Kinesis (keyboard)

[3] In 2000, Kinesis entered a strategic alliance with Cramer, Inc. of Kansas City, which manufactured ergonomic seating.

[5] The original Model 100, released in 1992, featured a single-piece contoured design similar to the Maltron keyboard, with the keys laid out in a traditional QWERTY arrangement, separated into two clusters for the left and right hands.

[2] A 1993 article in PC Magazine described the US$690 (equivalent to $1,500 in 2023) keyboard's arrangement as having "the alphabet keys in precisely vertical (not diagonal) columns in two concave depressions.

In 1996, Kinesis added two sub-lines to its contoured keyboards: the Essential (introduced that June), which was not programmable but could be upgraded,[26] and the Professional (November), which included on-board macro programming, a foot switch, and Keyware software for Windows.

[1] In July 1997, the mid-range Classic sub-line was launched to replace the Model 130, offering key remapping and macro programmability, but with half the memory of the Professional.

[6] The Ergo Elan (KB333PC) was launched in 1999 with a revised (U.S. International) layout to accommodate European and Japanese users; it has basic programmability, corresponding to the capabilities of the Classic.

The Advantage MPC model also was available with QWERTY/Dvorak dual-legend keys (KB500USB/QD)[12] and in a version (KB500USB-LF) that uses Cherry MX red linear keyswitches.

[13] The Advantage2 line was released in 2016; one major change was implementing mechanical Cherry ML keyswitches for the function key row.

[8] The Maxim is a tenkeyless QWERTY layout with the split halves bordered by F6, 6, T, G, and B on the left and F7, 7, Y, H, and N on the right;[33] a numeric keypad with PS/2 interface was available separately.

[5] The Evolution added programming capabilities and included a bundled touchpad pointing device that could be moved to the left or right halves.

[42] To improve flexibility, track-mounted (taking the place of an underdesk tray) and desktop configurations of the Evolution were released.

[43] The specific model number depends on the mount style chosen and the trackpad options, which were for the left, right, or both sides.

The keyboard halves were sold as the Freestyle Solo,[45] and was bundled with the PivotTether, which allowed any arbitrary split angle.

[57] The Kinesis line of keyboards are marketed to those who type throughout the work-day, and thus perceive a higher risk for such injuries as RSI.