Performance
After by now which I am sure was a healthy once over with the eyes, you are probably eager to hear just how well the Tizona fared during my special tests. I am happy to report that it is a gem to type messages and reviews with this baby. Every clickity-clack just leaves you wanting more, even after the orthopedic surgeon has had to tape your fingers together to prevent worse carpel-tunnel syndrome. That is no mark against the Tizona, for you see it is very comfortable is a great match for slow and fast typers. The only problem that I noticed, and you probably did as well, is that there is no palm rest…yeah…that is a little intimidating when it comes to its intended purpose. Unfortunately, unless you purchase a rest, you will have to lay your palms flat on the desk or edges as I do which can lead to a rough spot if you plan on extended use. This is not the only keyboard of its kind that comes this way. It could very well just be up to your own personal taste, but I would have preferred that one be included.
Ah yes, now we shall examine the keys themselves. If you have never heard of a TenKeyless keyboard before, all that it means is that it has no numpad which, in this case, is a handy feature. The separate numpad has two powerful magnets so it seals tightly to the keyboard itself. But that is not all; if you like you may even plug it in to the left side of the keyboard leaving plenty of space for your mouse if you are right-handed. And speaking of right-handed users, there is an included USB extension cable in case you would rather keep the numpad on its own and sandwich the mouse in between the two.
As for the keys themselves…well, you will get a neat set up which includes gaming and standard modes, as well as the three front keys under the space bar which bring up the internet, media player and email applications if you happen to be a member. During gameplay however those keys will punch up “*”, “/”, and “-” as well as other shortcuts to disable them if you so choose. Last but not least are the multimedia controls. Simply hold down the Fn key and use keys F1-F6 to adjust volume and playback. Yeah there is not a glut of new keys or customizable macros from which to choose, so this maybe a little bit disappointing as far as gaming keyboards go. But before we leave the keyboard section, you will undoubtedly see the light fixtures for “Gaming Mode”, “Caps Lock” and “Scroll Lock.” I do kind of wish it had a “NUMLOCK” indicitor but that of course would have thrown off the symmetry so just try to remember when you turn the numpad off and you will be set.
And speaking of: we now come to the optional gaming pad. There is not a whole lot to say that could not be said about most gaming pads. It has what you would expect…numbers. However I think it is fairly obvious the attachment mechanism is pretty neat and I dare say quite handy when you want to change things up a bit. I really like the big, shiny Tesoro logo at the top. It is a nice feeling when the gamepad is given its own special bit of attention.
