Fujitsu Liberouch

My first interaction with a “keyboard” is the traditional type writer by Olympia. I still remember the click sound, and also the weight of each key. Later on, I get my first computer, which is the Apple II and I realize the keyboard is so much lighter and the click sound is just lovely. Flying forward and I came across all sort of keyboards for both PC and Mac, from the “no-frills” to different kinds of Apple keyboard - those for the Bondi Blue iMac, or those for the PowerBook.

I love the touch of Apple Keyboard and hope to find a similar keyboard for my Visor

I believe my journey into keyboard starts here. I love the PowerBook keyboard and when I start using the Visor, I tried to look for one that resemble the touch. And it was the Newton keyboard that satisfied my desire; very portable, key size big enough to type continuously and I can fool myself typing on the Apple Keyboard. Since then, I came across the keyboard by Logitech, the Apple bluetooth keyboard and so on. I know nothing about mechanical keyboard and my focus is wireless connectivity.

HHKB is the geeky keyboard with no print on caps and feature the UNIX keyboard layout

This is when I first heard about Happy Hacking Keyboard, which is more than 10 years ago. I was intrigued by the fact that, a keyboard that is geeky with no print on caps and feature the UNIX/Solaris keyboard layout. But it never caught on as no way I could afford the expensive keyboard.

One day in 2013, I finally get to know the world of mechanical keyboard. And I got my first - the HHKB Pro (which worth a separate entry on it’s own)! Since then, I extended my collection and today, I get an interesting keyboard which isn’t truly mechanical but the working mechanism is similar to another legendary keyboard, the IBM Model M which are both membrane type keyboard. So here it is, the Fujitsu Libertouch!

My first impression is how sturdy and heavy the keyboard is. With a weight of over 1Kg, it definitely won’t slide on the table while you type. The pressure of the key is controlled by the plastic dome. Fujitsu is very thoughtful in providing dome of different “resistance” so that we can arrange our own zoning. Keys are laser edged, and typical 101 keyboard layout which means I need to adjust since I am more used to the HHKB layout (i.e. CTRL and CAPS position are swapped).

I like the little pool on the top right hand corner which I could put some pins or even a small post-it. The touch of typing is in between the cherry red and capacitive switch. If I have to choose, I would say it resemble more to capacitive than Cherry. And more towards the Realforce than HHKB. It’s quiet, but not as quiet as the silenced HHKB Pro 2 type s or Realforce silent. Another different is, it can’t be programmed. Since I am a Mac user and I surely would want to switch the key of the Windows key with the Alt key. And like I have mentioned before, I am feeling more comfortable in having the key next to my left little finger as CTRL then CAPS. But again, I can’t do anything with it. The keyboard is quite high without pulling out the feet already and I hope to use the palm rest from Filco but sadly, it doesn’t fit.

It’s a nice keyboard but it probably will not be my primary for the reason of key layout (alt/windows key, CTRL and CAP. I know I can change the keyboard mapping in OS but not my preference) as well as size (prefer 10keyless).