Lenovo ThinkPad USB Keyboard Review

When most people think of the best keyboard on the market, the Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard is always at the top of the list. Lenovo recognized this and came out with an external keyboard designed for desktop and notebook users who want the same typing experience but might not own a ThinkPad. In this review we take a look at the newest ThinkPad USB keyboard and see if its updated design is worth buying.

Lenovo ThinkPad USB Keyboard Specifications:

• Legendary ThinkPad keyboard look and feel
• Low profile, ergonomic design
• Integrated TrackPoint
• Spill resistant design
• Function (Fn) key provides access to variety of ThinkPad features
• Red backlit buttons for volume and microphone mute
• Volume up/down keys
• 3-year warranty
• Compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7

Build and Design
The new ThinkPad USB keyboard uses the same keyboard assembly from the newer ThinkPad laptops, with a plastic frame and palmrest surrounding it. Compared to older design made under the IBM name they removed the touchpad and updated the keyboard to the newest version seen in the ThinkPad T400s and X200 series. The design is very basic with a thin frame and a large fixed palmrest. Lenovo kept the same large palmrest design from the older model even though they removed the integrated touchpad. This turned out to be an arguing point for some of the editors in the office. Some were split on it being wasted space and others enjoyed the added comfort of it being a huge palmrest.

The keyboard feels every bit as good in the external frame as it does inside the ThinkPad T400s. The plastic frame does a good job of providing support while laying flat and only has minimal flex when it is supported by its two extending feet. The design also incorporates rubber pads which keep the keyboard firmly planted on your desk. Lenovo did a good job of making an external chassis for one of their keyboards usually only seen in notebooks.

In Use
The keyboard is very comfortable to type on with its broad built-in palmrest. It is long enough where you can have your fingers resting on the keyboard and the edge of the palmrest isn't digging into your wrist. The typing surface is identical to the keyboard on the T400s with the only difference being a springy feel if you press hard enough while it is supported by the two extending feet. Individual key action feels smoother than my old ThinkPad USB keyboard and is much quieter too. I think the biggest advantage of using one of these keyboards is you never have to transition between two standards if you own a desktop and laptop. Most desktop keyboards use keys with very long throws and if you are used to only typing on laptops your typing performance suffers.

Lenovo includes quick access keys on the top edge of the keyboard which allow you to adjust volume, mute the microphone or speakers, and launch the ThinkVantage software suite. If you are using it on any other type of computer the main keys work but the ThinkVantage key does nothing. I have found that on multiple systems no additional drivers are required to get those buttons to work, but that is only tested under Vista and Windows 7.

The primary difference between the old design and the new design is the lack of touchpad on the new model. Lenovo stuck with just a pointing stick ... which you either love or hate. I find myself falling in-between the two extremes: I can put up with it if needed, but I still use the touchpad or external mouse if it's available. The TrackPoint control works very well and operates just like it would on a notebook. The drivers allow scrolling through the use of the center mouse button or it can be configured to act as a middle button for tab control. The cursor did wander on occasion, but no more than what I have seen on current laptops which incorporate a pointing stick. When this happened it generally corrected itself quickly.

Old ThinkPad external keyboard

New ThinkPad external keyboard

Another item that Lenovo removed from the keyboard compared to the older model was the onboard USB hub. On my current keyboard if I have a USB memory stick I can plug it into the top of the keyboard, instead of hunting for an available port on the back of my docking station. Whether this change took place to save costs or to reduce the thickness of the keyboard, it is one feature I miss from the older design.

Old ThinkPad external keyboard base	New ThinkPad external keyboard base
Old keyboard (left) height vs. new keyboard (right)	Thickness comparison between the new keyboard (top) and the old keyboard (bottom)

Conclusion
The new Lenovo ThinkPad USB keyboard is pretty nice if you want the same keyboard experience on a computer that is not a ThinkPad. The new design removes the touchpad and onboard USB hub, but uses the newest keyboard design seen on the latest ThinkPad models. The typing experience is as good as the old model and nearly identical to typing on the laptop itself. If you own a previous model the biggest change you would have to put up with is the missing touchpad ... but if you can get past that it is an excellent value. The new price of $59 is much lower than before, but you miss out on some previously included features. The bottom line is if you need a ThinkPad keyboard no matter what the computer might be, the ThinkPad USB Keyboard is your only option.

Pros:

• ThinkPad keyboard outside of a ThinkPad
• Sturdy design
• Built-in mouse control

Cons:

• No touchpad or USB hub
• Huge palmrest might annoy some

Related Articles:

• Lenovo ThinkPad T400s Touch Review
• Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet Review
• Lenovo ThinkPad SL510 Review

 

I guess if you want a smaller keyboard it would be good, but I'd still prefer the full sized Das Keyboard Ultimate (S version coming soon), but then again, it's also double the price. But good peripherals last a lot longer than good computer parts...

 

Love it! Now they need to make this exact one with a numpad and Id buy one right away.

 

I wish Lenovo also makes a ThinkPad external keyboard in the standard desktop keyboard layout.

 

Good review. I bought this last month and love this keyboard. Best typing feel of any keyboard I own(ed) ever.

The software has one little bug though. Sometimes the mute light doesn't glow orange after you wake from suspend and mute was already on. A simple unmute/mute will get it to glow again.

 

only if they had a wireless version, I'd grab in a sec.

 

Now all we need is a wireless one to make the perfect HTPC companion...

 

Nice review, I did not know this existed. I would consider buying one for my desktop if it had a built-in number pad.

 

does the Fn key work with other laptops?

 

Yeah, no number pad sorta sucks. But it's not a bad price for such a well built keyboard.

 

I cannot agree more with you. I can only type on laptop keyboards as a touch typist, but put me in front of a desktop keyboard and my typing suffers terribly.

I really like the design, is is cleaner, sleeker, smaller, nicer than the old one. Basically the took the T400s, scrapped everything but the keyboard and there you go.

I might grab one of these some time for the uni, as I cannot stand AZERTY and desktop keyboard all mixed up. My typing is terrible.

Great review Kevin, thanks!

 

I had the previous model, and returned it to lenovo after a fortnight (actually, they sent me a replacement unit, but it had the same problem, so I returned it and got a refund).

The keyboard suffered from terrible input lag. I was able to type faster than the keyboard would pass the input on - and I don't type particularly fast, maybe ~85-90 wpm.

In addition, the keyboard was completely useless for gaming, not just because of the aforementioned lag (making strafing and dodging FPSes impossible), but also because of the severely limited simultaneous keypresses supported (iirc, it was around 3-4 buttons).

How does the new model fare? The quickest way to test is to use Notepad and depress the A,S,D,F keys simultaneously repeatedly. If a keyboard has no lag, the result should look like this:

but if it is buffering input (and thus resulting in lag), it will always produce the same repeatable pattern

Curious to know.

 

mine does fads, afds only...what does that mean?

 

On an HDX 9000 & DV5T,

Fn+f4 for suspend/sleep works.
Fn+f8 calls up mouse control panel applet
FN+media keys (cursor keys) works.

That's it so far.

Thinkvantage key brings up system info.

 

I have the keyboard and here's how it looks:

dsfa
fdsa
dsfa
dsfa
dsfa
adfs
sdfa
sfad
sdfa
sfad
sdfa
sdaf
asdf
sdfa
safd
asdf
sfda
sfda
fsda
fsda
fsda

Haven't noticed any issues in games. Played Crysis & Warhead, COD4 & MW2, L4D, etc. Lag free.

 

Love it!!! getting one soon for my ThinkCentre.... thanks for the review.

 

Perfect timing for a review, I was just looking at picking one up for work. The keyboard layout on the G530 they got me drives me crazy, so it's about to get relegated to my desk with one of these.

I agree, make a wireless version and they'll have the ultimate home theater keyboard.

 

same here. although i don't really mind the exclusion of the number pad. you can always get an external.

 

Get an external numpad for your external keyboard tianxia?? lol

 

Using the internal thinkpad keyboard this is what I get:

fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
fdsa
dsaf
dsaf
dsaf
dsaf

I don't notice input lag or anything while gaming, but I do hate the beep when I press a certain common combo of keys in world of warcraft. But then again I do not play that game anymore so the problem no longer bothers me.

LOL I was thinking the same thing. Plus using an external numpad is painful, at least for me. When I can afford a 17in or if lenovo moves to 16:9 and has a 15.6 or 16.0 t series with a numpad, there will be no need for an external keyboard for me.

 

It is rather ridiculous IMO.

I am with Kevin in that the short throws of a laptop's keyboard is appealing. My desktops use an HP Elite Wireless, which has a similar key throw.

 

it's not that ridiculous. i only use the number pad occasionally. so i can safe some space when it's not needed.
plus if i use a desktop. it wouldn't be external.

 

This reminds me of the Gyration keyboard my family used to have:

It featured laptop-style keys (or "scissor strut" keys), and was wireless. I went to dig it out, but alas, I couldn't find it....

Still, my idea of the ultimate IBM/Lenovo keyboard is the IBM Model M keyboard.... which is still being made by a little company called Unicomp.

 

I agree and prefer laptop keyboards alot more then desktop keyboards. I feel more natural and comfortable on them.

 

NICE! Thanks for the info! I'm currently using a soft dome 'gaming' keyboard with (if you can imagine) rubberised WASD keys, which is great for gaming, but the raised rubber keys get in the way of typing. Oh well, at least it's spill-proof...

 

Whoa! Very nice looking indeed! Hmm ... this could be something to bring into the office for those desktop users who really love the thinkpad keyboards.

 

The keyboard was one of the reasons for me to buy ThinkPads for the last decade. Until my T61p. The original keyboard had trouble registering several keys on the upper left side. A phone call and they shipped out a replacement. It worked well enough but still seemed to take a bit more encouragement than making it the usual pleasant to use tool. Recently (granted, over a year later) it became so bad again that the dash '-' had to be hacked really hard to register. Replaced again. I hope this one holds up and there were temporary QA issues that are now resolved. In general I found the TP quality going down since the T4* series. The T61p I got for a bargain price right when released - I wished however for premium quality and rather pay a few hundred more.

 

i'm surprised noone mentioned how the windows key is back. that's a godsend for me since my x301 keyboard has it and i'd definitely have issues without not being able to use my windows+d combo to show desktop. i know you could map with the old one but still, there used to be only 3 keys to the right of the spacebar so you couldn't replicate the thinkpad. glad to have it back. +1 to lenovo.

the dealbreaker for me, like many others in this thread have expressed, is the lack of the numpad. i'm not sure why lenovo decided not to include this, since i don't think it's that much of a manufacturing feat to include it, and would certainly appeal to most people out there who want keyboards for their desktops. i use it my numpad everyday for excel sheets. that's all that's keeping me from buying this. those who don't mind the lack of the numpad though, looks like a steal.

 

Enalposi, what hack did you actually need to use for the keyboard to actually make it work?

What I miss from Kevin's review is some actual touch typing!

I am confused a little bit about this keyboard since it got so bad reviews both on Lenovo's website and Amazon.

So what do you think? Have you actually tried it for touch typing? Is it a buy or not? What are my other options for an external Trackpoint keyboard?

 

Oh yeah.

I actually need a keyboard with the US-International layout



Do you think I can have one with this layout printed on?

 

Yeah, I went to Amazon with my mind made up to buy it. After seeing the reviews, I held off.

I'm currently using the old one in the review above and it doesn't have a Windows key, which I use a lot for searching. But this lag problem in the new one sounds really bad...

 

Wow, that's a very... strange desktop keyboard. What a weird concept to create a desktop keyboard out of the top case of a thinkpad. I don't like it.

 

Only masters of the secret art of TrackPointery need this device in their craft

 

I don't know. That's just the weirdest thing I've ever seen with regards to computer hardware.

 

why not, they save money from engineering it from scratch. make use of left over laptop parts. and they know people will buy it because it's a thinkpad keyboard. it's a very good idea.

 

Interested in this keyboard, I tried to check out a possibly updated driver and see this as a fixed issue. Strangely, I can't seem to find its driver page.

Can anyone point me to the page? Thanks

edit: I seem to have found it: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-73235.html
Still not sure about the purchase though.

 

Wireless, this would be perfect for a desktop.

 

So... reviewers say this external Thinkpad keyboard lags, has a slow response. Is it a hardware or software issue?

On the other hand, do Thinkpad keyboards integrated on actual Thinkpads have the same problem? In theory, it is the same keyboard. And the latter is called legendary.

Oh, and will it work in Ubuntu, too? With or without the extra drivers.

I like the design.

 

the driver got an update in November. Can any owner of this keyboard test if the sticky shift problem is solved with the update?

 

I finally got the keyboard and posted a review on geekhack.