Keyboard

If you've ever tried to transfer your touch-typing skills onto a touchscreen tablet's virtual keyboard, you'll know what an impossible task that can be. Apart from the fact that there's no tactile guide to tell you where keys are in relation to each other, placing all of your fingers onto the screen almost always causes accidental activation of unwanted keys. Researchers from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) claim to have overcome such issues with the development of a QWERTY keyboard interface that should allow touch typists to tap away without needing visual prompts.  Read More

The LMP wireless numerical keypad for the Apple Wireless Keyboard that made its way through the FCC last November is now available for purchase. Now called the Cropmark LMP Bluetooth Keypad it integrates with the Apple Wireless Keyboard by way of a linkage bar or can be used as a standalone unit to provide an extra 28 keys of number-oriented typing goodness to any Bluetooth enabled Mac.  Read More

Thanks to smartphones, most of us these days are familiar with the idea of a sliding mechanism underneath a display screen revealing a physical keyboard. So why has it taken so long for someone to take this idea and use it for a tablet computer? Thankfully, both ASUS and Samsung have now introduced this feature to their new tablets, albeit in slightly different forms. The Samsung PC7 series tablet runs on an Atom processor, benefits from solid state storage and has Windows 7 as its operating system. Its high definition, touchscreen display should also be capable of comfortably handling indoor and outdoor use thanks to its 340-nit brightness.  Read More

With the increase in popularity of home theater PCs and internet capabilities being built into HDTVs, browsing the Web sitting on the couch is becoming a popular pastime. But with the web being a “lean forward” technology that requires more complicated input controls than the “lean back” consumption of traditional television, the ol’ remote control just doesn’t cut it anymore. While there’s been some outside-the-box designs, such as the GlideTV Navigator, the all conquering keyboard is already launching an offensive on the lounge room. The latest unit to join the fight is the GKM571R-581R 2.4 GHz wireless on-lap keyboard from IOGEAR.  Read More

We first came across SmartFish Technologies’ ergonomic Engage Keyboard at CES 2010 when it was known as the ErgoMotion keyboard. Ahead of CES 2011, where the keyboard will has been named a 2011 Best of Innovations Honoree, the company has now announced its release to the buying public.  Read More

There’s no arguing that Apple’s Wireless Keyboard is a slim and sexy piece of kit – as far as keyboards go anyway. However, its svelte, bag friendly dimensions come at the cost of a numerical keypad. While such an omission is fine for some, it’s no good for the likes of accountants, mathematicians, numerologists and statisticians who are better served by the old USB extended keyboard. But it looks like even these users will be able to enjoy freedom from wires with the LMP Bluetooth Keypad.  Read More

If there’s one major weakness of devices like the iPad and touchscreen-only mobile phones, it’s their onscreen keyboards. This is evidenced by the selection of portable keyboards available, such as the Jorno Bluetooth and Thanko folding keyboards. Citta Consulting is taking a different approach to portability to with its Kee4 Keyboard – a device that has just four keys and can be operated with one hand using a "composite keystroke" system.  Read More

One of the most annoying things about typing on a wireless keyboard is the sudden shutdown that often occurs right in the middle of a particularly inspirational key-tapping session. By the time the batteries have been replaced, the muse has vanished. Logitech's latest keyboard is designed to end such woes. The slim, wireless K750 sports a couple of solar strips above the row of function keys which provide the keyboard's power. The company says that it can draw energy from internal lighting as well as the sun and will keep on going even after being kept in the dark for a few months.  Read More

There are a number of keyboards that claim to be ergonomic, but only one claims to be "truly ergonomic." Many input devices available today stagger the keys across the available keying area, resulting in even the most proficient touch typist having to move around more than is desirable. The makers of the Truly Ergonomic Keyboard claim that their redesign brings all keys within easy reach, which should lead to decreased discomfort in a world where most of us spend much of our lives tapping away in front of one computer screen or another.  Read More