This isn't your traditional ergonomic keyboard. Essentially, this is two separate halves joined by a USB-C cable; so you can position it however you like.

Here's a quick video showing it in action:

It is very clicky! Yes, you can replace the keys and switches with something softer. But then people wouldn't know you're the sort of nerd who uses a mechanical keyboard. And where's the fun in that?!

Similarly, the lights are delightfully dazzly. Yes, you can make them more subtle or even turn them off. But then people wouldn't know you're the sort of cool kid who has a light-up keyboard.

Linux Compatibility

The Split 70 comes with a USB-C to A cable. Personally, I'd've preferred straight C-C, but this does the job. Flick the switch at the back to USB mode, plug it in, and Linux instantly detected it. No drivers to configure.

It shows up as 342d:e491 HS Epomaker Split 70 - there's another switch for changing between Mac and PC mode. That doesn't change how the keyboard presents itself; just the keycodes it sends.

There's also a Bluetooth option. Again, Linux use was a breeze - although you'll have to remember what the pairing combo is and which device it is paired to.

There's also a 2.4GHz option. Hidden on the back of the left unit is a little USB-A receiver. Again, pairing is simple - just plug it in and flick the switch.

As expected, it also plays well with Android. The Bluetooth connection worked as did USB-OTG. Of course, quite why you'd want a giant heavy keyboard paired to your tiny phone is an exercise left to the reader.

Customisation

This came as a US keyboard with the " and @ in the "wrong" place. It's easy to remap the keys and adjust the lights using https://usevia.app/ - although you'll need to download the JSON layout first.

It comes with a tool to remove the keys and switches. I'll admit, I'm too much of a chicken to attempt that - but it does look easy.

What doesn't look easy is the way to get it into firmware update mode - which involves shorting some pins and comes with some stringent warnings!

GPL

There is some question about whether Epomaker comply with the GPL when it comes to the QMK source. They appear to have some source code available but it is hard to tell whether it exists for this specific model.

After politely emailing them about GPL compliance, they were happy to supply a link to the Split 70's QMK source code. I'm not deep into recompiling the firmware for my keyboards - but it looked comprehensive to me.

Using it

It's delightful to type on - and I got used to the noise after a while. I wasn't a massive fan of the layout to start with, but it easy to see its appeal. Personally, I'd like an extra numpad to go with it.

The four macro keys are useful. By default, they're set to cut, copy, paste, and undo - but can easily be remapped. The knob is fun - by default it does volume, I'm sure you can find something else useful to do with it.

Battery life is excellent even if you have the lights on full disco. I kept it plugged in to my machine for typing most of the time.

Being able to adjust the split to your own specification is outstanding. If you suffer from RSI, this can genuinely help.

Price

About £80 from Amazon UK or AliExpress. That feels reasonable for this much tech. Obviously you can get a bog-standard keyboard for buttons - but this is unique, tactile, and interesting.

So, the good folks at Flexispot have sent me their latest chair to review. Just like most modern office chairs, it is fully adjustable. But, rather than having a a set of big foam cushions, the seat, back, and head-rest are 100% mesh. It's currently on sale for £290.

The Build

As with any bit of modern furniture, your LEGO skills will come in handy. In truth, it's a simple enough build. Of particular delight was the fact that all the screws use the same size allen key (supplied). The packaging even comes with a handy set of spare screws!

The instructions are pretty simple - slot things together and screw in. Although I enjoyed this little message on the underside of the seat:

Controls

There are half a dozen switches and toggles. The one at the back controls the back, the ones on the arm-rest control the arm-rest. You'll probably quickly forget what most of them do. But it's pretty easy to figure out.

Bum Feel

Look, there's no polite way to talk about this! Sitting on a suspended mesh feels a little different. It is comfortable, cool in summer, and allows a healthy breeze. Your farts, however, will not be muffled. The mesh absorbs neither sound nor smell.

The mesh is transparent, which takes a little getting used to.

But it is tightly knitted together with very little "give" and provides a satisfying cushion.

Video

(Note, the video mentions a foot-rest, which is a £30 optional extra. The UK warranty appears to only be 5 years.)

Verdict

I've sat on a lot of fancy office chairs in my time. This is easily as comfortable as ones costing 3x the price. For less than £300, you get an extremely comfortable chair, with lots of flexible positions for your posture, and it is easy to assemble.

Discount!

The chair and several other items are cut in price until August 25th.

But, at some point in the last 18 months of working from home, my work keyboard has gone walkabout. Oh well, a good excuse to buy a new one! Except - sadly - Microsoft have discontinued it.

Don't get me wrong, you can buy a "4000" branded keyboard - but it is a radically different design. And change is scary. So I'm buying up old models on eBay. If you have an old-verson MS 4000 in good condition, please let me know - I may need to stock up!

I've previously written about the cosmetic changes to the Microsoft 4000 keyboard - all mostly changes to what was printed on the keycaps. But the new MS 4000 is radically different.

This is what the new LXM-00004 looks like - it's worth noting that the UK layout is radically different to the US layout (click for massive image).

Here's where I think it is deficient compared to the old model:

• No scroll jogger. I use this all the time.
• No back / forward thumb buttons. I don't mind losing these, although they were handy.
• Calculator is now far away from the num pad. The calc button has been replaced with search. WTF?
• Context menu button is now on the left, rather than the right. That would be handy, except...
• Right hand context menu is now an "Office 365" key. Pointless. No idea if it can be remapped.
• Num Pad's "clear" button is where the "equals" button used to be! That's going to be so easy to accidentally hit.
• No more ⭐ button. I used that as a programmable button all the time.
• 5 of the programmable buttons have been replaced with media controls. While it's nice to have track-skip buttons, I'd rather have something I can set myself.
• PrtScn button has moved. As has Delete.
• The markings for ¦ and | buttons have swapped.

There are a few good points:

• LED on Caps and Num locks. Much more sensible than clustering them in the middle.
• Dedicated Emoji key 😁. I currently use alt+E to launch my Linux Emoji picker.
• Removal of the weird text on the F keys! Which means F-lock is always on. Nice!
• A few extra accessibility ridges on some keys.
• The Delete key is bigger and above backspace - which makes a bit more sense.

I'm sure at some point all my old keyboards will break and I'll have to get one of these. But, for now, I'm holding out. If you have an old 4000 that you no longer need, please let me know!

So, time to try the inelegantly named "Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop" - a wireless keyboard with separate number-pad and mouse.

Typing

Let's start with how the keyboard is to type on. It's close to perfect! I'm comparing this to my venerable Microsoft 4000 keyboard.

The split and rise of the unit is a delight. Feels really easy on the wrists. They keys don't have a lot of travel - it's more like a laptop that a traditional keyboard - but it's responsive and light.

It's relatively slim - about the width of a MacBook Pro.

The rise is quite gentle. While I would have preferred it to have been a bit steeper - it keeps the heft of the unit down, so it's slim enough to fit in a normal laptop bag.

The riser is removable - it clips on with magnets - if you prefer a regular incline.

The layout is fairly traditional for the main part and should be easy enough to get used to. The numberpad had moved to its own, separate unit - so there's a weird cluster of positioning keys - home, end, arrows, etc.

As you can see above, the calculator key is present - which is useful. Of less use is the function switch. On most keyboards, the function keys do double-duty as media keys. By using a dedicated function key, you can switch their use. So F5 refreshes the screen, and Function+F5 launches a search window. With this keyboard, you have to flick a switch, hit the key, and then remember to flick it back. It's a little annoying.

Wireless

Microsoft has never liked standards. Rather than going with Bluetooth - which would have been available on all modern computers - they've bundled their own proprietary wireless dongle. DO NOT LOSE THIS DONGLE! If the dongle is lost or damaged, you cannot get a replacement - your only option is to buy an entire new set! I spoke to MS about this and they say that's for "security". They will, however, send a replacement set if you're still within the warranty period of your purchase.

This would have been so much easier with Bluetooth, you'd be able to swap between machines without worrying about a tiny, fragile adapter.

The dongle itself is a bit on the large side - far larger and wider than most cheap BlueTooth, WiFi, or other wireless keyboard plugins.

It does jut somewhat alarmingly out of the side of a laptop.

And, sadly, proprietary dongles like this are often prone to sniffing.

Microsoft - please use BlueTooth next time!

Power

If it were my choice, this device would have a rechargable battery - with a standard USB connector for power. Microsoft have chosen to use 2 AAA batteries in the keyboard. The mouse takes 2 AA batteries. Both keyboard and mouse have nifty magnetic doors hiding the batteries. The numberpad has a battery compartment which can only be accessed by a screwdriver. The battery? A CR2430 coin cell!

It would have been great to have everything at least powered by the same type of battery - but that doesn't fit in with Microsoft's design philosophy, apparently.

There is also no power switch on the keyboard or numberpad. They go to sleep automatically when they can't detect the wireless signal. There is a power switch on the mouse. Because why not.

According to The Verge, the battery life is "3 years for the keyboard, 6 years for the number pad, and 1 year for the mouse."

So, hopefully you won't get caught short and have to remember exactly which style of battery you're supposed to be replacing!

Mouse

The mouse is fairly weighty. There are two thumb buttons available - one is a "back" button, which can easily be remapped to something more useful. The other is a "Windows" key - to open your start menu.

Although it has a bit of a tilt to it, I've gone back to my vertical mouse.

Linux Compatibility

Plug and play - no drivers needed. Keyboard and mouse both worked flawlessly.

Downsides

It's not all sunshine and roses, however. The aforementioned Function Keys have a tendency to stick in their downwards position. Mine came with a stuck F2 key - which meant I couldn't type a capital C. I quickly jiggled the key loose and I could type normally again.

There are no "Favourites" keys - other than the calculator. I usually have a row of keys dedicated to launching frequently used apps or websites. Unlike the MS 4000, there are no dedicated zoom or back/forward shortcut keys.

There's this weird plastic... flap? Tag? Thing? Just by the Escape key.

At first I thought it was a guard to prevent accidental clicking - but it might be a manufacturing defect.

Speaking of the Escape key -it's really loose and rattles around when pressed.

There's no LED to tell you if Caps Lock is on - to save on battery life, one presumes. I guess it's unrealistic to expect a backlight under the keys either!

Cost

Overall, this is a great keyboard - marred only by some regrettable hardware choices. It's slim, light, easy to type on, and simple to set up.

The full keyboard, mouse, munberpad set costs around £65 from Amazon.

If you can do without the mouse - the keyboard and numberpad alone costs around £50.

Four years ago, I got the latest Evoluent Vertical Mouse. It's a great device, but it's starting to show its age a bit.

So, time for a new model. I'm doing a lot of travelling, so a wireless mouse is a must. Sadly, the Evoluent Wireless Mouse is £75. As good as their mice are, I wanted something cheaper - so I wouldn't feel terrible if I lost it or got damaged.

At around £25, the ZeleSouris looks like just the job. It's vertical, wireless, and has thumb buttons.

The ZeleSouris is incredibly light with well placed buttons for larger hands. I found the middle click button to be slightly stiff, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

As a vertical mouse, it does its job admirably - and at a very reasonable price.

It has an integrated wrist rest - which is detachable. Personally, I find it comfortable. I also like the plastic ridging on the side - makes it a lot easier to grip than the smooth Evoluent.

Talking of the Evoluent, the ZeleSouris is roughly the same size:

The mouse works flawlessly - I plugged the dongle in to a Linux machine and it just worked. I assume it will also work on Mac and Windows.

The only downside is that the dongle doesn't use BlueTooth. Instead, you get

Although the dongle doesn't jut out too far from a laptop, it seems daft not to use BlueTooth - especially given that every computer and phone now has it built in. It also means you don't get to monitor the battery life - and it introduces some (theoretical) eavesdropping concerns.

The dongle has a little carrying hole in the bottom of the mouse - it's not spring loaded, but it's tight enough that it won't accidentally drop out.

Let's take a look at the bottom of the mouse:

The battery compartment takes 2 AAA batteries - which are included).

There's a an on/off switch. Not too fiddly - but I think it could have been placed on the top of the mouse rather than the seldom-used DPI button.

The DPI button on the top should change the speed at which the mouse moves. On the Evoluent, it's really noticeable. On the ZeleSouris, it doesn't seem to make much difference. There's no status LED to tell you which setting it is on.

As a minor point of interest, the mouse is actually a re-badged Delux DLM-618 if you're looking for alternate reviews.

Linux Button Remapping

A quick lsusb gives the device ID of 279e:024e.

By default, the button mapping is:

1   Left Click (Index Finger)
2   Middle Click (Middle Finger)
3   Right Click (Ring Finger)
...
8   Bottom Thumb
9   Top Thumb

Running xinput list shows that the wireless adapter registers as both a keyboard and a mouse. Very odd!

⎡ Virtual core pointer                      id=2    [master pointer  (3)]
⎜   ↳ 2.4G wireless USB Device 2.4G wireless USB Device id=13   [slave  pointer  (2)]
⎣ Virtual core keyboard                     id=3    [master keyboard (2)]
    ↳ 2.4G wireless USB Device 2.4G wireless USB Device id=14   [slave  keyboard (3)]

I like to have the bottom thumb be the left-click. The lazy way of customising this is

xinput set-button-map 13 0 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 0 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

That turns off the Index Finger and Top Thumb, and assigns Left-Click to the Bottom Thumb.

sudo nano /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/91-zelesouris.conf

Use the following as a template

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier      "ZeleSouris"
        MatchUSBID      "279e:024e"
        Option "ButtonMapping" "0 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 0 10 11 12 13 14 15 16"
EndSection

Reboot and your button mapping will take effect.

Sadly, one of mine has started to get a bit old and frail - the letters are rubbing off and the keys are getting a bit spongy - so I sprang for a new one.

On getting the new one out of its box, I couldn't help but notice that it had undergone some fairly substantial cosmetic changes. All the keys are in the same position, and the functionality remains the same, but it looks different.

This is an utterly nerdy post which will be of no interested other than to keyboard aficionados :-)

Even at a cursory glance, it's obvious that substantial changes have been made.

1. No markings on the keyboard case like "favourites" and "zoom" - only the keys have markings.
2. The font used on the keys feels subtly different. It's not a substantial change.
3. Most markings are now centred on their key - but not all.
4. Several icons have been changed - such as context menu, mute, etc.
5. Some keys are now missing a textual description - like "backspace" and "shift"

On to the control block!

The fully spelled-out "page up" now becomes a Homer-Simpson-esque "Pig Up?"

The biggest changes are in the lower left corner.

The dedicated Windows key has lost its physically indented roundel - which is a shame as that's a useful way for touch typists to know where they are.  The Flag logo has also been updated to the Metro style.

The word "tab" disappears, and the icon gets a minor update.  Shift goes and also gets a new icon.

  Let's take a look at the number pad.

• The Microsoft logo has been updated.
• All the key labels are now centred.
• The backspace key (top right) now has a different icon than its bigger brother.
• The arrows now look like chevrons.

...and that's just about it.  The only physical change is to the Windows key, all the other changes are cosmetic.  I'm not a big fan of the abbreviations, but centring all placements seems sensible.

The keyboard is still a joy to type on and still works perfectly with Linux.

You can buy the Microsoft Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000 on Amazon.

The Evoluent Vertical Mouse 4 costs close to £100. Let's get that out of the way. This is a pretty expensive mouse. Considering they give away basic USB mice with cornflakes, why would anyone spend the cost of a Kindle on a pointing device?

Let me explain...

"The two things you've got to spend your money on in life are your bed and your shoes; if you're not in one, you're in the other." Ancient proverb

I have been prone to RSI in my hands and wrists. Seeing as I make my living using my hands to make computers do magical things, I think it's wise to spend money to protect my hands.

"The two peripherals you've got to spend your money on in life are your keyboard and your mouse; if your hands aren't on one, they're on the other." Terence Eden

I may detail my love of my keyboard - the Microsoft 4000 - in another post. For now, let's talk mice! Or, skip straight to the Linux install instructions.

Three Generations of Mice

I'm in love with the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. I got my first (the generation 2) in 2007. A few years later I got a 3rd generation so I could use one at home and one at work. Enter the 4th generation - the VM4R. There's a VM4L for those sinister south-paws, and a VM4S for those with smaller hands.

Here's all three of my mice playing together. The VM4R is similar in size and shape to the previous versions. It has a wider base and a larger lip to stop your finger from dragging along the desk.

Unboxing

No tech review is complete without an unboxing. Here's mine.

Impressively, Evoluent use "environmentally-responsible" packaging. Essentially a cardboard box and some bubble wrap. I was nervous that this wouldn't be enough to protect it in transit - but the mouse is pretty tough. The box contains some brief instructions and a mini-cd containing Windows drivers.

The Good

There's just so much to love about this mouse! I'll contain myself to a few points.

Vertical = Less Pain

Pain and comfort are subjective. But since using the Vertical Mouse range, my wrists have been free of pain. There are a vast number of reviews on the Evoluent website, including this one:

"The vertical mouse received very good feedback from the product testing. Our product testing team of physical therapists, ergonomists, MD's and administrators found the mouse to be comfortable, easily adaptable and promoted a neutral wrist/forearm postures." Greg Ryan, University Health Services, University of California at Berkeley

I can't say that this will fix your health problems - and you should certainly see a doctor immediately if you're experiencing RSI - but this device has bought back the joy of computing for me.

Thumb Buttons

My index finger is near worn out from 3 decades of clicking crappy mice. I'm now able to map the buttons so that my thumb can click. A lifesaver for me. As a bonus - anyone who sits at my desk finds themselves unable to fiddle with anything because they can't work out how to click!

The VM4R now comes with two thumb buttons. I'm not sure what use I'll put the other one to yet!

The Need For Speed

The VM4R comes with a dedicated button for switching the speed of the mouse pointer. A simple click sets the speed which can easily be seen via the LEDs. This is a vast improvement on the 3rd gen model where the button was underneath the device. The advantage is that you can use a high-speed mouse so you don't have to move your wrist or arm very far as you go from one end of the screen to the other. It also means you can rapidly change to a lower sensitivity when you're working on something which needs very fine grained control - like pushing pixels in Photoshop. I imagine this mouse is great for gamers who require a fast reacting device.

The Bad

There's very little that I would change with this mouse. I note three minor quibbles.

Scroll Wheel Clicking

Scrolling with the wheel makes a really loud clicking sound. With the 2nd generation mouse there was no clicking. The third generation lightly clicks as you scroll. The clicking on the VM4R is loud and, to my fingers, slightly stiff. Personally, I prefer a free-spinning wheel. But it's not the end of the world.

Suitability of Chrome

Fingers sweat. It's not pretty, but there it is. Human skin leaks all kinds of gunk - some of which is corrosive. I found the surface of my 2nd generation mouse was gently worn away over time. The 3rd gen mouse is made from a different material which doesn't seem to suffer from this problem.

The chrome on the VM4R looks lovely - but I wonder how long it will remain pristine. It's already picking up fingerprints.

LED

There's no way to turn off the glowing Evoluent LED. I doubt it's much of a power drain, but it's the sort of thing that might get a bit annoying in the dark.

...and The Beautiful

It looks like a spaceship!

This is a gorgeous mouse. The lights, the chrome, the shape, all conspire to make it an eye-catcher. Expect to get lots of questions about it if you're in a busy office.

Buy It Now

I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the Evoluent line of pointing devices. You can buy the Evoluent VM4R from Amazon (affiliate link) or directly from Evoluent (although international shipping is expensive). The upgrades in VM4R are impressive - but if you don't often need to change pointer speed, or use thumb buttons, buy the VM3.

Linux Geekyness

The basic mouse functions work automagically in Linux (tested on Ubuntu 9.10 and higher). The buttons are responsive, the wheel scrolls, changing the pointer speed works, etc. A point to note is that the the wheel click does not paste - to get that, you'll need to remap the buttons.

Remapping the buttons is slightly trickier, however. Not least because of Ubuntu's seemingly random changes to how it handles pointing devices. If you're happy with the buttons just as they are, you'll be fine. If you need to remap the buttons due to mobility issues, read on....

A quick "xinput list" gives us the device name.

"Evoluent VerticalMouse 4" id=8    [XExtensionPointer]
    Type is MOUSE
    Num_buttons is 14
    Num_axes is 2
    Mode is Relative
    Motion_buffer is 256

Despite reporting 14 buttons, there are only 6 physical buttons available. Running

xinput query-state "Evoluent VerticalMouse 4"

tells us which buttons are being pressed down. Here are the results (the brackets signify the action, if any, that happens when you click the button).

1. Index Finger (Left click)
2. Ring Finger (Middle click)
3. Little Finger (Right click)
4. Scroll Up
5. Scroll Down
6. -
7. -
8. Top Thumb
9. Wheel Click
10. Bottom Thumb
11. -
12. -
13. -
14. -

Remapping The Buttons

There are two ways of remapping buttons. The lazy way and the correct way.

The "Lazy Way" - xinput

We can use xinput to set which buttons do what. The command is pretty simple

xinput set-button-map "Evoluent VerticalMouse 4" 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
                                      Button 1---| | |
                                        Button 2---| |
                                          Button 3---|

So the first number is what you want Button 1 to do. So, if you want your index finger to be the wheel-click, and all other buttons to stay the same, the command is

xinput set-button-map "Evoluent VerticalMouse 4" 9 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I like to have my thumb be the clicker, the wheel click paste, my ring finger right click, the index finger and little finger do nothing. So I use

xinput set-button-map "Evoluent VerticalMouse 4" 0 3 0 4 5 6 7 0 2 1 2

You can get that command to ruin at start-up. Different versions of Linux will do it differently - I've detailed some of the ways you can do this in Ubuntu in the forums.

The "Correct Way" - Xorg.conf.d

Ubuntu has an annoying habit of switching around how you configure the mouse - and no easy way to configure it graphically! This method should work on Ubuntu 10.10 and 11.04.

Running lsusb tells us that the USB ID is

1a7c:0191

Create a new conf file

sudo nano /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/90-evoluent.conf

Use the following as a template

Section "InputClass"
        Identifier      "Evoluent"
        MatchUSBID      "1a7c:0191"
        Option "ButtonMapping" "0 3 0 4 5 6 7 0 2 1 2"
EndSection

Substitute your own USB ID and preferred button mapping.

Hey presto! Your buttons are mapped.