Review: Ergonomic PC Aids Offer Comfort

Jan. 2, 2003 -- The fledgling science of ergonomics has undergone a small revolution over the past decade, which has radically changed the way safety-conscious manufacturers design peripherals and accessories.

Novel designs have all but replaced earlier ones that sometimes contributed to repetitive-stress injuries instead of reducing them.

The latest principles of ergonomic design are now applied to everything from monitor stands to document holders, footrests, and luggage. Even the lowly keyboard continues to be reinvented in a mind-boggling array of shapes.

In this story, we take a look at some of the most comfort-enhancing peripherals and accessories we've found.

Air Tech Computer Ergonomic Flex Foot Rest

Price: Standard, $21.95 direct; Tall, $25.95 Company Info: Air Technologies Corp., www.airtech.net/footrests.html

Sitting in front of a computer all day is a great way to develop chronic lower-back pain, but if your boss isn't willing to buy you a chair with lower-lumbar support, your next-best bet might be a footrest.

Regardless of how often you change your seating position, footrests ensure that your feet and legs are always situated to facilitate proper back curvature, reduce foot fatigue, alleviate pressure points in your chair seat, and ensure proper circulation in your feet and legs.

Consider either version of the ruggedly built Air Tech Computer Ergonomic Flex Foot Rest, which comes in 3-inch-high Standard and double-height Tall models. Both feature a nonskid rubber surface and a clever sliding tilt/height mechanism that can be adjusted with gentle foot pressure.

Kensington ClipNGlow Task Light and Copyholder

Price: $20 street Company Info: Kensington Technology Group, www.kensington.com

The Kensington ClipNGlow Task Light and Copyholder is one of the most affordable ways we know to reduce the hassle and strain of on-the-road computing. Although not strictly an ergonomic device, it does a good enough job of reducing awkward motions and postures to earn itself a spot in our story.

The ClipNGlow is a USB gooseneck lamp that you can attach to the top of a CRT or clamp to a notebook's LCD. A second clip lets you suspend documents in almost any position, eliminating the contortions that are often necessary when working on a plane, in a waiting room, or in the back seat of a cab.

When not in use, the entire assembly collapses into a tiny, featherweight package that fits easily into most notebook carrying cases.

LapWorks Laptop Desk Ensemble

Price: Ensemble, $49.95 direct; Laptop Desk, $29.95; MouzPad, $9.95; SwivlPad, $19.95 Company Info: LapWorks Inc., www.laptopdesk.net

The LapWorks Laptop Desk Ensemble is a collection of accessories that create an ergonomically sound portable desktop for notebook computers.

Its main component is the folding Laptop Desk platform: When fully open, this traylike apparatus perches on your lap or between the armrests of a midsize chair to create a ridged surface that reduces hot spots by allowing airflow beneath the computer.

In the office, it folds into an adjustable notebook stand that elevates the display and angles the keyboard into ergonomically correct positions.

The Ensemble also includes the MouzPad, a 6- by 9-inch mousing surface that snaps onto the edge of the Laptop Desk, and the SwivlPad turntable, an ultrathin rubberized disc that, when inserted beneath your notebook, permits a full 360 degrees of rotation.

Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan

Price: $69.96 list Company Info: Logitech Inc., www.logitech.com

A well-designed trackball is easier on your wrist and forearm than a mouse, because you don't need to move it around your desk. Plenty of trackballs are on the market, but few are in a class with the Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan.

As its name implies, the TrackMan combines a 27-MHz wireless interface with high-precision optical tracking. It's also one of the few models that are best operated with your hand in a natural thumbs-up position.

The TrackMan goes even farther, with motion-saving features such as dual wheel and push-button scrollers and one-click page navigation controls. Throw in a comfortable organic design, programmable buttons, and one of the smoothest trackball mechanisms we've used. Even people who hate trackballs might love this one.

PLUM Keyboard

Price: $139 direct Company Info: PLUM LLC, www.plum.bz

The QWERTY keyboard was designed to reduce typing speed and thus prevent typewriter jams. What its creators didn't realize, however, was the detrimental effect of the unnatural twisting and stretching it forced on typists.

The PLUM Keyboard (named after the first four letters in its top row) uses an easier-to-learn, more comfortable layout that places 74 percent of the most common keys directly under your fingers in their home position. Letters are arranged into easy-to-remember words, and keys line up in straight columns that eliminate the need to extend your fingers at odd angles.

It may take some time for experienced typists to learn this new layout, but many people will find that the increased speed and reduced strain easily justify the effort.

Samsung SyncMaster 192T

Price: $740 street Company Info: Samsung Electronics, www.samsungusa.com/monitor

Positioning your display too high can lead to unnatural viewing angles and chronic neck problems.

Most tilt-and-swivel monitors lack even rudimentary height adjustments, but the 1-inch-thick Samsung SyncMaster 192T — a flat-panel display — boasts a uniquely designed cabinet and stand that support a full complement of positioning options.

Besides allowing true vertical height adjustment, the SyncMaster 192T's rugged stand can be tilted 90 degrees and even folded back onto itself to become a thin-profile wall-mount bracket.

Everything else about the SyncMaster 192T is just as impressive, including its bright, crisp 19-inch LCD, DVI and dual analog RGB inputs, built-in stereo speakers, and clutter-reducing cable management system. Using anything less is likely to be a pain in the neck.

Targus Matrix Notebook and Noteworthy Expedition Backpacks

Price: Matrix Notebook, $69.99 direct; Noteworthy Expedition, $79.99 Company Info: Targus Inc., www.targus.com/us/cases_notebook_backpacks.asp

Ergonomic concerns don't stop when you shut off your PC. Even carrying your notebook the wrong way can eventually cause back and neck problems. That's one reason we're impressed with Targus's many backpack models designed for carrying computers.

One is the student-friendly Targus Matrix Notebook Backpack, which holds systems with 15-inch displays, offers contoured mesh shoulder straps, and even includes a removable mobile-phone case.

The Targus Noteworthy Expedition Backpack protects your notebook with air cushioning. It includes pockets for business cards, file folders, and power cords. It also provides foam pads that reconcile the hard, flat surface of a computer with the smooth curves of your back.

3M Precise Mousing Surface with Gel Wrist Rest

Price: $15 street Company Info: 3M, www.3m.com

Arching your hand upward when using a mouse exerts pressure on the ligaments and nerves in your wrist. Do this often enough and you become a candidate for repetitive stress disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

The 3M Precise Mousing Surface with Gel Wrist Rest addresses this problem by raising your wrist to a neutral position.

Its multicolored, microtextured mousing surface provides precise control for both optical and mechanical mice, and its high-friction backing material further reduces muscular stress by keeping the pad and surface firmly in place on your desk.

But its strongest point is an amazingly comfortable gel-filled wrist rest, which forces your hand into a comfortable, safe position without applying excessive pressure to the bottom of your wrist.

This is the king of ergonomic mouse pads.

TypeMatrix EZ-Reach

Price: $99 direct Company Info: TypeMatrix, www.typematrix.com

The TypeMatrix EZ-Reach and the PLUM Keyboard are two different solutions to the same problem. Both reduce finger stretching by aligning keys in straight columns and increase typing speed by placing important keys such as Enter, Tab, Space, and Backspace as close as possible to your strongest fingers.

The difference is that the EZ-Reach retains the traditional QWERTY layout, avoiding the need for you to learn the PLUM's unusual keymap. And the EZ-Reach's slim shape lets you lay it directly on top of your notebook's existing keyboard, without covering the touch pad.