Microsoft 3RA-00022 Surface Ergonomic Wireless Keyboard,Gray

Update: Here's what I do not like:No dedicated multimedia/volume keys. Because I constantly use function keys while working and listen to things in the background of varying volume sources. Switching would not be as cumbersome if the Function Lock key lit up properly to reflect its current state.The Function Lock key light is does not always reflect the state of the function keys. You always have to look at it to keep switching between F2/F3 and volume up/down. Pressing the Function Lock key sometimes requires two presses to indicate its status.The print on the function keys is tiny so I had to put stickers on them to see them by simple glance during work flow.There is no standard back lighting: only num lock, scroll lock and the flaky function lock.Given the price and manufacturer, I'd expect this thing to work better.I'm giving protoarc keyboards a chance for my next keyboard simply because of backlighting and dedicated volume keys.==========================================================================================Kinda pricey but it's an older item so they jack up the price to double the original msrp: used to be ~$100, now it's $199.Here's my take: It's a very sleek, thin keyboard and looks great on the desk. Keys are thin, soft-touch and provide just a little resistance. Quiet. There is some heft or weight to it also as the body appears to be made of aluminum. The fabric on the wrist-rest is smooth and firm but also a little bit cushion. The keyboard is no thicker than a pen.For the price, this is a premium-feeling and premium-featured keyboard.So far as functionality is concerned, there's a bt-sync button on the bottom for connectivity. This kbd is 100% bt-only, no dongle and uses 2-double A batteries. Also there is a Function-Lock key on it for access to the dual functionality of the FKeys. This is great for devs who constantly use F5, F6, F10, F11 for building, debugging and stepping through code. The arrow keys are highly convenient for those pesky times when you have to meticulously edit a series of sql commands: the dedicated arrow keys and num keys are great for such instances although ai can do a lot of that much faster than anyone can type.Oftentimes when I return to my desk and the screen is locked, there's a slight delay because the device likely went into sleep mode: there's a half-second blip while you type the first character that wakes up the kbd and initiates the re-handshake to the target machine. No big deal really.Standard typing flows well as there are no blips or delays while typing.If you're looking for a cheap alternative ~$50 instead of slinging two hard-earned bills at this premium solution, check out the "Incase Ergonomic Keyboard – Designed by Microsoft – Refined Ergonomic Design, Built-in Shortcuts Keys, Layered Palm Rest for Elevated Wrist Support, Integrated Number Pad – Black". Both the Incase and the MS 3RA-00022 models are the successors to the MS Natural 4000 it seems - I could be wrong though.Fairly certain you will like this kbd. For me, anything better would have to be built from the ground up and easily cost just as much.

Update 2020/05/23Three years now and I love these keyboards. I have three of them now. I'm writing this on a Sculpt though and I wish I had a Surface. I love the keys on the Surface they almost feel mechanical, but not overly so. The Sculpt keys feel decidedly mushy in comparison, not to mention the ridiculous issue with the Sculpt where you can throw the keyboard away if you lose the dongle.I still don't have any issues with connectivity or lagging anymore. I'm still 100% on Linux computers. Sometimes it takes an extra tap to wake it up but it's only when I've been away.Battery life is good. I don't remember the last time I changed the batteries and I use rechargeables.The only thing I don't like about these keyboards is the wear on the palm rest. I have to wipe it down every day with cleaner or it starts to get gross. Invariably, over time, there's nothing you can do and it will never look good again.Oh, and some of the keys have worn off the oldest one (the f, g and h), but I don't really need letters on my keys anyway.Update: 2019/01/15After nearly two years with this keyboard, I'm a fan. I ended up buying a second one that I needed for a second location. The second one is slightly nicer. The keys are slightly more clicky. This is the best keyboard I've used. The disconnection issues are gone. I don't know what the problem was. The stuck keys issue is gone. It's just perfect... except on OSX where it still doesn't show up as a keyboard but it can be worked around.It's definitely hard to keep clean... just about impossible. I wish it came in black. On Linux is works perfectly. And that's fine since I upgraded my MacBook Pro to Linux.------------------------So, bittersweet.Way back when, when my fingers were constantly numb from typing at a non-ergonomic keyboard, I found the original Microsoft Natural keyboard and it was revolutionary. Within 30 days my fingers went back to normal and I was saved. Never again could I type for long periods at a flat keyboard. I have to admit, there are some things that Microsoft does well. Though even then, there are frustrating issues that stain perfection.I've had a number of sculpt keyboards and they're pretty good. The exception being that one that had the lazy '/' key (a huge problem for me). The other huge problem with them was the potential for losing the dongle, which would render the keyboard garbage because there is no way to pair a new one. None. Astonishing. So, maybe this Bluetooth thing will work better? More on that later.The third problem with the Sculpt keyboards was the wrist rest covering, which would wear fairly quickly and leave an unsightly rat-marked device. The Surface Ergo keyboard has a new covering material and we'll see how that fares but I can already notice the area under my palms becoming more rough with wear.On the other hand, it's a great keyboard. The action on the keys is much better than on the Sculpt. To me it's nearly mechanical in how it feels with satisfying clicks and travel. The sharper edges of the keys is also surprisingly better. Overall, this may be the best keyboard I've used on a day to day basis. I like the keypad being attached again. Sometimes it just comes in handy. I was worried about the mouse being further away, after getting used to the Sculpt, but I haven't really noticed too much.I'm a coder. I type fast expect my keyboard to perform perfectly. This one does... except... sigh...Here is where your mileage will definitely vary. I use this keyboard between two laptops, a Powerbook and a Thinkpad running Arch Linux. I have a USB hub that allows me to easily switch between laptops with one connection (and the DP for the monitor). This was a great setup with the Sculpt. With the Surface, however, it doesn't seem to be able to be paired to two devices at once. Other Bluetooth devices, like my Sony headphones, don't have a problem with this but the Surface needs to be re-paired every time I switch. Also, the pairing process with the Mac is finicky. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 tries. Annoying.Furthermore, not the keyboard's fault, but definitely a thing to note for OSX use is that it doesn't show up as a keyboard option in Settings, so you can't just set a different key mapping for the Windows and the Left Alt key as you might with recognized input devices. To get around this, I had to install Karabiner, and I have to switch configs when switching from the Surface to the laptop's keyboard. Doesn't show up as a Bluetooth keyboard either as apparently, that's reserved for Apple Bluetooth keyboards. Annoying. (though on Apple, not Microsoft)Also, every once in a while, my mouse goes wonky and I've narrowed it down to some key being sent incorrectly by the keyboard because I can fix it by cycling Bluetooth. :-/Finally, on the Mac, the media keys aren't mapped right. Not a huge deal. In fact, I haven't even fixed it yet.Now on Linux, aside from the re-pairing, it's much better, except for that one thing. That one thing? It drops. Inexplicably, and sometimes mid-stream, the keyboard stops working and I have to cycle Bluetooth on the laptop to get it back. I don't know what the problem is here yet and it could very well be something stupid with my Bluetooth setup that I can fix, and when I do, I'll report back. It does seem to be consistent with the keyboard acting up under OSX, so maybe it's sending something that isn't dealt with well? IDK.Lastly, as others have mentioned, it goes to sleep. This hasn't been an issue for me. At worst, it just takes a couple extra keypresses when coming back to it and it wakes right up. No Bluetooth disconnect at these times for me. Not a big deal.I'd say, if typing and ergonomic keyboards are important to you, then this is the best one from Microsoft yet and as for Logitech... what happened to them? Definitely the best mainstream keyboard you can by off the shelf, IMHO. If you're stuck on mechanical keyboards or are a really big keyboard geek, building your own and whatnot, I don't know. For me, I think I'd be exploring those options if this keyboard weren't so good. It's just good enough to keep me from getting into the world of custom and specialty keyboards, for now.Subtracting stars for the Bluetooth single device pairing limitation and, maybe unfairly, for the lack of concern for OSX interoperability. Microsoft: keep building good keyboards, but please, consider the rest of us who like your keyboards but don't like your operating systems.