Evolution of the keyboard

[Frank616]

With the rise of tablets, and to some extent, to smartphones, there is a lot of discussion with regard to the use of keyboards and their relevance in today's world. Here is an interesting article on how we have gotten to this point, what the pros and cons are, and what the future holds in store for the keyboard. There are some very interesting ideas both in technology and human interface design in the latter part of the article.

So, do you think the keyboard is dead?

Frank.

[Snowhog]

Not in my house.

[Frank616]

Snowhog:

Nor in mine!

I am amazed at some of the forward thinking with regard to keyboards on tablets. I would never have thought of liquid filled buttons on the BACK of a tablet for a keyboard! What an amazing idea! It might even make a tablet a usable device rather than a data consuming toy.

Frank.

[james147]

Imagine the time you'd save with an intuitive & natural keyboarding device? Imagine how much more productive you (and your business) would be?

I am not sure that this device could be called intuitive.... I suspect it would take a while to learn all the keys especially since you cannot see what you are typing.

Though it is a nice and simple idea and I could see my self learning to use it (or at least trying).

Hmm, I wonder how hard it would be to create a clone of this to try out... I have been wanting to play with my Arduino Leonardo since I got it

My only problem my precious '|' key, I cannot live without that

Edit: Dam it, don't have enough buttons

[Frank616]

James147:

I am not sure that this device could be called intuitive.... I suspect it would take a while to learn all the keys especially since you cannot see what you are typing.

Undoubtedly it would take time. However, I would eagerly give it a try. I touch type now. I don't need, or WANT to look at the keys. In fact, I hate having to constantly look at the output from my typing on a 'soft' keyboard. Yes, there is haptic feedback, which means that SOME key got pressed. But, oh how OFTEN I have to back up and correct all the spelling mistakes....

Maybe the younger generation is used to hunt and peck, and then read the predictive list for the word that you actually want. I'm not trained that way, and I really hate it. Takes too much visual processing.

Frank.

[james147]

That's why I love my keyboard on my android phone, intelligently auto correction and prediction... It very accurately guesses what I want to say (sometimes before I type it!) even when I miss a key or just can't spell .

But I agree, I hate looking at my keys so much that I have blanked out all my keys to force me to touch type (I love the reaction I get off people who try to use my computers now and it is interesting how much competent typers slow down when they can no longer see the keys).

But my point is it cannot be intuitive if someone who have never used a computer before cannot use it almost straight away when they first pick it up. Easy to use once learned and intuitive are completely different, I wish people would stop using that word on every new bit of tech

Personally I find vim "easy to use" now and normal text editors annoying... but it is far from intuitive.

Also, 's/younger generation/general population/' it is not that younger people like hunt and peck, its that more people who don't care about learning to touch type or infact how to use their device are using more devices.