10. Keyboard And Displays

The "rattle-free" keyboard is appealing for its clearly perceptible, if perhaps slightly hard, pressure point and decent key travel. Above the keyboard to the right, there are three extra keys used to control the sound level or mute the speakers.

Extra keys for speaker control

A key has been placed to their left for activating and deactivating the wireless features. The key next to it switches the notebook to presentation mode. A small tool is used to program the key. The user defines which program is to be launched for presentations and which energy scheme and screen settings are to be used.

As a mouse substitute, the notebook has only a touchpad with three function keys. The track stick familiar from the nc8230 has apparently been cut for reasons of economy. Similar economizing has also affected the touchpad's function keys. The tactile pleasure of the rubber coating on the nc8320 version of these keys has given way to hard plastic. The pressure point for this trio of keys is noticeably harder but pleasant. The clicking sound produced as keys are depressed is enough to bother co-workers in an office setting.

The easy-to-grip rubber keys of the nc8230 have been replaced with hard plastic in the nx6125.

The touchpad comes with a vertical scroll feature for ease of navigation even in the absence of a mouse. It can be used to precisely position the mouse pointer, and the sensitivity of the pad surface is good. Overall, the input devices made a very favorable impression.

The status LEDs to the left on the case's front are positioned somewhat awkwardly, as they are continuously blocked from view by the user's left hand or forearm when typing.

Awkward position: Status LEDs on the front left side