Thanks… I now realise that I read AmberV’s earlier post wrong - I thought she had said that the Gateway, like the Dell, used the same screen technology as the Apple, but she never said any such thing. 
Oh well… Still, I’m definitely tempted by the Gateway. I just love the idea of a portrait mode, but the Dell is extortionate.
Best,
Keith
I’d go for it, especially if there is a good return policy in place. Many of the slight differences between these monitors are really only of interest to gamers and professional artists. Going by the quality of the display alone, they are going to be virtually identical to all but the most pedantic. The swivel mount and connection features are what really set them apart. Sure, you can get a wall-mount swivel arm for the Apple, but those are not cheap.
I may be a bit late to the party here but…
I have two Dells. A 24" and a 20", both of which do portrait modes. I have only used portrait mode once for document work and it was a bit too strange for me. I also normally have a web browser open so I would have to switch back to landscape mode anyhow.
I like the monitors and would not fork out the dough for a Cinema display again. I had an Apple 20" a few years ago and didn’t see much difference in their quality, versus similar monitors.
I have had two MacAlly Icekeys for several years now and I would not give them up. I had to exchange one as a defective unit but I’ve had no other issues and I do really like the kbd. The only improvement for me would be wireless.
I use a Logitech Laser MX1000 mouse. The eight buttons are all programed and I absolutely love it.
Good luck in your choices.
Well, I’ve ordered myself the Gateway and the IcePro. Thanks all.
I may get another mouse after all, though, so I’ll take another look at the LogiTech stuff.
Late last year, I began to suffer some pretty bad RSI. It’s one of those joke conditions (like lower back pain) which is faintly humorous until it visits you.
Things got so bad, I began to really worry. Anyway, long story short: I spent money on decent equipment (trackball mice, compact keyboards) that didn’t help.
I despaired. I ended up with a Macally Icekey, which is excellent, and a MICROSOFT NATURAL WIRELESS LASER MOUSE.
It’s a weird shape. It sits cupped in your hand like a cricket ball. It takes a few hours to get used to that - but it cured my RSI, almost at a stroke.
Best mouse I ever used.
Woah. That looks like one of the new (Michael Bay) Transformers.
Actually, I’m quite liking the sound of the MS Natural Mouse 6000 thingy, despite (or maybe because of the fact) that it looks like a Transformer. After so long hunched over a computer I have goodness-knows-how-many muscular-skeletal issues (just ask my chiropractor), so I like the idea of saving my wrist, at least.
Just one question: by “laser”, does that mean the same as optical? I don’t want to have to use a mouse mat (so 90s).
Okay, two questions: what is the battery life like? I was hoping for a USB mouse, really, as I’m the sort of person who will completely forget to buy any batteries, realise that they’ve run dead, open my laptop and use the pad, intend to buy batteries for my mouse, but never get around to it and thus never use the mouse ever again.
Thanks!
Best,
Keith
I can answer the laser bit, as I have that on my mouse. It’s effectively just like optical, but scans better on most surfaces and has a much smoother response. I’ve noticed that it seems to not take to some surfaces as well as optical does, and vice versa; but the pointing movement is definitely a lot more precise and smooth in my opinion.
Battery life is good - some months now.
The only problem I have with this mouse is, it occasionally shrieks that the wireless signal is weak - and might I consider moving the base unit from inside its lead-lined box? The signal, however, is always perfectly strong and after I click on GO AWAY, the mouse calms down for another month or so.
Incidentally, I have the same problem with battery-operated doo-dads. What I did, I bit the bullet and bought a handful of rechargeable batteries (and a charger). I keep it plugged in under my desk. And in a little pot on my shelf I have an assembly of ready-charged triple A’s.
Swapping them over is quick and efficient, and I get to fantasise that I’m disassembling a sniper’s rifle.
Thanks for posting an update on that keyboard. I think I’ll save up for the Celesta instead. I quite like scissor action keys, and having them on a full sized keyboard as opposed to a compact laptop would be nice. It looks like the only other serious mechanical keyboard out there is the Avant Prime, and personally I’d rather have something Mac specific. The Celesta is getting good reviews from what I’ve seen so far. The only con being its price, which given what I use a computer for, is entirely justifiable.
That’s one bit I’ve wondered about regarding the Celesta - how are the Mac specific keys actually labeled? It’s described as a keyboard for Windows, Mac & Linux. Do the Alt & Windows keys also have Opt & Command/Cloverleaf bits? The only pics I’ve seen so far manage to not include those keys. 
While I don’t look at the keyboard while writing, when doing graphic work I sometimes look to verify I’m using the Option or Command keys. After a couple of months using the Prime, I wished those were Mac labeled on the key tops. The company was nice enough to send extra keys which I labeled the way Cupertino intended.
Their design page has a series of images, most of which do not show the tops of the keys clearly enough. But from the few you can see, it looks like a case of double-labeling. For example the F13-4 are also the old PC keys that nobody uses. On one of the shots of the black version, you can see the modifier keys to the right of the spacebar. “Control” is in its usual position, then there is another key I cannot read, looks like “Mute” (?? that would be a weird place for it though, since volume controls have been moved above the arrows) and then an Option key, and you can barely see what looks like a stylised Command key next to that. The left side, as you can see from another shot, has three keys. I’m guessing those will be identical to the standard Mac keyboards, but with double usage for PC users.
Above the arrow keys, the grid there is very Mac oriented. PC keyboards do not have a “help” button for instance, most Windows applications use F1 for that.
I don’t mind cross-labeling. The important thing is that all the keys are there. Some PC oriented keyboards do not have enough modifier keys, and all of them are printed with windows icons, which isn’t very intuitive. From what I can see, it looks like a reverse of the normal situation. It is for the most part a Mac keyboard that happens to support PC users too. The key designs are very Mac-centric. ‘delete’ instead of ‘Backspace’ and so on.
OK, I hadn’t noticed the photo of the black keyboard with the key tops.
The “Mute” key probably actually says Menu, as my Prime has a sort of Menu’y icon at that place. With a menu open, it either seems to jump to the bottom of the menu list or toward some item in the menu list that relates to either the A key, or the A + a modifier, or something more random.
I expect someone with more experience on PC keyboards can explain what it is actually intended to trigger…grin.
Oh you know what, I think that key is very similar to right-clicking, if not simply a duplication of the feature. That way you can get to contextual menu stuff without using the mouse.
So I was in a Mac store today and decided to pick up an IceKey keyboard. I figure the typing action cannot be that much better on the Celesta, and I might as well save $100 or whatever. I have to say, so far, I’m extremely happy with the keyboard thus far. It’s a pleasure to type with, and the build quality is good; better than a lot of more expensive keyboards I’ve seen. One weird thing about it: There is a blank key to the right of right Control key. Very odd. It doesn’t seem to send any keystroke to the system, nor does there seem to be any way to bind it to anything. It’s just this blank key!
I’m happy that you’re happy with your new keyboard, Amber. I never touched the IceKey nor the Celesta, so I can’t judge their functionality. But as far as looks are concerned, for me there’s absolutely no comparison between the two: while the Celesta is simply beautiful, period, the IceKey looks … well, let’s say very ‘average’.
Amber:
Maybe you have the Optimizer key I never got on my Tactile Pro 2.
That is certainly true, but despite being an owner of an Apple computer, I am not entirely wrapped up in appearances!
Sean, I’d send you my Optimizer key, but like I said, I cannot get it to work at all. So I doubt it will do you any good. I think I am going to pretend it is a Reboot button. Or maybe a Reinstall Windows button. That would be appropriate.
Appropriate, maybe, but not much fun. 
Paint it [color=red]red. Label it [color=red]PANIC.
Was reading through screenwriter John August’ssite when I came across a reference to this keyboard. In. Freaking. Sane.
I can’t begin to imagine using one, but I’m sure some of you sore-wristed* kids out there in Scrivenerland might like something like this.
*sounds comically dirty