Goldtouch and Kinesis 10-Key Numeric Keypads

The Staff Christmas Party that rang in 2010 involved a few rowdy rounds of 10-pin bowling. Although bowling and computing don’t seem to have a lot in common at first blush, they really do. For example: if you got a strike followed with a 7 and then a 2, your value for the strike would be 10+7+2, or 19 total. Seems easy enough, but the geniuses at Balmoral Software determined that there are just under 6 billion billion possible methods to obtain a final game score. So you didn’t bring your Goldtouch 10-Key with you? Fret not amigo, the modern bowling alley provides the casual player a math-free experience by tracking and computing the scores for you, allowing the focus to be on drinking and laughing with your friends and co-workers at the complete lack of skill and style on display.

In my role as Human Solution’s bookkeeper, I spend at least half of my day grinding away on a numeric keypad. Having an external device like these Goldtouch and Kinesis keypads is a huge advantage over the standard integral version that comes with many keyboards. I love having one of these in my arsenal for three main reasons:

• Flexibility: As my right hand fatigues, I have the ability to reposition the tool. Fine tuning the placement on my keyboard tray provides some relief in an otherwise very repetitive situation. If I’m really feeling randy, I will give my left hand a chance to learn what my right hand knows so well.
• Additional functions: The standard keyboard integral 10-key doesn’t have a few frequently used keys that these externals provide. The Kinesis features the Escape, Tab, Backspace and Equals keys along the top row. The Goldtouch has this additional top row as well, the difference being that it replaces the Kinesis “=” key with a Shift/Function key used to access frequently needed symbols and calculator functions.
• Laptop Enhancement: Most laptops don’t include a numeric keypad, and having one of these externals handy can really flesh out their usability. Ever since my desktop at home failed completely I have been using my laptop exclusively. Now that tax time approaches, adding a peripheral 10-key will make an otherwise miserable task remarkably less painful.

If you are a Mac user, the Kinesis numeric keypad offers a compatible version (in white only.) We have both brands in our warehouse ready to ship. Add one to your system today by ordering through Human Solution and thank me later (after you prepare your taxes with it, for example.)