Stan,


This explanation helps a lot though, as you say, it doesn't have much 
immediate application. It's one of those pieces of information that 
leads to solutions, so it's great. Thanks much-much.


I discovered something interesting that may be of use to some list 
members. I have a Microsoft foldable keyboard. It doesn't have function 
keys above the number row, but if I press the FN key with one of the 
numbers, I have function keys. I assumed that was a clever feature  of 
the keyboard, but the other day, when I was trying to figure out why my 
Xammbox multimedia keys didn't behave like function keys even if I held 
down the fn, I discovered that FN+number row also gives me function 
keys. I'm  wondering if this is a Windows feature.


Ciao





On 2/18/2019 5:29 AM, Stan Berman wrote:
> Ana:
>
> I am guessing about your question re the keyboard behavior, and I am not
> sure that it will be helpful in a practical sense, i.e., I am not sure what
> one would do with the answer.
>
> I am guessing that the difference  between the behavior of the keyboards is
> that there is some diference or differences between the drivers for the two
> keyboards.
>
> As I am saying this, there might also be some issue with the keyboard
> behavior that is due to compatibility with Narrator -- this just occurred to
> me because I bought a mechanical keyboard for it's touch and the physical
> sculpturing of the keys.  It turned out that the keyboard was a gaming
> keyboard with drivers that gave the user  great speed in addition to the
> other features for which I bought the keyboard.  What I discovered was that
> the keyboard  board drivers were not fully compatible with JAWS and the
> keyboard would "run away", i.e. that the JAWS speed control  was disregarded
> by the  keyboard's drivers that controlled the speed of action responses.
> I haven't been able to find anyone who could help me and I was unable to
> find a way to assert the JAWS  drivers over the keyboard/speech  speed.  I
> realize that these two situations are different in behavior, except in
> concept, i.e. that control over behavior is affected differently in both
> your case and mine when switching between two keyboards.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Stan
>
> ------Original Message-----
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ana G
> Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2019 9:29 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VICUG-L] Unusual Keyboard Experience
>
> Hi All,
>
>
> Before I get to my question, I'll tell you about my newest Windows computer.
>
>
> It's a laptop, the one I've been posting about over the last few days.
> Specifically, it's a Xammbox 7" One Netbook One Mix Yoga Pocket Laptop
> Ultrabook Windows 10 Portable Mini Laptop UMPC Tablet PC. The under-the-hood
> stuff is as follows: Intel Atom X5-Z8350, Quad Core, Dual WiFi, 8GB. I think
> it's Bluetooth 4, but can't swear on a stack of bibles. I got it on Amazon
> for about $520.
>
>
> Yes, it's got a 7-inch screen and a hardware keyboard. When the mini laptop
> is closed, it's about the size of a half sheet of typing paper and about an
> inch (5 cm) thick. It's got a headphone jack, ports for USB C and micro USB,
> an HDMI port, a nanno card slot, and one more thing, maybe a port for the
> small end of a regular USB cable. The external speaker is pretty loud. I'm
> not sure whether it's in the back or underneath, probably the group of
> little holes underneath, but the loudness makes it seem like sound is coming
> from the grill in the back.
>
>
> I got this pocket computer because I'm switching jobs. The new job involves
> a small but regular amount of computer work. I can probably do it all on my
> phone, but I wanted an easy-to-carry backup in case the computer work is
> more involved than I anticipate.
>
>
> At this point, I've really only had the pocket for about a day, so it's too
> soon to recommend. In terms of download times and general responsiveness,
> it's slightly less responsive than my desktop, which is a mid range machine.
> The October 2018 version of Windows is what comes up, based on the Narrator
> commands, and in addition to the hardware keyboard, the device has a touch
> screen. You're supposed to be able to fold the keyboard all the way back so
> it's under the lid, enabling you to use the pocket like a tablet. That
> works, but the lid and bottom of the machine don't quite lie flat against
> each other, so the experience feels vaguely bouncy, like you're using your
> device while riding in a car. I had no problems setting the Xammbox up,
> aside from operator stupidity and not wanting to create a Hello PIN.
>
>
> So far, the biggest drawback seems to be the battery life. The reviews I've
> read say you get about 4 hours from a full charge, especially if you're
> streaming. I've recharged the unit twice, and the 4-hour battery life is
> consistent with my experience. I got a little less when I was downloading
> and installing software, and a little more when I was mostly just practicing
> with it.
>
>
> The keyboard is interesting. Mostly it's the qwerty keyboard we all know,
> but there are some changes. The function keys and number row are short and
> wide, like standard keys cut in half horizontally. The caps-lock, comma,
> period, and slash keys are all half width, so there's a little bit of an
> adjustment, with the comma and period especially. the tab key is above the
> Q, and backspace (no delete key that I've found so
> far) is on the right edge of the q-p row. Weirdly, the semicolon and
> apostrophe keys are big and near the arrow keys. The function key is at the
> left end of the space bar row. The space bar itself is divided in two. The
> thing that breaks it up is, I think, a tiny trackpad you swipe over and tap.
> Below the space bar are left and right mouse keys.
>
>
> I'm not sure how comfortable typing will be over all. My hands, which are
> not especially dainty, are about the right size for this keyboard, so my
> first impression was that typing would be comfortable for me. .
> Over time, however, I noticed that some of the changes were a bother,
> especially the punctuation, the tab key, and the fact that I need to
> practice to get a feel for the number row. These are all things I may be
> fine with in a few weeks, though, so it's hard to say.
>
>
> Now for my question. And actually, I don't know what my question is.
> Maybe it's "Has anyone else noticed this behavior on a device?" or "Is this
> a sign of a possible problem?"
>
>
> I was using Narrator for most of the day yesterday while I was setting
> up the pocket and messing around with it. I had a few odd problems with
> the keyboard. For example, I couldn't close apps with alt+f4 or
> fn+alt+f4. I could only do it with ctrl+w. I couldn't exit and turn off
> the computer with that command either. I had to hit Windows+x, then
> arrow up to Shut Down. I wasn't too concerned about that because I
> figured the function keys had been high-jacked as they so often are on
> laptops. But then when I was on the desktop, I had trouble selecting
> items. I wanted to delete two shortcuts and rename two other shortcuts,
> but when I arrowed to the icons, I couldn't get the correct context menu
> to come up, whether I just arrowed to the icon or pressed space on it
> first. Much later in the day, I used an OTG cable to hook my regular
> keyboard up to the pocket. I didn't change anything else. This time,
> everything worked as I expected. I was able to close apps and the
> computer with alt+f4, and I was able to delete and rename the desktop
> icons by just arrowing to the item. The external keyboard is the
> ergonomic keyboard by Microsoft; it's called the natural 4,000 or
> something like that.
>
>
> Why the difference in behavior with the two keyboards?
>
>
> Thanks for any wisdom.
>
>
> Ciao
>
>
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