EZ Eyes (enlarged, yellow keyboard) – A Marketing Review
Sitting at her computer, grandma tries to send an e-mail to her grandkids.
Squinting and staring at the keys, she fumbles time and time again. Dang it! She hit the wrong letter on the keyboard again! Now there’s an error message stating that after one more typing mistake, the computer’s CPU is going to seize control and format itself, committing computer suicide. Nooooooooooooo!
Okay, maybe computers aren’t that evil. Yet.
In the meantime, how can grandma send an Instant Message or e-mail? Can she type a status update without misspelling every single word? Is there a better way for her to read the letters, apart from her getting better glasses?
Thankfully, an easier to read computer keyboard does exist. With it, grandma can hit the correct keyboard keys and quickly become a Facebook champion.
EZ Eyes website — www.GetEZEyes.com
Say hello to EZ Eyes, an enlarged (and very yellow) computer keyboard.
EZ Eyes TV commercial
Let’s take a closer look at the EZ Eyes advertising and see just how it’s being presented to us common folk.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — “What’s this thing in front of me with all of these letters?”
Up first we see grandma as she’s apparently having a very hard time using the computer’s keyboard. The QWERTY-style layout now common on typewriters and keyboards has been around since the late 1870s. Most people can quickly memorize the layout of the keys. But when a person has vision or arthritis problems, hitting the correct keys can be a bit of a problem, especially when working with small laptop keyboards.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Oh no! It’s an incorrect coding problem! It’s going to restart the system!
Holy crap!
What did grandma do now?
One minute she’s sending an e-mail, and next her computer is giving her an incorrect coding error message. It’s threatening to restart her computer! Oh grandma, what in the world did you do to cause this error? How did hitting an incorrect key lead to this mess?
Somebody better call Geek Squad! Pronto!
EZ Eyes TV commercial — It’s a YELLOW keyboard to the rescue!
And the solution to grandma’s problem of hitting the wrong keys and causing herself (and others) tremendous grief is . . . . . . . . . EZ Eyes! A yellow keyboard with enlarged letters and numbers is the perfect solution!
EZ Eyes TV commercial — No need for reading glasses now!
As the TV commercial claims, the EZ Eyes computer keyboard is “easy on your eyes.” Easy on the eyes. Oh, I get it now! EZ Eyes! It’s the product’s name! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Isn’t that awesome or what?
I’ve heard that when it comes to writing paper, yellow paper is easier on the eyes than white paper. I wonder how much of a difference it is using a yellow computer keyboard versus a black keyboard with white letters.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Ergonomic? Really? Are you sure?
The definition of “ergonomic” describes something being designed to minimize physical effort and discomfort. The term was all the rage when I took business classes in middle school a loooooooong time ago. When you look at the EZ Eyes keyboard, it has a rather straight design to it, something that looks very un-ergonomic.
Most ergonomic computer keyboards have a “bent” look to them. This allows your wrists to stay in more of a natural shape when typing, preventing long-term medical issues such as carpal tunnel syndrome. The EZ Eyes keyboard, on the other hand, looks as straight and uncomfortable as any other cheap keyboard.
In defense of the TV commercial’s ergonomic statement, another definition of the term describes the word’s meaning as “reducing operator fatigue.” As it’s mentioned in the TV commercial, apparently the yellow color of the keyboard is easier on the eyes and less stressful for the user. Technically, the yellow color of the keyboard can be described as “ergonomic” despite the physical layout of the keys countering this claim.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Just how much larger are those letters and numbers?
The letter and numbers on my computer keyboards (I use two keyboards between my laptop and desktop computers) measure five millimeters tall. For them to be four times larger, they’d have to be twenty millimeters tall. My actual keyboard keys (both laptop and desktop) are only fifteen millimeters.
In the picture, notice how the letters and numbers on the EZ Eyes keyboard have a slight yellow gap on the top and bottom of each key. Assuming that the “normal” keyboard also pictured has the standard five millimeter font size, for it to be “4x larger,” the font on the EZ Eyes keys would have to be twenty millimeters. Add in, say, two millimeters on the top and bottom of each key to account for the extra yellow space. For the font to truly be “four times” larger in size, and accommodate the extra yellow space, then the keyboard keys would have to be about 24-25 millimeters tall. Now that would be one giant keyboard.
When you compare the two keyboards in this scene in the TV commercial, the EZ Eyes letters and numbers are not four times larger than the “normal” keyboard. Yes, the EZ Eyes letters and numbers are significantly larger when compared to a regular keyboard. But making a claim that it’s up to four times larger is a bit stretched, especially since that would require physically enlarging the keys by up to ten millimeters for the larger print. When you see the keyboard later in the TV commercial, it looks about the same physical size as most cheap keyboards in the market.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Whew! It works with both PC and Mac. Great!
It appears that the EZ Eyes computer keyboard has that “universal” look to it. Advertising that the keyboard works with both PC and Mac operating systems is a good selling feature, no matter how basic it may sound.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Thanks to a glowing keyboard, dad can discretely surf for porn and chat with sexy ladies while mom sleeps.
Take note that the ability to glow in the dark is a DIFFERENT version of the EZ Eyes keyboard. The TV commercial says so. Unfortunately, NO information about a glowing version of the keyboard is mentioned on the company’s website.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — “Dear Grandma, Please stop calling me your ‘cute little snuggle, cuddle bear’ on Facebook! My friends keep making fun of me!”
Now little Sally can look just as stylish as grandma when using her yellow and easy-to-read computer keyboard. Oh, imagine the FB comments if her friends caught sight of that!
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Completely shocked, grandpa suddenly realizes that his birthday gift is NOT a new fishing reel or set of golf clubs.
Apparently this is “. . . an ideal gift . . . ” for those friends and family members with vision problems. Yes, I’m sure that people love opening gifts and reminding themselves they keep growing older and older.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — “That’s right. ‘B’ is for boy. The ‘A’ that your mom wears is for . . .”
Combined with flash cards and fun computer graphics (neither of which are included with the EZ Eyes keyboard), now little Billy can learn his alphabet. Forget about teaching him with those pesky books and dirty chalkboards. Billy needs to know his alphabet so he can learn to write comments on YouTube and status updates on Facebook. You know, the computer skills that matter the most.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — To impress your friends, be sure to water it once every couple of days.
In another selling feature, we learn that the EZ Eyes computer keyboard is also waterproof. When demonstrating this feature, make sure that the water does not drain from the keyboard onto your computer. Or onto your pants. That could look embarrassing.
EZ Eyes TV commercial — Quality computer keyboards cost how much?!?
In reality, quality computer keyboards can cost $80, $90, and even over $100. Then again, people looking for that kind of quality and specific features probably aren’t interested in something as simple as the EZ Eyes computer keyboard.
Sadly, these high-end comparisons are common for a lot of as-seen-on-TV products. It’s a common marketing trick to artificially inflate the product’s perceived value, which can make the product appear to be a significant bargain. When people don’t pay attention or know how to research their purchases, this trick works.
And speaking of appearing to look like an incredible value . . .
EZ Eyes TV commercial — It’s time to break out the credit card!
For only $14.95 (plus the usual process and handling fees), the EZ Eyes computer keyboard offer includes two yellow and enlarged font computer keyboards AND two ergonomic mice. In reality, the TOTAL COST comes to $30.85 ($14.95 + $7.95 (P&H) + $7.95 (P&H for “free” keyboard and mouse)) when you factor in the P&H fees.
WARNING – Be careful if you enter your credit card company and press the “Order Now” button. Many of these as-seen-on-TV company websites do NOT give you a final confirmation screen before accepting your CC number.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The EZ Eyes computer keyboard markets itself as a computer product for those people with vision problems. With the yellow color dominating the keys and large black font for the letters and numbers, those selling features are easy to see (har! har!).
The keyboard is also advertised as being waterproof. This can be handy for those people prone to spilling drinks. It also works when an ordinary house cat jumps onto the table and accidentally knocks over your drink, spilling it on your keyboard.
But that’s about it.
The claim of the keyboard being ergonomic is questionable. Most ergonomic keyboards have at least some curvature to the layout of the keys, making it better designed for long periods of typing. This EZ Eyes keyboard looks to be about as straight and rectangular as any other cheap, generic keyboard. Are those keyboards hard to use? Not for most people. Are they still referred to as ergonomic? Nope.
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All of the EZ Eyes commercial images were screenshots of the TV commercial available on YouTube. For more product information, please visit the company’s website, www.GetEZEyes.com.
EZ Eyes is a registered trademark.
RellimZone.com is not affiliated with EZ Eyes.