OrbiTouch Keyless Keyboard Review 347
robyn217 writes "When I last looked at strange, new keyboards (here's the previous thread here on slashdot), I thought I'd seen it all... not even close! I just reviewed a new keyless keyboard, called the OrbiTouch, and gave it a run for its money. It's literally made up of two humps--it reminds me of holding onto my knees rather a keyboard. To type or mouse, you need to move the humps around in a synchronized manner. It's twisted--but it's better for you to decide for yourself--here's the article, OrbiTouch Review: A Keyless Keyboard with lots of pictures. Think you'll give it a test drive? Will it survive the year?"
Touchless (Score:2, Interesting)
Not just for RSI (Score:5, Interesting)
why would anyone design a keyboard like this? In one simple word, comfort.
There are also other reasons why keyboard alternatives like this are cool. Disabled users, obviously. Also for typing where you can't be very accurate, e.g. while riding a bike.
Hmmm wonder if you could type with your feet while surfing during lunch
Get A Grip! (Score:2, Interesting)
You might as well use two mice with specialized software to have the same effect. At such a high price, I won't even glance at it. Who will carry such monstrosity to work and home?
Re:price (Score:4, Interesting)
I disagree (Score:5, Interesting)
What is needed is really a user upgrade. People have invested a lot of time in learing exactly where the letters are located on their particular keyboard. (I know this as I recently had to "relean" the locations of various keys on a Spanish keyboard). Imagine asking someone to memorize (to the point of not thinking about it) the various dual-joystick combinations to type out a typical email. Or if not this device, the various mouse gestures (mouse based keyboard), hand wriggling (joystick based keyboard), eye-control (for eye-tracking keyboard), or other method of input.
Certainly there will be adopters, but there will be a rough cost-benifit analysis by the masses. Most that will conclude it's more expensive to learn new keyboard type when the new keyboard only offers the same functionality of inputting text into a computer.
pipelining (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:ugh. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:price (Score:5, Interesting)
if you suffer like i do, the referred pains after using this are terrible. now you feel pain arms shoulder and neck.
in my opinion its all about this product
http://www.fingerworks.com/touchstream_products
These mimic Street Fighter Moves (Score:3, Interesting)
On the same token to type a 'd', you need to do "back,forward". I credit the creator of the device for taking moves that are used in fighting games and using them in unique ways(like this keyboard).
In fighting games, you have endless number of moves, which I've seen many people(not me) master very well in the arcades. So maybe this new keyboard will work?
Computers should have 2 Mouse pointers, Left&R (Score:2, Interesting)
I am tired of having only one mouse and cursor on my computer, I think the keyboard should be split in 2 like Either of these 2 keyboards TouchStream ST [extremetech.com] or, DataHand [extremetech.com].
Then, a optical mouse eye should be under each half, which controls a left hand and right hand mouse pointer.
So much more could be done with computer UI if we had 2 mouse pointers.
Do you eat a steak with one hand? And if you merge the keyboard with the mouse you don't have to switch you had back and forth over and over again.
pipelining - Dvorak (Score:2, Interesting)
This is one of the things the Dvorak layout was made to exploit. For instance, (now is the time to look at a key chart) typing the word "month" on dvorak makes the "nth" basically one motion. The vowel combinations are this way as well. That "pipelining" is particularly good when the keys in the pipe are nearby on different fingers on the same hand. Qwerty does well at cross-hand patterns, but some of those can be vulnerable to miss-timing issues. (The first auto-correct entry is "teh"->"the").
They couldn't get them all, though, such as "gh" "ct" "rn" etc. but I guess those are statistically less frequent than the big ones: "th" "sh" "cr" and so on... I like the example word some Dvorak article used to show the difference. Excruciating. Type it in Qwerty, then go look it up on a dvorak. Not that we all type "excruciating" that often, but is a somewhat worst-case example.
Just more shameless advocacy of the Dvorak layout.
touch-"typing" (Score:1, Interesting)
The only real keyboard "improvement" of sorts that I can name is the Dvorak layout. I don't use it (yet), but people swear by it.
Re:ugh. (Score:3, Interesting)
Virtually none. Previous layouts were alphabetical; QWERTY just moved some letters around. Look at the home row: asdfghjkl. All letters from D to L are there, in order, with the exception of E and I which were moved off. Only 4 letters of the first 12 aren't there.
It is not only that. (Score:2, Interesting)
2 things I want from my keyboard. First is speed, second is ease of use. Having 2 stubby joy mounds (they are too round to be called sticks) to move around together is not easy, and 7mm is not small enough.
I want something that you move the device 1 mm to activate it and the entire keyboard should be mapped to one hand.
I agree with your analysis of the touchstream products. However, I will wait until they come out with a programming interface for it.