A keyboard made by (who else?) Compaq for use with their consumer-grade desktops and laptops. In addition to the standard 104 keys, it contains either four or six additional keys which can be mapped via the Control Panel in Windows to a variety of programs. The additional keys are located above the F-keys, and are recessed to avoid being pressed accidentally. The following is how the six keys on a Compaq Presario 1700-series laptop normally go:
- "-" button - decreases volume (cannot be remapped)
- "+" button - increases volume (cannot be remapped)
- "Eighth note" button - launches Windows Media Player
- "i" button - opens Internet Explorer to a Compaq portal page (currently My Yahoo! with a Compaq theme)
- "Envelope" button - opens Outlook Express
- "Shopping Cart" button (1700) / "Magnifying Glass" button (1720) - opens Internet Explorer to either an on-line shopping page or a search engine, depending on the model
The
power key, a
soft switch, is between buttons 3 and 4. I have the "i" button remapped to just launch my default
home page, the envelope to open
Mulberry, and the magnifying glass to open
Google. My only major complaint with this arrangement is the lack of a
mute button, seen on many laptops, which is very useful in
lecture when I realize that my sound is at
full blast about 0.03 seconds before my "new mail
chime" blares.