FrogPad, RSI and me — OW!!!

Holy God, I’m stupid. I am making this declaration after swallowing more Aleve than I’ve had to for quite some time. The thing is, I decided to be adventurous and borrow a friend’s FrogPad. I knew it wasn’t inherently ergonomic because of its flat shape, but my friend said it helped her with her RSI. What I wasn’t thinking was that my friend is two-handed, and her RSI is mouse related. Therefore, she gets to use her one hand on the keyboard and the other on the mouse, reducing her workload. Totally different situations. A one-handed keyboard for a one-handed person is different from one-handed keyboard designed for two-handed people, no matter what buzzwords the advertisements may use. (Human anthropology, anyone?) Tellingly, one of the slogans is “What would you do with your free hand?” I can appreciate the dual marketing technique in an attempt to mainstream things, but there are certain situations in which someone with a disability might still need a well thought out, more specialized product. This little gimmick wasn’t for me.

My RSI (which is not my sole physical problem, but it’s a big one) affects the only hand I can use. Because of the FrogPad key combinations, I was working this hand to death, even typing very slowly with the keypad propped up. Hell, I was even using shorthand, and still! Never mind that technically “you only need two fingers” — be that as it may, everything I had was aching. Ergo, I was in pain very shortly. I can appreciate the small footprint, but it’s not worth it — I’ll carry my keyboard over my shoulder gladly for as long as I’m able to use it. If by any chance you have RSI in your one functional hand, either stick to voice, find a keyboard that was actually designed for a one-handed person, use Dvorak, or even strap a typing stick to your hand to spare your fingers. Don’t overwork them.

Sure, give us the malfunctioning products! Not.

People are so ignorant sometimes that it’s hilarious. (I mean “ignorant” in its proper sense, i.e., utterly clueless.) From the mostly negative reviews of the Frogpad140 on Amazon: “I would only recommend this product, in its current flawed, expensive and dangerous state, to people with only one functional hand.” From another: it causes frequent data loss and getting the drivers to work is a nightmare, but “disabled people will find this a huge step up from anything else on the market.” Granted, having a disability means that you get used to things other people find unbearable rather quickly, but we are not such beggars that we can never afford to be choosers. There are limits. Why should we be grateful for something that might corrupt our data too, or have bad drivers for our machines? Sure, stick us with the crappy products. Not. I know it takes a long time to save up for something like a Maltron, but there are alternatives if you can’t go that route. As for Frogpad, I hear its market has shifted towards mobile phones.

PLEASE NOTE: I am referring to customer reviews of the product, and not the Frogpad company. I have not used the Frogpad myself — its shape is not good for me. I was commenting on the fact that customers thought something was defective, and yet they thought it was just fine for people with disabilities. It’s no fun being snarky when you have to explain it… sigh.