The mouse on the computer I’m using at the moment isn’t great. The keyboard sucks deeply. Made in China, cost NT$99, my girlfriend says. I would be happy to smash it and pay ten times as much for a decent one.
Once, when I was working at Trade Winds (before it morphed into [url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/warning-interface-global/893/1 Global[/url] ,) I one day had to sit down at a computer in the internet department’s office. That keyboard felt a whole lot different from the one at my own desk. I think decent mice and keyboards could make a significant difference to one’s mental and physical health if one is using a computer for hours every day.
So the point of this post is - who can recommend some decent quality,ergonomic peripherals, and where can one buy them in Taiwan?
Cordless mouse? Depends on your needs. Optical for sure but I like the feeling that my mouse is attached in someway to my PC, esp given the thieving pricks at work.
I used to buy cheap mouses for a couple of hundred of NT, they only lasted a few months, then I splashed out on an optical microsoft one (with extra buttons I don’t use ), that has lasted a few years so far and still going…
Have had no luck with cordless mice so far, one cheapo made in China jobbie lasted about 8 months, one Logitech got as far as 9. in both cases they simply stopped comunicating with the 'puter, and yes i put in fresh batteries, yes i tried all the search reset stuff, both are paper weights now. For game playing I also find Optical mice a little lacking in feed back, these days I stick to a ball type with PS/2 adapter, USB mice can be flaky and use up valuable cycles! If you keep the mat and innards clean it’s fine.
Regarding keyboards, I far prefer to use the old style ‘micro switch’ type, that use actual switches rather than contact pads, far more comfortable if you’re doing a lot of typing, noisy as hell though! They’re getting hard to find, but search around and you should pick one up for about 6/700NT, probably need to get an adapter too as they normally come with a large Din connector.
All the cordless mice/keyboards I have used are Bluetooth/infrared. All the work PC’s that have had (no longer due to theft) wireless mice and keyboards were Bluetooth or infrared. They were stolen, borrowed, went walk about whatever, but yes they do disappear.
For keyboards, nothing beats the old classic IBM keyboards. They weighed a ton but the tactile response was second to none. Does anyone know if somebody in Taiwan actually sells one of these babies?
If you mean the type with the switches that click solidly when you hit the keys, usually have orange ‘F’ keys, yes they’re still available. I bought three the last time I spotted then in Aurora. They’re more expensive at 6/700NT a pop, but well worth it, especially if you do a lot of typing, little slow for game play though.
Yes, I love these keyboards!! They are really solidly built, with metal casings and all. Virtually indestructible. I don’t know if they are still made though. Your best bet is probably at a used computer parts shop, or a surplus parts warehouse.
Back in the early '90s, my university had a surplus sale, and I snatched up 2 for US$10 each. I brought one back to Taiwan when I moved here, and both of them are still working perfectly to this day.
I especially like how when take the keys off and clean them, they come out looking like new.
I used to have one of those old IBMs. I spilled a whole cup of coffee right into the keyboard once. What to do? A few drop on my mother’s laptop killed the keyboard, requiring a $90 replacement.
In the end, I just washed it out, popped off some keys and washed it some more. I’m talking full tap running right into the thing, with soap. Then I let it dry in the sun a couple of days. In the end it worked perfectly.
There is a tiny shop in the alley parallel to Bade Road in KwangHwa which sells mostly keyboards and is called unsurprisingly “Keyboard king” (鍵盤王). They sells such keyboards but under the Lexmark brand. They also sell some Cherry keyboards.
[url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/warning-interface-global/893/1 Global[/url] 
), that has lasted a few years so far and still going…