New Developments in the Keyboard 4
The history of QWERTY keyboards
spans more than a century. The Remington firm, who also invented the
typewriter, is responsible for the keyboard's design. Keyboards have remained
largely unchanged from the days of typewriters to the smartphones we use today.
Small adjustments have been made to the letter arrangement to accommodate
different languages, such as the French AZERTY keyboard, although these are not
noticeable to the average user.
In this age of constant change,
it is reasonable to wonder why this invention has changed so little over the
past century.
The keyboard is a well-designed
tool for fulfilling a specific purpose: data entry into a computer. Therefore,
the keyboard is related to yet another primitive method of communication: the
written word. This means that the keyboard will continue to be the best option
for computer-based writing for as long as computers remain necessary. Although
keypad layout and design can always be refined, keyboards will always require
some sort of key input for as long as we have to create and use computers.
Keyboards haven't changed much
over the years, however some have changed their appearance and some have tried
to come up with entirely new designs. Here are four varieties of keyboards that
I find particularly intriguing due to the novel approaches they take to a
common task.
Keyboard emulators
In today's modern world,
virtual keyboards have surpassed physical ones in popularity. When it comes
time to type, a virtual keyboard pops up on the screen of every smartphone and
tablet released after the iPhone in 2008.
One of the most significant
developments in keyboards has been the elimination of the need for a physical
keyboard. There are a number of ways in which this reasoning has been rejected.
Keyboards that you can touch.
Virtual keyboards are displayed
on a touch screen as images. It's possible to switch from an AZERTY keyboard to
a QWERTY keyboard or a Japanese keyboard with the push of a button, and the
glass construction adds a touch of class.
It's also possible to alter the
keys' visual style. The drawback is that you need to lug along a slab, just
like a regular keyboard. If a work surface were to be completely covered by a
touch screen—as with a touch table, for example—then this technology would be
invaluable.
Simply because of the name,
Fucktron is my favorite.
Keyboards with laser pointers
In reality, they are tiny
projectors.
Due to its ability to
facilitate text entry on a mobile device, this product is aimed primarily at
digital nomads.
It's better saved for those
rare occasions when you don't have the room or the means to use actual
materials.
The speed and accuracy of the
keys have passed all of our tests, so far.
This gadget is ideal for people
who don't need a lot of gadgets.
This is the Wikipédia Laser
Keyboard.
Keyboard for virtual reality
use
The pointer is a perfect waste
of time when entering text into a virtual reality environment. Therefore,
virtual keyboards are developed to facilitate simpler text entry. It's
unsettling that there's no way to provide haptic feedback (touch sensation).
The virtual reality headset enables you to type on a physical keyboard as
though you were in the virtual environment.
Without keys on a keyboard
Keyboards consist of a
collection of keys used for various purposes. Lacking these keys is the most
effective method of disruption. Some companies have developed gloves and rings
to accomplish this.
There is harmony between two
guiding principles:
Make it look like you're typing
Considering that nearly
everyone can type quickly and accurately without looking at the keyboard, it's
not out of the question to develop a system like Airtype, in which you type on
a surface and the device recognizes which key your gesture represents.
While the concept is
intriguing, it needs to be modified so that it can be used with words
containing special characters and so that it can be adapted to different
cultures.
Keyboard emulation
In keyboarding theory,
different finger combinations are used to input individual letters. It doesn't
matter where exactly the fingers are placed; what matters is that multiple
fingers make contact with the surface at the same time. As an illustration,
consider the Tap Strap 2.
Having to relearn how to type
text from scratch is a huge disruption that will likely put off most people. It
doesn't appear that you can type any faster than on a regular keyboard. It's
worth emphasizing that fast typing calls for a high level of dexterity. The
ideal setting for this technology would be one with no room for bulky machinery
and a high priority on privacy. Among the many possible applications is spying,
where it would be more convenient to tap one's leg or fingers than to pull out
one's phone.
dedicated keyboards
There are unusual keyboards out
there. Since they are purpose-built, they do not resemble standard keyboards at
all.
stenography
The vowels and consonants on a
shorthand keyboard are located on separate rows. They "capture" a
word by simultaneously pressing multiple keys.
Stenographers will soon be able
to type a word simply by making the appropriate gesture at their keyboards.
That way, they'll be able to transcribe texts and type as fast as we talk.
Recreational Use Only: Video
Games
Keyboards are a staple in the
lives of gamers because they are both reliable and easy to use. Some keyboards,
however, have only a dozen keys because most of them are never pressed.
Azeron develops this idea
further by making a unique keyboard in which every finger has a button in front
of it, behind it, and above it, resulting in a novel gaming experienc
Inkless electronic notepads and
notetaking utensils
Ironically, this article's
final novel idea is a digital filter superimposed on a retracing of steps.
You can use a special pen and
paper to write by hand and have it transcribe the letters you draw into a word
processor.
While this technology will
please those who enjoy writing by hand, it may not be practical for text entry.
Because the keyboard is optimized for word processing software, you'll be able
to type much faster than you can write.
However, digital pens have one
major advantage over keyboards: more spontaneous input. This is exactly what
you get with the Eink digital notebook. It enables unrestricted note-taking,
with the "flying" sheets eventually being saved and made available
online. The pen would be more effective than the keyboard because there would
be no need to write anything online.
The keyboard is one of those
simple innovations that has made it possible for anyone to express themselves
in text form on a computer. Although alternative key configurations and forms
may one day prove superior, at present, nothing compares to it. In France, the
BÉPO keyboard layout has been proposed as an alternative to the more common
QWERTY and AZERTY keyboards.
There appears to be a long
future for this technology. This is bad news for the professional world and for
complicated input, as it means that it will be muted in VR spaces and largely
supplanted by voice for non-professional usage.