As we’ve pointed out many times in the past, ThinkPads are well known for the quality of their keyboards. This has long been a strength of the ThinkPad brand, but when we say how good ThinkPad keyboards are we almost always implicitly mean “relative to the keyboards on other laptops”. That might not be the case for everyone though, because the ThinkPad Full-Size UltraNav USB Keyboard is currently available for sale and it is a testament to how attached people have become to these keyboards.
The UltraNav is just what you would expect: a ThinkPad keyboard modified to connect to you computer using a USB connection. It comes in two styles, Full-sized and Travel, depending on if you want a numberpad or not. Just like your T series it has dual cursor controls built in so you can control your mouse with the trackpoint or a trackpad under the space bar.
The keyboard itself, in our case the Full-sized model, is quite light and extremely flat. At about 15.5 inches wide and 8.5-inches deep it’s not exactly travel-sized, but it weighs less than a hardcover book and it keeps under 0.75-inches thick, so throwing it in a backpack or suitcase would not be impossible. . . . .Despite being an external USB device, the keyboard’s layout stays extremely true to that found in a ThinkPad notebook. In addition to retaining the cursor controls (which do not require a second USB connection) the UltraNav has all the double-mapped Function commands of a notebook keyboard. These will have limited functionality on the desktop as a command like Fn + End (lower display brightness) won’t be able to control a normal monitor and the blue Access IBM button doesn’t work either. The good news is that the volume/mute keys work as did Fn + NumLk, which will get the Windows calculator to popup.
The real test of the UltraNav, of course, is typing. The layout is pretty much identical to that of a Thinkpad (plus a numberpad) so many people will instantly feel at home. Anything you like or dislike about the keyboard will still be present and features like the Fn key being in the bottom left corner or the Delete key being to the right of F12 (above Backspace) will obviously still be an annoyance if you don’t like them on the 8-row ThinkPad keyboards. The key action itself doesn’t feel quite as precise as that of the X300/X301, T500, T61, or some of the other keyboards that we’ve been using lately. Maybe it’s just the odd feeling of using a ThinkPad keyboard with my desktop, but the action feels a slight bit different. Without getting into minutia, the key action has a distinct “click” point which feels right but the keyboard seems a bit louder than it should be. Overall it’s a ThinkPad experience, but one without the feeling of a notebook behind it, and maybe that in and of itself is enough to lend the UltraNav a slightly ersatz experience. It feels good, just not perfect.
The cursor controls are just what we’ve come to expect: the red pointing-stick wedged between G, H, and B with the three buttons below it and then the trackpad with its two buttons. The trackpad was not sensitive enough to deal with my desktop’s 1920×1200 display, but the trackpoint was a bit better. Either way they would both benefit from using a higher sensitive setting than my normal mouse. Ultimately I ended up preferring the trackpoint, but that’s the same thing I use on ThinkPads so I doubt that my choice had anything to do with the UltraNav.
When we type on a notebook we accept that it won’t be quite as comfortable as it could be. When we are at home or in the office there is no reason to not be as comfortable as possible, which is immediately a mark against the UltraNav’s standard layout and very flat profile. It does have two settings with which users can incline the rear to improve the typing angle, but this will never be an ergonomic keyboard. It’s no worse than any other laptop-style keyboard by Logitech of a similar manufacturer, but if you are going to spend all day on something, this should be kept in mind.
The UltraNav sells fro $79.20 whether you get it with the numberpad or not. That’s no small price for a USB keyboard, but if you factor in that it includes a mouse and that it can be an excellent addition to any notebook (while retaining function commands) it might seem like a better deal. Plus either version would be good for travelling and you get that ThinkPad experience on any computer you want (laptop or otherwise). It’s a laptop-style keyboard is that is more expensive than some, and types better than most, but and despite its minor flaws and lackluster ergonomics, it’s going to be just want some people are looking for.
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