Datahand Is No More
It's passed on.
It has ceased to be.
Its processes are now history.
It's kicked the bucket.
This is an ex-company.
Contents:
What It Is
Most people haven't even heard of the Datahand keyboard, which in my opinion was the only true ergonomic keyboard on the market since the early 1990's. I've been dreaming of having one since I saw it in the PBS show Computer Chronicles with Stewart Cheifet, somewhere between 1991 and 1993.
A modern Datahand unit.
My Personal Experience
In March 2003, I finally decided to get one. Used, mind you, a DH-200. It was slightly less stylish than the one pictured above, which was their last Professional edition. Brand new, these were selling for USD$1,000 so you can imagine why they weren't flying off the shelves...
I used it for well over a year as my only keyboard. I did type faster than I do on regular QWERTY keyboards, but reaching the programming kind of characters "{}[]<>" was cumbersome unfortunately, and I broke the "thumb up" paddle which is nearly impossible to repair. Quite unfortunate, because for typing text (in English or even French) the Datahand allowed me to type as fast as I think, whereas with QWERTY I doubt I exceed 100 words per minute. (Which, yes, is still acceptable, I know.)
I've been meaning to buy a brand new unit ever since my old DH-200's thumb paddles broke. I guess I waited too long. For a 12-year-old keyboard, it served me quite well, and heck I might bring it back to life someday just for fun.
Datahand's Last Years
I didn't follow the story closely, but I did notice a special "50% off" sale on new Professional programmable units in 2006. At USD$600 it was tempting, but I had more urgent things to buy, so I kept pushing it back.
Later, I think in late 2006 or early 2007, I noticed that the "50% off" sale was for a specific batch of units, after which price would go back up to normal. Still wasn't enough to convince me right away, but I thought it was unfortunate that they'd be moving back away from that more consumer-friendly pricing. (I figure the bulk of their orders at the full price were from governments and people with insurance to cover the cost.)
Finally, I'm not sure when it happened exactly in 2007, but they crippled their site (which has half-working pages here and there) and the front page reads:
Unfortunately our supplier has advised us they can no longer produce the DataHand Ergonomic Keyboard and until a new manufacturer can be identified and is in production, the company will no longer offer the DataHand Keyboard for sale. The 90 day warranty will be honored for units shipped since October 28, 2007.
Looks like this is the end.
Alternatives
Honestly, I'm rather pessimistic about the ergonomic keyboard industry. The Datahand had countless advantages over its competitors: shorter finger travel, less pressure requirement yet excellent tactile feedback and little to no accidental keystrokes, no wrist motion whatsoever, mouse control... Who can beat that?
The Ergomatic Keyboard perhaps? It's a very affordable USD$175 but it's "just a keyboard." It implements Lillian Malt's layout of having common keys in a curved setup, one group for each hand, and then a flat area in the middle for arrows, function keys and what not. Like for a regular QWERTY keyboard, your hands have to move around frequently, key pressure is significant and you have to aim for the right key. All were non-issues with the Datahand.
That's it. I couldn't find any other design worth mentioning.
Blah.
Lynn Anderson
commented on October 29th, 2008:
Hello:
I am Lynn Anderson of DataHand Systems, Inc. DataHand’s office is still handling repairs/cleaning of the DataHand keyboards. I am also available to help anyone who may have questions while using their DataHand Keyboard. We have been working with the manufacturer on getting a limited amount of DataHand’s produced. If you or anyone else would like to call me at the office: 602-233-6000 or email me at Landerson@datahand.com, I will be happy to give you an update on where we are in regards to receiving more DataHand keyboards available for sale.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lynn Anderson DataHand Systems, Inc. landerson@datahand.com 602-233-6000
H. Trace Snyder
commented on November 28th, 2008:
As a stock holder, I am wondering what is happening to the company and its projects. My wife is also a stockholder and we have not heard anything from the company in about 3-4 years. Please send an update. H. Trace Snyder
Stéphane Lavergne
commented on November 28th, 2008:
I am not affiliated with Datahand, but I've checked in with Lynn Anderson, who commented above. In my brief e-mail exchange from on October 31st, I was told that Datahand is addressing "the immediate needs" right now and that there is still a future for the Datahand, but "it's just going to take a little more time."
As I told Lynn, I think one of the main obstacles has been the price point. Bring the standard unit down to $500 and say $700 for the macro-programmable version without sacrificing on quality, and high-volume retrailers like Best Buy could be sold on a trial batch. Sure it's a high-end product, but then again so are $1500 cameras, leather jackets and cutting edge computers. Once you've given the Datahand two fair weeks of trial, you don't want anything to do with a regular keyboard, so I see it as a luxury item, not just as a medical aid, and there's always a market for luxury in stores.
From a marketing standpoint, I also wonder if Datahand milked the insurance aspect as much as possible. If employers are reticent to directly buy the keyboards for their office staff, maybe employment insurance would see the benefits, for example.
I guess all we can do is wait a year or two and see how they get themselves out of this predicament. Hopefully they will, because there's simply no alternative out there. (You'd think that would be enough...)
marinus
commented on December 13th, 2008:
I just wanted to remind Datahand that there is an untapped market for their keyboard FOR FAR LESS MONEY. Even a $600 price point won't help much. If they can get it down to $200 they have a shot. Oh, and they have to attend to its looks: it's unattractive. At the very least: a black version.
Stéphane Lavergne
commented on December 15th, 2008:
Let's remember that part of how Datahand achieves its very low key pressure is by using optical sensors instead of mechanical switches. That's also why my DH-200 still works as new even though it's about 12-15 years old (broken thumb key aside.) No mechanical keyboard in the $100-200 range will last more than a few years, not to mention the higher switch pressure which doesn't fit Datahand's ergonomic goals.
All that being said, if a cheaper version was available in addition to the regular optical versions, then I can see your point: some people could be happy with slightly harder to press switches, and to at least benefit from Datahand's unique key layout affordably. Truth be told, if such a $200 version was available, I'd probably be typing this comment with it right now... I'm not sure it'd be nearly as durable though.