufficient, higher values \u200b\u200bare more of a publicity stunt than a really justified necessity.