MOST people shy away from ergonomic keyboards because they look quite frightening with their weird layouts.

But these keyboards introduce better typing posture, and exert much less strain on the wrists.

For its ergonomic keyboards, Microsoft has stuck to and refined its 'gull-wing' layout, where the main QWERTY keys are split down the middle and both halves aligned away from the centre.

In a way it forces you to become a touch typist because you can't keep looking left and right to see which keys you're hitting. You become a really fast typist once you get the hang of it.

The downside is that such keyboards tend to be huge because of the space needed by the split keys and large wrist rest.

Today, we look at the latest version of the ergonomic series, the Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000.

The two-year-old Desktop 4000 keyboard has been upgraded to a wireless version. It also comes with a wireless ergonomic mouse (the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 7000).

But is wireless the way to go?

In recent years, I've reverted to using wired mouses and keyboards because they didn't need batteries and never lost a connection with the PC.

I found that the Desktop 7000 sometimes lost connection with the wireless receiver, probably due to all the junk around my PC.

Still it does clear clutter of cables and Microsoft's wireless devices are known to last many months on one set of batteries.

The keyboard comes with a plethora of extra buttons, like shortcut buttons to open websites or programs, calculator, media playback, and a zoom toggle (for enlarging webpages).

The keys are most comfortable, with a soft springiness and there's a faux leather wrist rest to make you feel like royalty.

There's an additional removable plastic piece that raises the bottom of the keyboard and makes your wrists tilt downwards for even less strain.

The Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 is one you'll either love or hate. Shaped like a ball, it lets you rest your wrist at a 45 deg angle to the table as the two main buttons face outward on the right side (sorry, lefties).

This rodent forces you to move not just your wrist but your entire forearm to prevent long-term strain.

I'd be fine with that if the mouse wasn't so heavy (it's nearly double the weight of a normal mouse).

If you've always suffered from wrist pain without knowing why, it's time to go ergonomic, and trust me, these products are not as frightening as they seem. But they are costly.

Price: $199.

Rating : 3.5/5