X-Bows is not the first ergonomic keyboard ever created. Plenty of people have identified that the keyboard layout that we use could be dramatically improved. The biggest impediment to these keyboards gaining broader acceptance is that they require users to learn a whole new layout. Busy people inevitably get frustrated and revert back to their old keyboard when they need to work faster. Despite best intentions, a lot of ergonomic keyboards end up in a drawer never to be used again.

With X-Bows, we were dedicated to making that learning curve as manageable as possible. The letter keys have not moved from their QWERTY layout. Your right index finger is still hitting “J” and your left ring finger is still responsible for typing “W”. You don’t need to memorize a new key layout, your hands already know where all of the letters are on X-Bows.

The keys that we did move- ENTER, Backspace, ALT and Control- can also be found on the right side of the keyboard. We call these our “training wheel keys”. While we think that the keys in the middle are more convenient, as you’re beginning to type on X-Bows, it is no problem if you find yourself reaching for the backspace in the top-right. They are there while you adjust. Since X-Bows' keys are fully remappable, once you find yourself no longer needing these training wheel keys, you can program them to become shortcuts or macros; increasing your productivity even further!

While you won’t be able to take X-Bows out of the box and feel 100% comfortable typing on it immediately. Our testers have all reported adjusting to the new layout in under a week, some in as little as a few hours. Compared to other ergonomic boards that can take a month or more to adjust to, X-Bows makes ergonomic typing more accessible than ever before.