Review: Datahand Professional II
Developer: Datahand Systems, Inc.
Price: $1299; $999 (personal version)
Requirements: ADB or USB adapter, $129 from Datahand
Trial: 30 day trial available to corporate customers only
“A man and his machine may be regarded as the functional unit of industry, and the aim of ergonomics is the perfection of this unit so as to promote accuracy and speed of operation, and at the same time to ensure minimum fatigue and thereby maximum efficiency.” —W. E. Le Gros Clark in Floyd & Welford, Sympos. Human Factors in Equipment Design, 1954.
The word “ergonomic” is applied to all kinds of computer-related equipment these days, in an attempt to win over buyers who worry about developing Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs). However, most keyboards that claim to be ergonomic merely use the term as a marketing ploy, sticking essentially to the familiar keyboard form and its numerous disadvantages. The Datahand is not another run-of-the-mill ergonomic keyboard with a slight curve between the keys of the right and left hands. Rather, it was designed from the ground up around the human body, the hands and the muscles involved in the typing process. The result is decidedly strange-looking, but it is also far better than any other ergonomic keyboard I’ve tried.
The Keyboard
One of the ways the Datahand helps to reduce RSI-related pain comes through requiring far less finger movement to type than do other keyboards. Each finger rests in a “well,” sort of akin to the “home row” on a traditional keyboard, except that the finger never has to leave its well. Each finger has five keys assigned to it, pressed by moving the finger north, south, east, west, or pushing down. Since a regular keyboard just uses one kind of finger motion (down) as opposed to Datahand’s five, the Datahand allows a greater variety of finger motions, reducing the repetition that can aggravate certain kinds of RSIs.
The finger keys give you all the most commonly used keys: the alphabet and the most common punctuation marks. But still, five directions times eight keys (plus thumbs) seems like a poor substitute for the 101 key keyboard most people are used to. Thus, the Datahand operates in several different possible modes. Each mode (normal, Numbers And Symbols (NAS), and function) maps the finger keys in different ways. Most of the time, you’ll be working in normal mode. If you need to access NAS mode, for a number or a less common punctuation mark, you do so much like you use the “shift” key on a regular keyboard: you can either hold down a modifier key, or “Lock” into that mode.
How It Works (Mouse)
The Datahand’s built-in mouse (yes, these guys think of everything) will not replace your regular mouse, but it’s convenient for short, simple mousing actions, and saves you from having to take your hands from the keyboard.
You enter mouse (and “function”) mode with a flick of your thumb. That done, you have a mouse, literally, at your fingertips. The left and right index fingers control mouse movement. The left moves the mouse at medium speed, north, south, east, or west; the right moves it slowly, and the two together are additive for high speed. Diagonals are possible, if not easy, by pressing two keys with one finger, or by moving in two directions (albeit at different speeds), one with each finger. Pressing down with either finger clicks the mouse button.
The shortcomings of this setup are pretty obvious: you have far fewer speed and directional possibilities than you have with a traditional mouse, and over time your index fingers will likely get tired. That said, the built-in mouse is very convenient when, say, you just want to activate a different window. As much as I’d like to be harsh on the mouse’s shortcomings, I frankly can’t think of a better way Datahand could have done it without substantially increasing the cost of the keyboard.
Mac Issues
The Datahand is made to connect directly to PCs through a 5-pin serial port; an adapter is necessary to connect it to a Mac, via either USB or ADB. I tried one of each, as provided by Datahand. The ADB adapter worked flawlessly, giving me access to the Mac command and control keys, though not the Option key. Not a big loss since I seldom need it anyway. Like the current Mac keyboards, there is no Macintosh power key on the Datahand, so if you’re using an older Mac, you might need to keep an older keyboard attached for its power key.
ADB Adapter
The USB adapter works just like the ADB one, but Datahand initially sent me the wrong one. Because of the LEDs the Datahand uses to indicate which mode you’re in, the keyboard requires more power than most keyboards, and thus a standard USB adapter can’t handle it: it stopped functioning altogether after a few days. To their credit, Datahand’s tech support staff troubleshot quite well, although it took nearly two weeks for the replacement adapter to arrive: disappointing, they really should keep a few units in stock. The USB adapter does work with my USB PC card.
USB Adapter
Adjusting to Fit Your Hand
Clever key layout isn’t the only thing that makes the Datahand so comfortable. Since everyone’s hand is slightly different, the keyboard is adjustable in a tremendous number of ways. Unlike the overwhelming majority of keyboards, the Datahand offers two separate units for the left and right hands, allowing you to place them at a comfortable distance apart from each other, and at any angle you like. This is very effective against ulnar deviation, or the outward bending of the wrist that is pretty much unavoidable with a traditional keyboard.
Underneath the inner sides of the Datahand are tabs that can be flipped down to give the hand units a slight angle to the side, meaning your hand won’t have to be in a completely palm-down position while you’re typing. While this adds to comfort, I would have liked to see Datahand go all the way, and allow the hand units to rest at a full 90-degree angle. Perhaps some sort of separate mounting stand could be devised to allow this.
Adjustability doesn’t stop there. Since we all have hands of slightly different shapes and fingers of slightly different lengths, the positions of the finger wells themselves are adjustable. On the sides of the hand units are knobs which you can loosen, and then raise or lower the level of the wells. Dials on top of the unit allow you to adjust how far forward or back the finger wells are from the palm rest. I found adjusting the height of the wells a bit difficult, since there are knobs on both sides of the hand unit. If I loosened them both, the wells sank. Then I’d place my hand on the hand unit, and have to, very awkwardly, reach over the unit and try to lift, tighten, and then lift and tighten the other knob. Ideally, the height of the finger wells should be adjustable with dials, as the distance is.
Finally, the Datahand comes with a Laplander, an extremely comfortable foam-backed pad to which the hand units can be securely bolted, allowing the Datahand to be used on your lap. Of course, the side-to-side angles of the individual hand units remain adjustable on the Laplander, as does the distance between the hand units. A slight tilt is available thanks to optional foam pads on which the hand units can rest. Personally, I’ve always preferred to use a keyboard on my lap, but have gotten away from it using traditional keyboards: since they have a bunch of extra keys off to the right, it’s impossible to comfortably hold a traditional keyboard, centered on your lap. The Datahand, thankfully, doesn’t suffer from this problem.
As, however, Emil Pascarelli and Deborah Quilter point out in their book Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User’s Guide—an excellent book, which should be required reading for anyone who uses a computer on a daily basis—adjustability only takes you so far: it can even be detrimental, if you don’t know how to properly adjust the keyboard. With the extreme adjustability of the Datahand, the potential for maladjustment is quite high.
Enter the manual, which describes a comfortable distance of separation for the hand units and gives instruction for properly positioning the finger wells to match the shape of your hand. If you currently suffer from RSI and are working with a physical therapist, I would suggest asking your therapist to help you adjust the Datahand (and your workstation in general); but if that’s not an option for you, the manual should allow you to optimally adjust the Datahand on your own.
The Learning Process
You would expect, just from looking at it, that the Datahand would take some getting used to. While Datahand’s own literature suggests that a month is typically needed for a new user to get up to their traditional keyboard typing speed, I found I was comfortable using the Datahand after far less time than that. A training guide and some typing templates are provided to help you learn how to use the Datahand.
With exactly four exceptions, you use the same finger to access a given letter key on the Datahand as you would on a traditional keyboard. Typically, the “home row” key is the “down” button on the Datahand, the key on the upper row is “north,” and the lower row is “south.” While this is surely done to make transition from a traditional keyboard easier, I’m not sure how much it helped: the first few days of using the Datahand, I was constantly looking at the keyboard (or the provided postcard-sized templates, taped to the monitor in a well-intentioned but futile attempt to prevent me from looking at the keyboard as I type) and searching for a key I needed. After a few days of solid use, my search-and-peck days were pretty much over, though it took a few weeks for me to get up to my flat keyboard typing speed.
If you are thinking of getting a Datahand, though, I’d suggest you switch to the Dvorak keyboard layout at the same time: your fingers are learning something new anyway. For those who don’t know, Dvorak is a substantially more efficient keyboard layout, which places the most used keys in the easiest-to-reach positions, and which is designed with the intent of minimizing instances of using the same finger for two letters in a row, etc. I can type much faster on Dvorak than I can on QWERTY. A Dvorak option is available for the Datahand for an extra $119, providing Dvorak templates and the ability, within firmware, to switch back and forth between Dvorak and QWERTY layouts; but, that said, you can just as easily draw up your own template, and use your “Keyboard” control panel to select a Dvorak layout.
Professional Extras
The difference between the Professional and Personal Datahand models is simply one of firmware: the keyboard itself is the same. The Professional model allows you to set up short macros and to remap keys. Like the Dvorak option, however, these abilities can be done far more cheaply with software, and so I suspect the Professional’s functions may be geared more towards Windows users. Mac users can remap keys using ResEdit (though that will effect any keyboard connected to the computer, not just the Datahand), and there are shareware programs available (KeyQuencer and QuicKeys come to mind) that allow the creation of macros. In addition, the ability to create macros activated by function keys is built into Mac OS 9.1. For most users, therefore, the Professional model is likely not worth the difference in price over the Personal model.
RSI and Pain
Let’s face it, this is an expensive keyboard, no matter how adjustable and comfortable it is. Adjustability and comfort are not goals of the Datahand: they’re merely the means to an end, the end being pain-free keyboarding. When you consider the cost of ongoing physical therapy and/or surgery (not to mention permanent damage to your hands), the Datahand comes out looking like a real bargain.
To that end, Datahand doesn’t just rely on a few quotes worth of user feedback (although there are plenty of positive user experiences posted on their Web site). They’ve commissioned several thorough scientific studies of exactly how much the Datahand helps reduce the occurrence of factors that cause repetitive strain injuries. Again, see their Web site. I’m not an expert on RSIs; the groups that conducted the studies are.
A lot of the ergonomic advantages of the Datahand, I’d suggest, you can see for yourself using nothing more than common sense. On a flat keyboard, 100% of your key presses are “down”; on the Datahand, only 20% are, with 20% each in each of the four cardinal directions. That’s pretty obviously a great decrease in repetitive motion. Your hands rest above the finger wells on a palm rest, meaning your wrists aren’t bent upwards as they can be using a regular keyboard.
The keys on the Datahand require significantly less pressure from your fingers to activate them than do keys on regular keyboards: again, the advantages are obvious as your fingers are doing less work. (I didn’t feel this until I switched back to a regular keyboard, when I felt how much more pressure was needed from my fingers to activate its keys.) Use of the Laplander lets you relax, sitting back on your chair instead of leaning forward.
My personal experience with the Datahand, after a month of use, is that RSI pain is reduced considerably, especially in the wrists, but not gone altogether. That is likely due to a number of factors. Firstly, it takes time. The Datahand isn’t a pill, it’s a tool: its effects are gradual. Secondly, I use a number of different computers during the day, and moving the Datahand from one to the other is obviously not always possible: I trust the Datahand would have better effects if I were able to use it exclusively. Finally, the NSWE movements are pretty new to my fingers: they aren’t really used to pushing keys in those directions, so perhaps those muscles need to develop a little bit, just like your pinky finger had to when you first started typing.
Overall, I find that I can type considerably longer on a Datahand than on a regular keyboard before I start to feel any pain whatsoever. Before I started using the Datahand, I would occasionally find pain in my hands even while not typing; after a month of Datahand use, my hands have at least healed to the point where I don’t have persistent pain any more. All that comes at nearly no expense in terms of typing speed.
While my experience with the Datahand by no means constitutes a controlled scientific study, it certainly was a positive experience; enough so for me to believe that “ergonomic” is far more than a marketing slogan for Datahand. It is quite literally what this keyboard is all about: the perfection of the single unit whose parts are man and machine.
Copyright © 2001 Paul Fatula,
pfatula@atpm.com. Reviewing in ATPM is open to anyone. If you’re interested, write to us at reviews@atpm.com.
Also in This Series
- Review: Kinesis Advantage Pro · January 2003
- Review: Datahand Professional II · May 2001
Reader Comments (62)
I'm wondering about asking my employer to go for the thirty day free trial offer, since I've already had carpal tunnel surgery and it failed to improve the nerve conduction or sensation losses.
This is a sort of update to the comment I posted earlier on (above).
Quoting my neurologist: "You're very lucky you came in now. I see so many people who have been in pain or who have been dropping things go for five or six or seven years before getting checked, and many have so much damage, they can't fully recover."
In fact, after two carpal tunnel surgeries that failed, I haven't recovered either.
This is no joke. The people who are injured this way just quietly disappear from the workplace. The current administration has killed the ergonomic regulation that might have given some worker protection.
Don't be greedy. If you have pain or are feeling clumsy, accept that you may have already lost the future you imagined. Get checked by a competent neurologist. Pay for it yourself. Get your regular doctor to get you checked. You do NOT know why you have a problem until the neurologist tells you, at which point you can tell your employer--medical report in hand, documenting the problem.
If you tell your employer first, if you are under the United States laws, you may never get a proper test or treatment. The laws were written by employers for employers to protect the businesses by limiting the total cost of care for injured workers to much less than ordinary health insurance would cost for the same problems.
Nolo Press has decent books on this.
A few words about DataHand's price, though, in response to your first comment. If you consider the cost of physical therapy or, worse, surgery, I think you'll find that the DataHand is relatively inexpensive "preventative medicine." If you work 17-hour days, you're probably making enough money that you can afford a DataHand (or, perhaps, you're important enough to your employer that they'll consider buying you one).
If you're really wanting something less expensive, I reviewed the Kinesis Advantage Pro a few months ago. No doubt it's superior to the MS Natural Keyboard you're using, but considering how much time you spend on a keyboard, I think the DataHand would serve you better.
Regardless of your keyboard decision, you should see a doctor if you're experiencing pain.
But all that is biased by my situation: I don't have the back/shoulder pains which the M1 is, according to its web site, designed to help with. So, to me, the M1 would, at best, be a very comfortable chair with a uselessly small surface area attached, and I have abysmal posture. As I type this message, one leg dangles over the arm of my chair and my spine is twisted in the opposite direction to allow me to face the monitor.
My opinion is that if you have back/shoulder problems, your money is best spent on a chiropractor--who would also be in an ideal position to advise you about ergonomic seating and help you adjust it, come to think of it.
Also, how often is the pedal used? I was thinking, as an alternative to the mouse, perhaps it could have a foot-controlled mouse available as well. The product looks awesome, though. I just need to figure out a way to scrape together the money!
I found that using the built-in mouse was totally inadequate for graphical work. It was tedious enough to move the cursor around, let alone do some serious clicking. I tried the 3D mouse..what was it called...natural point or something? It was a drag and I got neckaches constantly, so that wasn't for me either. Besides, it wasn't the cheapest device I had ever bought. I've been getting some very good results from a Wacom art pad and a Logitech trackball (I change my input devices periodically to see if anything new will work better). Anyway, I find the DataHand is totally inconvenient when working with the mouse. You can get around, but you should memorize all the shortcuts your OS has to offer.
Regards,
Ole
So, we all know now that the DataHand mouse will probably not be sufficient for any serious user. It was designed maybe six years ago. How about that Fingerworks iGesture pad? Does anyone know of a good mouse replacement for the DataHand or, better yet, on overall good mouse replacement?
Paul, did you do any reviews on ergonomic mouse? If so, tell us your results.
Has anyone tried those vertical mouse or the no-hands "dot" mouse?
The DataHand keyboard is a true testament to computers, but the learning curve is steep. I have tried it and gave up, as life and work was too fast for me to really apply myself to learn the system. Also--and I think it's an agreed-upon fact--the built-in DataHand mouse is worthless as a functional tool. I have concluded, without a doubt, by my own experimentation, that there are two keyboards out there that offer the best ergonomic solutions. One is the Kinesis Ergonomic keyboard, which offers everything you need with the exception of a separate number pad. Deal with it. The problem with it is that it's still more or less "flat," which sucks for anyone with wrist issues. Pronation is not good.
The best vertical keyboard, and the other keyboard of which I mentioned, is the SafeType keyboard. It promotes perfect ergonomic and orthopedic posture, but is only good if you're a touch-typist and don't need to see the keys. The problem with that keyboard is that the number pad and other keys (arrow keys and six-pack) are in-between the two vertical panels, making it very hard to reach and use. If someone out there at Kinesis is listening, break your keyboard in half, flip-up the two halves, and make them vertical in the same fashion that the SafeType has done. This would be the best, most versatile, and most perfect design imaginable (I am currently in the process of doing this thing myself via a hacksaw and solder gun, but it's really gonna look cheap and rigged once I'm finished).
As for mice, I have tried them all. If you are okay with pronation of your wrist, a simple sculpted mouse is still the best, such as the Logitech MouseMan Wheel. If you prefer to keep your forearms in a more natural position (which I do), then the gentleman who made the last comment about the Vertical Mouse is right on the button. I currently use the 3M Renaissance Mouse, a.k.a. Vertical Mouse, and it's awesome. It's not really the "gamer's choice," but is very fast, regardless, and the learning curve is light. I don't think I'll go back to a regular flat mouse for a while.
I hope this info is helpful to everyone.
I use trackballs myself, as well, and Wacom. I have a Logitech Trackman Marble+ and a Logitech cordless optical Trackman that I shift between for whenever I wish to use my thumb for the ball controlling, or my other fingers. The Wacom is probably the best tool for graphics in most cases and I enjoy it a lot. My keyboard is a Logitech ergonomic thing and I'm rather pleased with its use as it is. But am always looking for better solutions. The Datahand, though it may be somewhat old, looks appealing, hence the reason I asked about its mouse feature. Once I win that million in the lottery, I'll buy it and the foot-controlled mouse. :-P
Henrik
What did work was removing my shoes and using a regular trackball (a large Kensington model) with my foot and pushing the buttons with the other foot. This worked for a couple years but then I actually started getting numbness between my toes from it, so I stopped doing it.
I wish you all better health and much luck in pursuing a useful remedy. :-)
Regards,
Ole
2)I would like to purchase a datahand.
so if anyone is selling, please contact me at:
u_shefi@yahoo.com
The TouchStream is not a traditional keyboard at all, it can be bend up to 45 degrees because of it's flexibility.
I recommend the touchstream and the quill mouse for any RSI problem, If not the quill mouse, try the anir mouse by 3m.
I would like to ask if the datahand has the flexibility to be rotated 90 degrees like the safetype keyboard?
Josh
To answer your question: "I would like to ask if the datahand has the flexibility to be rotated 90 degrees like the safetype keyboard?"
The short answer is yes. The two pieces are independent. The long answer is that the company does not manufacture a desk mount that allows for this (you'd have to device something of your own). However, they do manufacture a chair mount (see the accessories page of the DataHand Web Site) that allows for such flexibility (they also sell a full combination package of the DataHand and a Chair with the mount). A company representative states: "DataHand offers a chair mount kit that will mount to most standard office chairs and allows you to put the hand units at almost any angle including perpendicular to the floor. (This quote is from the "post-review" discussion forum of the review of the DataHand done at ExtremeTech.com).
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Buddy
I do recommend using an expander like Instant Text or Shorthand for anyone who does a lot of repetitive typing. There are other text expanders, but IMO these are the best two for the PC. And IT is simply amazing.
Jon Knowles
A Web Site on Typing Productivity (http://home.earthlink.net/~agjon/
i've not tried a text-expander with either keyboard... you might take a close look at the keyboard layouts of both the DataHand and the Advantage, as both use somewhat unorthodox placement of modifier keys... not sure whether that would have an impact on shorthanding methods.
1. The SafeType does not come apart. Being a software road warrior, I spend much of my time in Hotels, Customer Sites, and Airplanes. While I have given up on trying to work in a plane or Airport, I still spend most of my time somewhere other than my office. At 7" high, it makes putting it in my travelling case with my other gear almost impossible. I have a foam lined rollaboard hard case that I use to transport my laptop, keyboard, etc in. When I gave up trying to work on the plane, I bought this case, now I have less shoulder pain from lugging a laptop case around.
2. The cost of the DataHand is still really high. Even at $600+ for a refurbished unit, it is still a substantial investment.
So at $150 for a refurbished SafeType or $600 for a refurbished DataHand, is the DataHand worth the extra $$$
DataHand Systems seem to be focused on selling to companies. They compare the cost of the keyboard ($1300) to the cost of an employee's salary and say that even a small increase in productivity will have a "return on investment". They fail to realize that most small businesses can't apply this kind of logic! And neither can individuals.
Paul Fatula compares DataHand's keyboard cost the value of my career. I can't afford it even if it "would" save my career. I can't afford it even if it would save me lots of pain and suffering before my career ended anyway. I just don't earn that much money. Heck, the car I drive to work in cost me less than that! If they really want their idea to catch on, they will have to market it to the public. They have done a lot of research and I recognize that there needs to be a profit margin in there somewhere to pay off the venture capital. But I see a lot people saying they would buy it if only it was cheaper so maybe they would make some thing on the mass production angle.
A refurb unit at 50+% off would be a big step in the right direction. These would mostly sell to individuals and small companies buying small quantities. But I haven't seen these anywhere.
The cheapest I have seen is $650 for a "personal" edition refurb. That is lot for the non-macro version of the device.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item;=5171802946
if the item ends unsold you can email me for it at contact@dustgunners.com
I called the customer support number and was told that the sale priced units could not be returned for a refund and the warranty was only 90 days. I would love to believe that this is a legitimate sale of new units, but it really does sound more like they have a lot of refurbished models they're trying to unload.
I ordered one yesterday and going to take the plunge for that price. I have blown alot more on things in my life that are not as important and if you type all day long as many of us do, its worth the price to prevent RSI.
I have purchased two sets of the ProII's (actually, work purchased one set and I purchased the other, so I have a set at work and at home).
Both of these sets were at the 50% off price and are NEW units. I've had them for about two months and would guess that I am at about 80-90% of my flat speed. Really though, the comparison isn't fair, as I could only type on a flat keyboard for short periods before the pain in my hands became to severe to continue. (I have carpal tunnel syndrome).
With my two sets of datahands, I have been able to, litterally, type day and night.
Could someone with a DataHand post a video on youtube? That would be infinitely more helpful for seeing how thins thing actually works. Someone in marketing should be fired for not already doing this.
The _underscore_ is in NAS mode on the switch that is the ' in normal mode. ie. just to the right of the letter J.
...hand in any position you like!
...anyone else have one?
(...no complete sentences here - just started switch to Dvorak from ridiculous Sholes (QWERTY). ;) )
...should probably spring for Datahand, but in the meantime Dvorak's a no-brainer.
I don't want a track ball three inches below the keyboard. I want a trackpoint right smack i the middle of a natural keyboard. PLEASE..someone manufacture this.
I've spent the last few days trying to find a suitable replacement to no avail. I need an integrated mouse and a 10-key because of my financial work.
You'd think that in 10 years the market would have designed something by now!
Datahand Inc is still doing service on the datahand. I have spoken with them in the last few days and wrote a letter to them urging them to continue production (even if it means raising the price). If you contact them ASAP, they should be able to fix it for you.
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