You must think I’m crazy, but well, I bought two further FrogPads
This time two black USB FrogPads, a left handed and a right handed version. About a month ago I received them and started learning to type with the right hand since then.
In this short “review” I will say something about the USB versions, in comparison to the previously reviewed Bluetooth FrogPad and about the right handed FrogPad in detail, regarding learning and typing with both left handed and right handed FrogPad alternating.
First the USB version:
The most noticeable difference is the color, instead of glossy white it is piano black.
But it does not also have a different color it is also thinner and lighter.
In your package you’ll receive the FrogPad, a cover, a 1.80m long USB 2.0 cable, manuals and a CD which contains some instructions.
You connect the FrogPad to your tablet PC, it gets recognized as a HID keyboard device and just works.
Compared to the BT FrogPad the LEDs are better visible on the USB FrogPad, especially from the side.
The symbol mode is better implemented on the USB FrogPad, too. It is faster, almost fail-safe and easier to use. If you press the symbol key once, it activates the temporary symbol mode. With a key pressed you go back to letter mode, but if you press the symbol key twice, then you’ll enter the permanent symbol mode, similar to the only symbol mode the white BT FrogPad has.
Sadly the USB version has a software bug. If you activate the temporary ctrl mode and press a letter from the first layer (without holding “space”) then the ctrl light turns off, but internal it is still active. You can avoid this bug by just holding the number key while pressing the letter key. It’s sad that the bug is there, but it’s no deal breaker, because you can avoid it.
All in all, I really like the USB versions. The black looks better, some functions seem to be better implemented, sadly it has the ctrl bug and sadly you always have to connect the USB cable
Learning with the right hand:
I already learned to type with the left hand on the lefty FrogPad. The right hand layout is the same, just mirrored, so I thought it will be a breeze to learn the other hand layout.
In the 20 days learning I typed exclusively with the right hand, I haven’t used the left FrogPad in this time frame.
The first days I typed with the right handed FrogPad I had big problems with the coordination. I always wanted to press opposite buttons. The biggest problems made I and S; and O and D. But after some training I managed this (needed around a week)
When I compare the right handed learning curve with the learning curve from the left handed FrogPad, which I had learned first, we can see a big difference. I got much faster a respectable speed and in the end a much higher speed in the same time frame.
The first conclusion is:
If you already learned to type with the FrogPad with one hand, it’s much easier to learn to type with the second hand on a FrogPad, too.
But it also brought some drawbacks with it. Because I stopped typing with the left hand for nearly a month now I had problems to write with the left hand again. Now, again, I mistook the keys on the left layout. But after a few minutes (>15minutes) I managed this again, I only typed much slower with the left hand now. Before I started the training with the right hand I got around 60WPM with the left hand, after the training I got around 45WPM with the left hand, therefore around 60 WPM with the right hand.
Now after I’ve typed with both FrogPads since a week, my left handed typing speed increased to about 50WPM again the right handed is about 55-60WPM. After a few weeks or months I think I will get around 60-70WPM with both hands, at least I hope so
The second conclusion:
While learning the layout with the second hand you will have problems to use the first again in the end, and switching between both hands will be distracting at the beginning.
Further impressions:
Well what do you expect? I like the FrogPad and everything I type, I type with the FrogPad. I completely replaced my QWERTY keyboard with the FrogPad. Only when gaming or when I don’t have the FrogPad with me I use the QWERTY keyboard.
And when I have to use the QWERTY keyboard I often notice how awkard it is to use it. e.g. when I have the mouse in the right hand, the left hand placed on the left modifier keys and I then want to press enter or backspac I have to move my whole arm over the whole keyboard, just uncommon when you're used to the FrogPad.
And the ability to type with a single hand, and this with both hands, is just great. When I work I mostly hold the mouse in the right hand and use the FrogPad with the left hand.
When I chat, browse, do senseless stuff I mostly “lie” relaxed and twisted in my chair and thus it is more comfortable to do both using the mouse and typing on the FrogPad with the right or sometimes left hand. The same when I eat sometimes while sitting in front of the PC.
Sadly the FrogPads also have a few problems which are annoying sometimes.
- I still activate sometimes some modes, like number, symbol, … accidentally, so that sometimes I have to look at the FrogPad if a LED lights which indicates that I’m in a special mode.
- Because I enter sometimes some modes accidentally, I also enter the number mode while typing. Then I type numbers, no problem, but when my first or second letter is a “|” then I have a problem, because this means, while in number mode “F5” and you all know what this means in every browser. Well that brought me to place the reload function to a different key, which solved this problem; still it’s annoying when I press a function key.
- And then the FrogPads also have some minor software failures, like the first time you use them you always have to press the shift button twice, or such smaller negligible things.
But still they are the best accessories I have bought for my tablet PC. Sadly no one other around me wants to learn the FrogPad layout, too “laborious”. They just don’t know what they miss
Re: Bluetooth FrogPad Keyboard Review 
