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Despite the promise of voice recognition and the allure of HAL, the talking (and listening) computer from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the vast majority of us still peck at a keyboard and push around a mouse to get our computers to do what we want. Voice recognition, except for those unable to use their hands, remains a slower, less productive input technology.
I recently went on another odyssey in search of the perfect input device, tired of the wear and tear on my body that my current setup was causing. I was periodically pinching nerves on the same side of my neck as the arm I used to reach for my ergonomic mouse. The pain would last only a day or two, but it was a warning.
Computer mice cause the most computer injuries, says Deborah Quilter, author of The Repetitive Strain Injury Recovery Book (Walker & Co.) and the Website www.rsihelp.com. From having previously tested various mice and trackballs, I concluded it wasn't my mouse itself causing me problems but my repetitively reaching for it.
So I hunted around for keyboards with built-in pointing devices, which would let...