The CODE Keyboard Initial Impression

I unwrapped my CODE Keyboard today (tenkeyless version). Rather than give a review, because that would be ignorant at this point, I’ll tell you about the initial setup.

It was easy.

The CODE is definitely quieter than my Das Keyboard (previous post), that I used for years. I loved my Das but no one within 10 feet of my workspace did.

The CODE might actually be usable in an open format working environment. The keys have a lot of spring to them. Much more than the Das. There’s also no satisfying click at the end of the stroke like there is on the Das.

On the other hand, the easy switching between Mac and Windows was great. No need to change out keys for me. The Alt key becomes the ⌘ key by moving two dip switches on the bottom. I also toggled the Windows Menu key to become the Fn key. 1

The backlighting is nice in a dark room like my writing cave.

The hardware control functions work fine.

It feels less substantial than the Das Keyboard but it’s just fine to use.

My biggest gripe was the difficulty of plugging the micro USB into the bottom. It’s an odd angle but the flexibility of swapping the cable form something longer is nice.

Here’s a size comparison with two other Mac keyboards (CODE in the middle):

Full review coming about 3 months.2

Yes, I have hops on my desk. It’s harvest season.

  1. Here’s a look at all of the dip switch settings. ↩︎

  2. Unless I’m bludgeoned by a coworker before then. ↩︎