Microsoft ergonomic keyboards - Quiz
  • 1. When was the Natural Keyboard Elite announced?
A) October 1999
B) June 22, 1999
C) February 1998
D) November 17, 1997
  • 2. When was the Natural Keyboard Elite released?
A) February 1998
B) June 1999
C) October 1999
D) November 1997
  • 3. What was the initial retail price of the Natural Keyboard Elite?
A) US$74.95
B) US$128.00
C) US$45.00
D) US$64.95
  • 4. Who manufactured the Natural Keyboard Elite?
A) Logitech
B) IBM
C) Microsoft
D) Key Tronic
  • 5. By what percentage was the footprint of the Natural Keyboard Elite reduced compared to the original?
A) 10%
B) 50%
C) 25%
D) 18%
  • 6. What protocol did the Natural Keyboard Elite's upgraded microchip natively support?
A) USB
B) Parallel
C) Bluetooth
D) Serial
  • 7. What layout did the Elite use for the arrow keys instead of the inverted-T?
A) Circular layout
B) Cross-like layout
C) Square layout
D) Linear layout
  • 8. Where were the adjustable feet located on the Natural Keyboard Elite?
A) In the front
B) In the back
C) On the sides
D) In the center
  • 9. Where were the adjustable feet located on the original Microsoft Natural Keyboard?
A) It had no feet
B) On the sides
C) In the front
D) In the back
  • 10. How many different color schemes was the Natural Keyboard Elite manufactured in?
A) Five
B) Only one
C) Four
D) At least two
  • 11. What color combination was used for one of the Elite's color schemes?
A) Grey with red lettering
B) White with black lettering
C) White with blue lettering
D) Silver with black lettering
  • 12. What color combination was used for another of the Elite's color schemes?
A) Blue with white lettering
B) Black with white lettering
C) Black with green lettering
D) Dark grey with yellow lettering
  • 13. What was the reduced MSRP of the Elite after the Natural Keyboard Pro was introduced?
A) US$30
B) US$74.95
C) About US$45
D) US$64.95
  • 14. Which model was the third iteration in the Microsoft ergonomic keyboard series?
A) Natural Ergonomic 4000
B) Natural Keyboard Elite
C) Original Natural Keyboard
D) Natural Keyboard Pro
  • 15. When was the Natural Keyboard Pro introduced?
A) November 17, 1997
B) October 2000
C) June 22, 1999
D) February 1998
  • 16. When was the Natural Keyboard Pro released?
A) June 1999
B) December 2000
C) February 1998
D) October 1999
  • 17. What was the initial retail price of the Natural Keyboard Pro?
A) US$74.95
B) US$128.00
C) US$64.95
D) US$45.00
  • 18. What cursor key layout did the Natural Keyboard Pro restore?
A) Linear layout
B) Standard inverted-T layout
C) Diamond layout
D) Cross-like layout
  • 19. What terminals did the Natural Keyboard Pro's cord feature?
A) Both USB and PS/2 terminals
B) Only USB terminals
C) Serial and parallel terminals
D) Only PS/2 terminals
  • 20. What was added along the top edge of the Natural Keyboard Pro?
A) Extra function keys up to F24
B) An LCD screen
C) A built-in calculator
D) An added row of program shortcut keys
  • 21. Where were the program shortcut keys located on the Natural Keyboard Pro?
A) On the left side
B) Below the spacebar
C) To the right of the cursor keys
D) Above F1 — F12 and the numeric keypad
  • 22. What feature was included on the side of the Natural Keyboard Pro?
A) A memory card reader
B) A floppy disk drive
C) An internal two-port USB hub
D) A headphone jack
  • 23. Which operating systems can customize shortcut key behavior without additional software using the 'internet keyboard' layout?
A) Windows 95 and Windows 98
B) Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS
C) Vista and Windows 7
D) Windows XP only
  • 24. Which modern operating systems have configuration options comparable to Vista for shortcut keys?
A) Android and iOS
B) ChromeOS only
C) macOS and Solaris
D) FreeBSD and most Linux distributions
  • 25. On what date was the Microsoft Natural Keyboard officially introduced?
A) December 31, 1994
B) October 1, 1994
C) September 6, 1994
D) September 6, 1995
  • 26. Which company designed the Natural Keyboard for Microsoft?
A) Ziba Design
B) Honeywell
C) Key Tronic
D) Microsoft Hardware Division
  • 27. Which division of Honeywell was acquired by Key Tronic in early 1994?
A) Microswitch division
B) Keyboard Solutions division
C) Input Devices division
D) Ergonomics division
  • 28. What key arrangement design did the Natural Keyboard use?
A) Fixed-split design
B) Monolithic design
C) Ortholinear design
D) Modular design
  • 29. What medical condition was the Natural Keyboard ergonomically designed to prevent?
A) Tendonitis of the shoulder
B) Tennis elbow
C) Carpal tunnel syndrome
D) Arthritis
  • 30. What feature helped ensure correct posture and further reduced strain on the neck, arms, and wrists?
A) Integrated wrist pad
B) Palm rest extension
C) Detachable arm rests
D) Adjustable keyboard feet
  • 31. Which network operating system was the Natural Keyboard certified to work with alongside Windows 95?
A) Windows NT Server
B) LAN Manager
C) Banyan VINES
D) Novell NetWare
  • 32. What was the name of the software bundled with the Natural Keyboard by Microsoft?
A) IntelliPoint
B) Windows Keyboard Utility
C) Natural Manager
D) IntelliType
  • 33. For Windows 3.1 and NT 3.51 users, what was the Windows logo key mapped to open?
A) Start Menu
B) File Manager
C) Control Panel
D) Task List
  • 34. The Windows logo key shortcut served as an easier alternative to which existing key combination?
A) Alt + Tab
B) Ctrl + End
C) Ctrl + Esc
D) Ctrl + Alt + Delete
  • 35. What distinction did the Natural Keyboard hold regarding its price among ergonomic keyboards?
A) First luxury keyboard priced over $200
B) First widely available sub-$100 offering
C) First free ergonomic keyboard
D) First keyboard under $50
  • 36. What was Microsoft's original sales forecast for the Natural Keyboard by the end of 1994?
A) 100,000 units
B) 3 million units
C) 600,000 units
D) 50,000 units
  • 37. What production rate did Microsoft ask Key Tronic to ramp up to in 1995?
A) 10,000 per month
B) 100,000 per month
C) 3 million per year
D) 600,000 per month
  • 38. At its peak, how many units of the Natural Keyboard were sold per month?
A) Over 3 million per month
B) Over 100,000 per month
C) Over 600,000 per month
D) Over 50,000 per month
  • 39. Roughly how many total units of the original Natural Keyboard were reported sold?
A) Over 3 million units
B) Over 10 million units
C) Over 600,000 units
D) Over 100,000 units
  • 40. What geometry typically distinguishes Microsoft ergonomic keyboards?
A) Linear geometry
B) Gull-wing geometry
C) Flat-plane geometry
D) Circular geometry
  • 41. Which company licensed the Microsoft keyboard product line starting in 2024?
A) IntelliType
B) Incase
C) Surface
D) Compaq
  • 42. What is the approximate slant angle for ergonomic keyboards?
A) 20 to 30 degrees
B) -7.5 degrees
C) 45 degrees
D) 10 to 12.5 degrees
  • 43. What is the slope angle of the keytop surfaces for ergonomic keyboards relative to a horizontal plane?
A) 20 to 30 degrees
B) 10 to 12.5 degrees
C) 0 degrees
D) -7.5 degrees
  • 44. What is the tent or gable angle of each half of an ergonomic keyboard?
A) 90 degrees
B) 10 to 12.5 degrees
C) -7.5 degrees
D) 20 to 30 degrees
  • 45. In what year did Microsoft begin planning an ergonomic keyboard?
A) 2023
B) 1993
C) 2024
D) 1994
  • 46. Which company announced safety warning stickers for their keyboards along with Microsoft in August 1994?
A) Surface
B) Compaq
C) Incase
D) IntelliType
  • 47. How many major revisions have Microsoft ergonomic keyboards gone through?
A) Ten
B) Eight
C) Five
D) Two
  • 48. When did Microsoft announce it would stop manufacturing its own-branded keyboards and mice?
A) 1993
B) 2023
C) 2026
D) 2024
  • 49. Where is Incase located?
A) New York, New York
B) Tustin, California
C) Redmond, Washington
D) Austin, Texas
  • 50. What new color style was used to modernize the aesthetic look of the Natural Multimedia Keyboard?
A) Ocean blue
B) Midnight black
C) Silver metallic
D) Astral blue
  • 51. Which controversial feature was notably included in the Natural Multimedia Keyboard after debuting in 2001?
A) F Lock
B) Media Lock
C) Fn Toggle
D) Office Lock
  • 52. Which key was expanded to double height on the Natural Multimedia Keyboard?
A) Enter
B) Backspace
C) Ins
D) Del
  • 53. Which mouse was bundled with the Wireless Natural MultiMedia Keyboard?
A) Microsoft Ergonomic Mouse
B) Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer
C) Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
D) Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 7000
  • 54. What radio frequency technology did the Wireless Natural MultiMedia Keyboard use?
A) 900 MHz radio frequency
B) 270 MHz high frequency (HF)
C) 2.4 GHz super high frequency (SHF)
D) 5 GHz high frequency (HF)
  • 55. Where were the indicator lights located on the Wireless Natural MultiMedia Keyboard?
A) Below the space bar
B) On the receiver
C) In the middle gap
D) Above the function keys
  • 56. What term did Microsoft use to describe the 14-degree gable design of the 4000?
A) Butterfly arch
B) Wave design
C) Split ergonomic
D) Gull wing
  • 57. What is the default setting of the F Lock key on the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000?
A) Disabled
B) Auto
C) On
D) Off
  • 58. Where are the indicator lights located on the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000?
A) Below the space bar
B) Above the function keys
C) On the right side of the numeric keypad
D) On the receiver
  • 59. What new addition was placed in the middle gap of the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000?
A) An LCD display screen
B) A trackball
C) A fingerprint scanner
D) A zoom slider
  • 60. In what year was the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 revised with cosmetic changes?
A) 2010
B) 2015
C) 2012
D) 2007
  • 61. Which key on the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 was reported by reviewers to be unusually noisy?
A) The Enter key
B) The Backspace key
C) The space bar
D) The F Lock key
  • 62. What type of indicator light resides on the palm rest under the spacebar of the 7000 keyboard?
A) Caps Lock indicator light
B) A single battery indicator light
C) Num Lock indicator light
D) F Lock indicator light
  • 63. When was the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard introduced?
A) July 20, 2012
B) September 5, 2014
C) August 13, 2015
D) August 13, 2013
  • 64. What codename was given to the Sculpt keyboard during development?
A) Manta Ray
B) Stingray
C) Blue Whale
D) Nautilus
  • 65. What does the Sculpt keyboard replace the solid wedge with?
A) A thick metal base
B) A flat wooden panel
C) A thin, hollowed-out dome
D) A flexible rubber mat
  • 66. What type of switch mechanism does the Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard use?
A) Buckling-spring mechanism
B) Membrane dome mechanism
C) Mechanical cherry-switch mechanism
D) Low-profile scissor-switch mechanism
  • 67. How is the arrangement of the six-key nav/edit cluster described?
A) Nonstandard
B) Reversed
C) Symmetrical
D) Standard
  • 68. How do predecessors typically elevate the back of the keyboard?
A) Using feet
B) Using inflatable air bags
C) Using magnetic wedges
D) Using built-in springs
  • 69. What does the Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard use instead of feet to elevate the back?
A) A screw-in wooden block
B) A thicker rubber base
C) A folding metal kickstand
D) A reverse-tilt riser
  • 70. What level of encryption is used between the receiver and keyboard?
A) 256-bit RSA encryption
B) 64-bit DES encryption
C) 128-bit AES encryption
D) 512-bit SSL encryption
  • 71. How are the receiver and keyboard paired at the factory?
A) Temporarily paired
B) Manually paired by the user
C) Paired via software drivers
D) Permanently paired
  • 72. What is a limitation regarding the dongle due to factory pairing?
A) The dongle only works on Windows 10
B) The dongle requires external power
C) The dongle cannot be replaced
D) The dongle drains the battery quickly
  • 73. What alternative connection method do critics suggest would free up a USB port?
A) Bluetooth
B) Thunderbolt
C) NFC
D) Wi-Fi Direct
  • 74. What optical device came bundled with the Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard in 2013?
A) A numerical keypad mouse
B) A laser presentation clicker
C) A namesake optical mouse
D) A trackball peripheral
  • 75. How is the navigation block arranged on the Surface Ergonomic keyboard?
A) Single row arrangement
B) Two-row, three-column arrangement
C) Four-row arrangement
D) Three-row, two-column arrangement
  • 76. What material covers the wrist pad of the Surface Ergonomic keyboard?
A) Gloss black finish
B) Vinyl
C) Alcantara
D) Leather
  • 77. Who criticized the Surface Ergonomic keyboard for dropping the front riser and increasing width?
A) PCMag reviewers
B) CNBC journalists
C) Jon Stokes
D) Paul Thurrott
  • 78. What is the business version product code for the Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard?
A) ERG-8888
B) MSK-2019
C) LXM-00013
D) LXN-0004
  • 79. Who originally designed the Compact Ergonomic Keyboard before Incase inherited the blueprint?
A) PCMag
B) Ars Technica
C) Microsoft
D) Apple
  • 80. What caused the delay and prevented the release of the Compact Ergonomic Keyboard by Incase?
A) Lack of demand
B) Battery failure
C) Manufacturing issues
D) Legal copyright disputes
  • 81. Since what year has Microsoft continuously been the best-selling maker of ergonomic keyboards worldwide?
A) 2019
B) 1994
C) 2005
D) 2016
  • 82. Which publication described the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as being 'like the keyboard we've always been waiting for'?
A) Ars Technica
B) The Verge
C) CNBC
D) PCMag
  • 83. Who described the Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 as the 'Best. Keyboard. Ever.'?
A) Jon Stokes
B) Paul Thurrott
C) Bill Gates
D) Satya Nadella
  • 84. Which news outlet reported in 2023 that users expressed sadness over plans to discontinue Microsoft's ergonomic keyboards?
A) Ars Technica
B) Reuters
C) CNBC
D) PCMag
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