I am a totally blind computer user, so I interact with my computers using screen reader software. On Windows, this software is either JAWS or NVDA. Since I cannot see the screen, all interaction is through the keyboard. I recently purchased a Lenovo X220 laptop, which is a great little laptop. I am much more productive with it, instead of the iPad, that I had been travelling with. Screen readers rely on many multi-key combinations to control their function. Depending on if a desktop keyboard or laptop keyboard is being used, the key combinations are different. For the past 11 years, I have relied on a desktop keyboard and its associated key combinations. Many of the key combinations rely on the numeric keypad found on the desktop keyboard. Now that I am using the X220 more frequently, I do not want to have to learn an entirely new set of key combinations for the laptop keyboard, nor do I want to always carry a desktop keyboard around with me.
To solve this problem, I decided to purchase a USB numeric keypad, which will allow me to easily replicate all of the desktop key combinations, using the laptop keyboard. After reading many Amazon reviews, I selected the Lenovo numeric keypad. BTW, this was the first time that I received my Amazon order on a Sunday, via USPS. I did not need it delivered on Sunday, but nonetheless, pretty cool.
The keypad is very well build and feels as sturdy as any good quality desktop keyboard. This is an exact replica of the numeric keypad found on a desktop keyboard. It does not have any extra keys, such as spacebar, tab, double zero and triple zero. It only has the standard 17 keys, which is exactly what I wanted. Also, I went with USB instead of wireless, as I hate when the batteries on a wireless device die at the worst moment. There are two rubber feet on the bottom of the front edge, to keep the unit in place. I added two rubber pads to the back edge of the unit, to give it a bit more stability. The USB cable is about two feet long, which is more than enough to place the unit on the right side of the computer and plug it into a port on the left side of the computer. I attached the unit to the USB port on the X220 and within a few seconds it was ready for use. The first thing that I tried was pressing the numlock key, to activate and deactivate the numeric keys. This was apparently a problem on some Lenovo models, as it would also engage the numeric keys on the laptop keyboard, which would cause numbers to be typed instead of the corresponding letters. Using Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, I am happy to report that this is not an issue. The keypad does come with a CD which contains driver software for Lenovo computers using Windows 2000 – 8.1. I did not install the software, with no ill effects.
I tested many JAWS and NVDA key combinations using the numeric keypad and the laptop keyboard and it is working perfectly.
I cannot speak to the units long term durability, as I just received the unit today. However, I have no reason to doubt that the unit will have the same reliability as other Lenovo keyboards that I have come to know and love over the years. For any screen reader user who is looking to enhance the use of their laptop, I would highly recommend this keypad. I will update this review if I encounter any problems in the future.
| Standing screen display size | 14 Inches |
|---|
