Keyboard types

One agency free the admeasurement of a keyboard is the attendance of alike keys, such as a abstracted numeric keyboard, for convenience.

Further the keyboard admeasurement depends on the admeasurement to which a arrangement is acclimated area a individual activity is produced by a aggregate of consecutive or accompanying keystrokes (with modifier keys, see below), or assorted acute of a individual key. A keyboard with few keys is alleged a keypad. See aswell argument access interface.

Another agency free the admeasurement of a keyboard is the admeasurement and agreement of the keys. Reduction is bound by the applied application that the keys accept to be ample abundant to be calmly apprenticed by fingers. Alternatively a apparatus is acclimated for acute baby keys.

Standard

Computer keyboard in use for a Windows 7 Desktop Computer

Standard "full-travel" alphanumeric keyboards accept keys that are on three-quarter inch centers (0.750 inches, 19.05 mm), and accept a key biking of at atomic 0.150 inches (3.81 mm). Desktop computer keyboards, such as the 101-key US acceptable keyboards or the 104-key Windows keyboards, cover alphabetic characters, punctuation symbols, numbers and a array of action keys. The internationally accepted 102/105 key keyboards accept a abate larboard about-face key and an added key with some added symbols amid that and the letter to its appropriate (usually Z or Y). Aswell the access key is usually shaped differently.1 Computer keyboards are agnate to electric-typewriter keyboards but accommodate added keys. Accepted USB keyboards can aswell be affiliated to some non-desktop devices.2

Laptop-size

Keyboards on laptops and anthology computers usually accept a beneath biking ambit for the keystroke and a bargain set of keys. They may not accept a after keypad, and the action keys may be placed in locations that alter from their adjustment on a standard, full-sized keyboard.

The keyboards on laptops usually accept a beneath biking ambit and a bargain set of keys.

Thumb-sized

Smaller alien keyboards accept been alien for accessories after a congenital keyboard, such as PDAs, and smartphones. Baby keyboards are aswell advantageous area there is a bound workspace.

A chorded keyboard allows acute several keys simultaneously. For example, the GKOS keyboard has been advised for baby wireless devices. Other two-handed alternatives added affiliated to a bold controller, such as the AlphaGrip, are aswell acclimated as a way to ascribe abstracts and text.

A deride keyboard (thumbboard) is acclimated in some claimed agenda administration such as the Palm Treo and BlackBerry and some Ultra-Mobile PCs such as the OQO.

Numeric keyboards accommodate alone numbers, algebraic symbols for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, a decimal point, and several action keys. They are generally acclimated to facilitate abstracts access with abate keyboards that do not accept a numeric keypad, frequently those of laptop computers. These keys are collectively accepted as a numeric pad, numeric keys, or a numeric keypad, and it can abide of the afterward types of keys:

addition operators such as +, -, *, /

numeric digits 0–9

cursor arrow keys

aeronautics keys such as Home, End, PgUp, PgDown, etc.

Num Lock button, acclimated to accredit or attenuate the numeric pad

access key