Cherry eVolution Stream

The Cherry eVolution Stream Corded MultiMedia Keyboard (catchy name!) is a low-cost keyboard that promises to be both super-flat and ultra-quiet.

The good news is that this keyboard is a really nice surprise, as it does actually live up to the manufacturer's claims. In fact, it's highly unusual to see a budget keyboard that's so very quiet, especially when some higher-price models struggle to do anything nearly so impressive.

The flat, slim design of the keys and keyboard is a matter of taste more than anything. Our only real reservation is that the short, notebook-style keystrokes do make keying feel soft—very soft indeed. If you're used to pressing the keys of your current keyboard quite hard, it may take you a while to adapt. Plus, your fingers can end up hurting a bit from trying to press the keys too hard (as we found out!)

Plain and Simple

Although this keyboard is quiet and compact, it is quite basic. It has a plain, simple and fuss-free design. As a result, there are only six hot keys, all of which are actually multimedia shortcuts (volume control, audio track navigation etc.). Competitor keyboards usually have more shortcut keys with, for example, a button that instantly launches a web browser, takes you to your e-mail inbox or to other frequently-used applications. However, users who have no interest in extra buttons won't find that too problematic. In fact, this Cherry keyboard would be their perfect model, so long as the short keystrokes don't put them off.

The keyboard is quite low and there's no wrist-rest. Similarly, there's no backwards tilt function like in certain Microsoft keyboards. This feature hasn't won over many users yet, but we think it's only a matter of time before people start to realise just how much it can make a keyboard more comfortable for their hands. In any case, with the Cherry eVolution Stream you can only have the keyboard flat or tilted forwards.