Keyboards are cheap; you can pick 1 up for around 20.00; a not a chinsey 1 either

• stiff keyboard - Cindy
  • Return it - AnnieM!AnnieM!
    • Auntie Em! Auntie Em! - Perhaps you meant this?
    • no box - Cindy
      • Sales slip? - AnnieM!AnnieM!
        • nothing related to post - just liked your name - took me a minute - mdlfcrs
          • Nahhhh... - AnnieM!AnnieM!
      • Keyboards are cheap; you can pick 1 up for around 20.00; a not a chinsey 1 either - giddy pc guru

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to upgrade to the latest technology.  I remember using DOS forever and WP 5.1 forever because the MTSOs were too cheap to invest any money in state of the art technology.

There are services that use Vista, but harder to find.

It didn't take any time at all to get used to the GoldTouch in the tented position.  I bought mine off of ebay and am keeping my eyes open for another one, cheap, to have as a back-up. 

I have a COuntoured keyboard that I bought off Ebay. I have had it for a month or 2 but just havent had the time to work with it.  It seems kind of complicated to get set up.  The Goldtouch, I plugged into a USB port and off I went. 

I have seen and bid on all kinds of keyboards. They even have one handed one that resemble the top of a job stick.  One hand does it all.  And there are ones called Bats (I think) that are everything done by one hand.  I am trying to buy one of those kinda cheap. 

ALso, I have tried Dragon Naturally Speaking but the time to train it took too long.  It was quicker to type. 

I have no idea when I will be trying that out but can let you know.  If I lose your email I will post that I have tried it.  It looks to me like it is going to be like when you spell something out on the telephone.  So many clicks per number to get a certain letter. 

I have never had trouble buying anything off ebay.  I have seen new and used keyboards.  Mine have all been used but I always check the stats on the seller to see that history.  Also pay with PayPal so would have that as a recouse also if had problems.  And of course, I save all correspondence, etc, not just for ebay but any kind of cyber transcactions. 

I agree about what a difference the keyboard can make!!

I looked at the split keyboards, but my hands are kind of small so I went with a WAVE keyboard. 

It is made by Logitech and you can find it at Office Max and Staples.  It is wireles and came in a combo with a wirless mouse for about $75.  It has well paid for itself!! for me!

About the keyboard advice previously given, when you try them out, can you tell you like them right away or do they all feel a bit awkward?  I'm just wondering how to know what I'll like best when picking one out.

Thanks for your ongoing help! 

I looked at keyboards yesterday and tried them (pretended to type) in the store.  The ones they had with each hand's keys father apart (which is what I thought would be best) were big, bulky, with keys that stuck up too high and just felt awkward.  The one that felt best was smaller ... more in order of a normal keyboard but curved a bit to accommodate more natural hand position.

Do you think this is an accurate assessment of what would work best for me, or would one get more used to the other type?  Are there split keyboards that don't seem so bulky and awkward from the start?

Thanks.  I really want a new keyboard, but I'm afraid I'll buy something I regret.  Just not sure how to tell what's best. 

I have narrowed my selection of new keyboards down to the Microoft Natural Wireless 7000 and the Logitech cordless.  I need speed and comfort. I will test drive each but until I do does anyone have any comments on either of these keyboards?  TIA

They absolutely don't care about quality or any of that jazz, which is why I have always wondered why we as an industry keep beating each other up over issues that doctors couldn't care less about. Not that I think we should all just transcribe any old way we want, but it seems like we act like the slaves out in the mud pit slapping each other around about how much or how little straw to use for the bricks while the slavedriver sits on the side line with the whip completely content with end product either way.

I suppose the answer most would give is that we should take pride in the quality of our work whether they (the doctors) do or not, but I can't get passed the notion that these are the same individuals that the powers that be seem so intent on pleasing and are also the same individuals who would see us all in the soup lines tomorrow looking for the next homeless shelter to sleep in if they had their way. They (the medical profession) will not think twice about putting all transcriptionists out of business at their first opportunity, and yet we as an industry continue to bow to their ridiculous and uninformed demands concerning how to do what we do or their complaints about how much we charge or that we shouldn't charge for line count generated by short forms or macros, etc. They have no clue how many times their butts get saved by transcriptionists on a daily basis.

I've never met a transcriptionist who wouldn't readily agree with the notion that we are part of the health care team, and yet many of us continue to act like we still work for the doctors instead of the patient. Oh well, go figure.

Just venting as well.

the plastic surgeon charges $400 per session no matter what part of the body, mine was the chin and one brown spot, oh and in between the eyebrows (which the dr who didn't own the practice charged me HALF that).  That doctor is more experienced in laser than the doctor who owns the practice (who wouldn't have charged me at all *lol*).

Someday when I am rich (hey, I can dream, now can't I???  *LOL*) I will go back and have the chin done over and over again *lol*

I know someone who has an account that she's had for about 3+ years.  This practice recently went through some changes; one of the main partners retired, they hired another one or two new docs, and now the other partner who was left behind has slashed costs every which way, even to the point of not purchasing letterhead anymore.  They expect their MT to now print their letterhead (oh, and she has to buy the paper now too!!!), and she is consequently using a lot more ink than normal.  She was already printing their letters and not charging them for the ink (on their letterhead that they furnished), but now she has to use their letterhead template on plain white paper, which is going through ink like crazy, not to mention the now added cost of paper on top of that.  How rude is this?  Do you believe it?  I told her she needs to speak up.  She is pretty angry about it, but she is so afraid to say something for fear they'll get rid of her too!  And, in all the years she's been doing their dictation she has not gone up on the price, not one penny.  Any advice out there?   

Just wondering if any of you have tried the "quality" sets?  I only ask because if you have not compared, you might not know what you are missing.

I keep bugging you all because it seems when I make investments that are supposed to help, it is about a 50/50 success.  Some help; some were not worth the money.

I need to get faster.  I am okay with certain accounts, but others slow me way down, so I need to make every improvement I can to make the slow accounts a moot point (at least).

Thanks again for all the help! 

Sade's "By Your Side".

Its a very unique sounding and lovely song.

Forty-five minutes was or were spent with the patient.

The patient is a 46-year-old patient of Dr. Smith or Smith's with stage IV breast carcinoma 

I started using a split keyboard years ago.  I love them.  The first one I had was PC Concepts, I believe.  When I finally wore that one out and went to get another, I couldn't find that brand.  I got Microsoft's keyboard next.  It's okay, although the #6 key is on the left, which I found to be true of all the split keyboards.  My PC Concepts KB had the #6 on the right, which made more sense to me.  I was never able to adjust to this, so I constructed a "bridge" for the #6 key.  I have never been able to find a split keyboard with the #6 on the right.  Does anyone know of one?

Also, I use my mouse too much and I'm starting to get pains.  Yea!!  So, I'm wondering, does anyone use a split keyboard with a built-in mousepad-thingy on the bottom of the keyboard?  I was thinking about trying one of these next, but I hate to spend the $ w/o getting some opinions first.  If you use one, what brand; do you like it; does it really work; any suggestions? 

Thanks!!

Not only is it impossible to use, the salesperson was  rude and difficult when I called for return instructions.  Also, there was a money back guarantee on the website, but in small print "if refurbished, we cannot refund your money."  And guess what, you don't know its refurbished until it arrives on your doorstep!!  Needless to say, 350 bucks flushed down the toilet. 

I recently ordered the "ergoflex" keyboard, and was wondering if anyone has tried this?  It lets you rest each arm as far away as possible, which is what I need.  I've been typing on two keyboards, one for the left, one for the right, and it just takes up too much space.  I'm hoping this will help.  To the poster below about keyboard testimonials, these could probably be secured to the end of your arm rests, and also on the web site they have separate arm rests that look real comfy you can adjust to your table top. 

http://www.ergonomicresource.com/ergoflex.html

I did a search but came up empty handed, which I do not understand as I recall seeing Goldtouch mentioned before.

Are people generally happy with this keyboard?

I eat and drink at my desk, as I'm sure most of us do.  And of course, crumbs fall, drinks drip, and there's the dust.  I was just wondering what everybody else uses to clean their keyboards.  I have tried canned air to blow out the crumbs and then use alcohol on the surface and stick Q-Tips down in all the crevices and between the keys.  Just wondered if there was some miracle solution that would make it easier and less time consuming?