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At the beginning of the personal computer era, most keyboards were made with premium key switches that provided a resounding click when a key snapped over. Today, there are still a few mechanical keyswitch keyboards available, but most are made using rubber dome membranes which can provide a similar force displacement or tactile feel, but not the sound.
The developer says that human factors work on video terminals in the 1980s showed that the perception of keyboard crispness is correlated with audio feedback, and Keyclick provides that feedback, intended as a practical touch typing aid. I wasn't necessarily convinced, but then I'm not a touch typist.
Subsequent versions of Keyclick (currently at 1.0.5) have added several new features, including mouse button and scroll wheel audible feedback, and optional typewriter sounds as an alternative to the basic click sound.
The typewriter option is kind of charming, complete with carriage return bells ringing when you hit Return. It evokes the ambience of a newspaper office in an old black & white movie. However, I found that on my 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook, there is a lag between each keystroke and the synthesized sound of the typewriter arms striking the platen, which I found off-putting. The lag isn't evident with the basic click sound, and might not be an issue on faster Macs.
Keyclick allows you to adjust the volume and pitch of the feedback sounds using sliders on the Keyclick Preferences Panel or with keyboard shortcuts - Cmd-Shift-) for louder, and Cmd-Shift-( for softer. The volume is also affected by the system volume setting.
Features and Benefits claimed for Keyclick
• Provides subtle but important feedback for each keystroke recognized by the system.
• Clicks for each auto-repeated character but does not click for modifier keys.
• Clicks in real time even when the program you are using is too busy to respond.
• Improves touch typing by confirming each successful keystroke.
• Relaxes the need for visual feedback of keyboard input.
• Adjustable keyclick volume directly from the keyboard.
• Simple low cost solution.
New in version 1.0.5
• Added button to show current version and check for update.
• Added tab view with "Basic" and "More Options".
• Added PopUp menu to select between "Click Key Sound" and "Typewriter Sound".
System support:
Runs on either PPC or Intel (Universal Binary)
To install the software, simply double-click on the Keyclick preference pane. As a System Preference Panel, Mac OS X will ask you if you would like to add it to the System Preferences for this user only, or all users of your system.
The first time you try to enable Keyclick, the software may ask you to "Enable access for assistive devices" in Universal Access Preferences. In order for Keyclick to observe system wide keyboard events, you must either enable such access.
Open the Keyclick Preference Panel in the System Preference Application. Select Keyclick On, and then adjust the volume as desired. If no keyclick is heard, check that "Play user interface sound effects" is selected in the Sound preferences panel.
I've been using Keyclick 1.0.5 to type this review, and I have to admit that it's more addictive than I first expected. I'm a silent computing aficionado, but the feedback clicks are kind of satisfying sometimes, although I'm glad it is easy to turn off.
In any case, it's just a tiny 250k download, so give it a try, and if you like it, the price is right.
Keyclick is offered with a fully functional 21 day trial period.
A license is only US $2.50 for up to 5 keyboards you own or control, and the software also works on laptop keyboards.
For more information, visit:
http://www.sustworks.com/site/prod_keyclick_overview.html
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Charles W. Moore
Tags: Blogs ď Hands On Mac ď
