Slashdot Mirror

There are actual split keyboards out there. Some have a very short wire between the two halves - penny pinching, I suspect - but this looks like it would suit even a university librarian.

http://www.fentek-ind.com/imag...

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2000/08/30/cat_eye_finring_review/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/08/genius-ring-mouse-slips-around-your-finger-cues-up-beyonce-jams/

These guys offer various alternative pointing device solutions:
http://www.adapt-it.org.uk/browse_category.asp?id=40&item=Mice

And there are solutions like these out there too:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/nh-mouse.htm

learn how to type on a Dvorak keyboard, and quit complaining about pains and lack of ergonomics.

You can buy a hardwired Dvorak for $95 at http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbdvorak2ub.htm

That keyboard is not bluetooth, it's RF.

I bought one from
http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbmrfotb45ub.htm

Not many people use a gamepad in FPSes on PCs. That's true.

There are special gamer keyboards. The Wolfclaw, the Pro Gamer Command Pad, the DX1, Themaltake Flare, and more offer a different setup of keys that some gamers really find advantageous. They can be really nice for a serious RTS player, too, despite being marketed mostly for FPS players.

There are special mice just for gamers. Take a look at Trust's Gamer Mouse, the Razer Copperhead, and even the Zalman pistol-grip mouse.

I have a flight stick with seven buttons, trigger, a top hat, and throttle. I use it for flight games, and I like it much more for Mechwarrior 4 or many other vehicle-combat games than a keyboard and mouse.

I have a racing wheel and pedal set for car games. I have a game pad for my PC for the PC versions of Madden-type games. There are even more ways to command a PC, though.

Some gamers use a voice command system for some functions, although that can interfere with speaking to your teammates through Teamspeak or Ventrilo.

Some use things like the Fragpedal from Good Work Systems. It lets you have four extra buttons (two per pedal and two pedals) you can use without moving your fingers. I've considered buying that one specifically for fall prone/get up, crouch, reload, and strafe. There are also the Kinesis foot switches, although each USB connection with those is only good for up to three buttons. Perhaps I'd leave reload on the mouse or keyboard with the Savant Elite Triple Action. You can hook up multiple Savant Elite pedals, but the Fragpedal is less expensive already. Maybe I'll just see if I can get used to my car game gas and brake pedal set for FPSes before making such an investment. There are even more expensive versions of this concept out there, mostly meant for people with disabilities or to cut down on wrist strain. They could certainly be useful in gaming, though.

In the PC world, you're expected to invest in the level of game play you are after. Some people are quite competitive with a decent stock keyboard and a two-button mouse. A scroll mouse is a very cheap and now standard device and is much better for most games. A little better keyboard can go a long way to help. Every little bit can help, though. If you lose to a guy who has bought a fancier controller, you either shrug it off as okay or you go an invest in a fancier one yourself.

http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbmrfotb45ub.htm

Built-in trackball and 45ft range may work for you.

Here ya go then:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbtbwrusb.htm

The phantom was just another games console.
People actually want to do this, but the only thing stopping them is technology.

I guess at some point or other we have cursed keyboards for having fixed symbols and wished for something better, I remember the cards you used to place above your Fn keys for word processing and graphics programs, we all get freaked out remembering the keys to games and I would love to see my keys change fonts to match what I am typing.

This keyboard will give you all that, its not just another console - its new.

Having said all that, you can probably currently just keep a few customised boards and switch as needed for less than the current expected price.

On a serious note, how will anyone reset the NVRAM in a Dell Bios without the caps lock key? Why can't we have choices on Keyboards anyway? I think I will start a new business, Custom Keyboards Inc. Don't want that key(s) on your custom keyboard, no problem! Too late.... http://www.fentek-ind.com/keyboard.htm

Everything from ergonomic keyboards and mice to foot pedals and eye-control:
Fentek Industries
Kinesis Corporation
AbilityHub
Solutions for Humans ...

Like this one? http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbmflusbps2b.htm

I using on of these you insensitive clod!

Only mine is braned by Fujitsu Siemens - go figure.

I has the advantage of being very adjustable and has reduced my RSI problems a lot. The weird enter key takes a bit of getting used to, I was used to an "L" shaped one, but the cursors are sensible, the only weird thing is getting used to the slightly odd home/end/insert/delete/pgup/pgdown positioning but they are separeate keys on the right and reasonably easy to get used to.

The only problem is I never found one with the exact layout that I like (wide backspace, tall enter with a backslash nestled up to it.)

I'm not sure about really thin, but the same site has quite a few numeric keypads.

Behold. The Happy Hacking Lite 2 keyboard at the bottom of that page may be your best bet.

and allows the right hand to use the keypad or other control-type key clusters easily.

Like what - the arrow keys? Why not get a left-handed keyboard?

I am left-handed, and see no point whatsoever in using a "left-handed mouse". I can type faster with just my left hand than my right, and I get no speed or accuracy advantage from using my left hand for the mouse (quite the opposite.)

There are some serious ergonomic issues for lefties e.g. scissors - mice are not one of them.

here you go

You can get one for 54.95 $ from Fentek Industries, Inc. 470 S. Main Street, Suite G, Post Office Box 2278, Cottonwood, Arizona, 86326 USA. Shipping and handeling extra of course, state taxes may apply, duty fees may apply, void in Quebec and Tennessee.

They actually have a few of them, check it out. And next time, use google for the words "mini keyboard".

You can get one for 54.95 $ from Fentek Industries, Inc. 470 S. Main Street, Suite G, Post Office Box 2278, Cottonwood, Arizona, 86326 USA. Shipping and handeling extra of course, state taxes may apply, duty fees may apply, void in Quebec and Tennessee.

They actually have a few of them, check it out. And next time, use google for the words "mini keyboard".

I've been using a programmable keyboard for my software development for years. I use the Fentek MCK-142. I program commonly used commands into the keyboard and it really speeds up development. http://www.fentek-ind.com/program.htm#MCK

nobody has ever done this before.

Here ya go:

http://www.fentek-ind.com/rf-wireless-keyboard.htm #kbmrf100

the nipple is in the top right corner, so not quite as handy as a thinkpad.

They do ones with trackballs and touchpads too, but the best mouse is this foot operated one: http://www.fentek-ind.com/nh-mouse.htm

Here ya go:

http://www.fentek-ind.com/rf-wireless-keyboard.htm #kbmrf100

the nipple is in the top right corner, so not quite as handy as a thinkpad.

They do ones with trackballs and touchpads too, but the best mouse is this foot operated one: http://www.fentek-ind.com/nh-mouse.htm

Left handed keyboards:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/modular.htm

I am a rightie who started mousing 10 years ago with the left hand because of issues I had with RSI with my right arm, in effect, turning me into a left hander for computer use. I don't have any problems, but I may be missing something with problems you see personally from being a leftie using rightie layouts/interface design.

that already happened !

It's been done. Good to relieve/prevent carpal tunnel in the wrists (but what does it do for your ankles?)

http://www.bilbo.com/bilbo.html
http://www.fentek-ind.com/FootPedal.htm

I hate to break this to you, Mr. Grumpy, but he had to have RTFA. Otherwise the statement doesn't make sense.

And actually, this was my first impression as well. Here I was, imagining a keyboard running a small Linux Kernel with an LCD screen and a gratuitous CD burner. It sounded awesome. Imagine the scripting possibilities if you were running perl inside of your keyboard, with a small touch screen for feedback and possible alternative mouse input.

And then I get to TFA, only to find out it is like the music keyboard I just bought, but 100 times more expensive. And running Linux.

Somehow, I'd rather have a programmable keyboard.

-l

-l

-l

-l

A combination of a regular keyboard and a *foot mouse* would probably be more idea. Hands constantly stay on the keyboard, so there's no penalty for "context-switching" between mousing and typing. And you get a small multitasking bonus (typing while mouse moving).

If they were CHEAPER, I'd see a lot of people getting one.

I saw one of these in a computer store four years ago. It had a crank that could be used to ajust it from totally flat to totally vertical.

A quick scan through dmoz's keyboard list returns lots of examples of vertical keyboards. Like this one.

Rather than an adapter for your current keyboard, you might think of investing in a DvortyBoard. It's a standard 104 (or whatever) key keyboard with a Dvorak lock that switches the key layout from qwerty to dvorak. www.dvortyboards.com seems to be down at the moment (forever?), but http://www.fentek-ind.com/dvorak.htm still has them for sale.

I have a Dvortyboard and it works wonderfully.

These people sell them, for example.

I've collected several links to dvorak keyboard sellers and dvorak ressources.

Due to the US-english dvorak layout is only different in the positions of the keys on the board, you may create your own dvorak keyboard by just switching your key caps around. And for X11 you can use xkeycaps and xmodmap to tell your computer that you've done that... :-) You'll find an dvorak-xmodmap at Peter Amstutz' Dvorak page.

But if keyboard doesn't allow to switch the key caps around you can also relabel them...

Dvorak Keyboard Sellers:

• Dvorty Boards
• Dvorak Keyboards from Fentek

The Dvorak Layout in comparison to the qwerty layout can be found at Introducing the Dvorak Keyboard .

There are also efforts on creating non-english dvorak layouts.

In The Design/Psychology of Everyday Things Don Norman does a comparison of various keyboard types including qwerty, Dvorak and Chorded keyboards. Most, if not all of the alternatives rate higher than qwerty in terms of typing speed and training.

Norman also points out that no matter how good a new kind of keyboard is, it will never replace the standard qwerty style. It would simply cost too much money. Retraining users, replacing hardware, rewriting software (in some cases), rewriting documentation etc. It all adds up. There are similar reasons why the metric systems hasn't been adopted world wide.

Also, how much more efficient does a keyboard have to be to justify a change in keys? IMHO, the qwerty keyboard is good enough. I look forward to the day when I don't have to tap away on this anymore. Bring on what-you-see-is-what-you-think!
----------------- --------------------------------------