Slashdot Mirror

make sure you play with the right click customization if you are using autocad. Very quickly you will start wondering if you could get by with a frogpad and a mouse. It's just a shame that autocad refuses to use more than 3 buttons and a wheel on a mouse...

http://www.frogpad.com/

You mean like the Frogpad? http://www.frogpad.com/

I've been interested in this keyboard for years, but figured it'd be too hard to type on anything else afterwards.

Things sold by a guy named "Dr Gadget" strike me as highly likely to be a gimmick or scam.

You mean like the Frogpad? http://www.frogpad.com/

I've been interested in this keyboard for years, but figured it'd be too hard to type on anything else afterwards.

Actual they are going to restart manufacturing the frogpad

Piggybacking on this subject, does anyone have a favorite alternative keyboard? Has anyone actually used the FrogPad, AlphaGrip, or the OrbiTouch?

Solutions depend upon the exact nature of the RSI. Common locations are wrist or elbow, usually on the right.

One classic aid would be trackballs...

Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical (Silver)
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Trackman-Wheel-Optical-Silver/dp/B00005NIMJ/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1286280359&sr=1-17

Ione Scorpius 35PRO USB Mechanical Trackball Keyboard
http://www.amazon.com/Scorpius-35PRO-Mechanical-Trackball-Keyboard/dp/B000UC3EXI

Another possible option is a "hulapoint" device, which is similar to a thumbpad. These tend to be popular in industrial and rugged applications, so may be expensive for home.
http://www.cyberresearch.com/store/lcd-monitors-displays-keyboards-kvm-switches/mouse-trackballs-pointing-devices-touchpads/OIX_4310-U_6096.2.htm

Another option would be a very different mouse:
3M Ergonomic Mouse
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ergonomics/home/products/ergonomicmouse/

Another possible option is a frogpad (look at both right and left models).
http://www.frogpad.com/

keyboards for all occasions, but no handicap keyboards? (Those gaming pads don't count, they only have a subset of keys )
I got mine at frogpad
I wonder if others are better?
 

Hah! That picture is hilarious, though maybe that's just after reading all the "what do you do with the other hand?" jokes made so far.

I would think the frogpad has already more efficiently implemented a one-handed typing solution that doesn't require a glove.

Consider the frog pad, http://www.frogpad.com/.

Something like this?

http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.as p

It doesn't change handedness, but is available in either one. It's not built into a device, but it is available in bluetooth. With the right device it could be pretty cool.

i generally use a laptop when i compute (program, gemstone iv, p0rn) and i must say a touchpad is sweet. my worst problem is never the mouse, it's always the keyboard! if she is getting a lot of arm and/or wrist pain, chances are it's the way she is typing. try a very steep (or adjustable pitch) natural keyboard, or a frogpad. i work in an education lab and we have one for demo. it's strange. but yeah, try it.

What? You mean something like the frogpad?

While I can't see the keyboard because the site is slashdotted, why did they stop at 53 keys? If you wanted to go for a truly minimalist design, why not go with something like the frogpad instead. I've heard from people that it's very efficient and easy to use, although its price prevents me from casually "trying one out." I think the idea of one-handed typing is pretty seductive. If I'm going to completely re-learn how to type, it's going to be with purpose, not just so I can cut down on slightly less than half the keys.

I got used to it after a while. That keyboard moves really fast, its built like a laptop keybaord or at least thats what it feels like. The other one I have is this one -- https://store.frogpad.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD &Product_Code=FPWHUSB20R&Category_Code=ALL&Store_C ode=FrogStore

That one took a lot of getting used to , but once I got to it, worked like a charm, great gamer keyboard.

Man, if they ever develop such a thing,

You mean, something like this? There are a variety of one handed keyboard designs, the most common of which are chorded keyboards. The primary issue is that they require a lot more training than a standard 104-key keyboard. Most people wouldn't bother with such training, but in the case of blind users, many already go through various special training. (e.g. Braille, sign-language, etc.)

Since it has bluetooth, just use something like the frogpad.

single handed is the key. the first company to combine an LCD, some flash memory, and a bluetooth interface with a frogpad gets my $200

Frogpad does this with a most used letter format http://www.frogpad.com/ And then there are cording keyborads like the BAT Keyboard http://www.onehandkeyboard.com/product_view.asp?Re cordNumber=12&sbcolor=%23FF9966&option=keyboard&su bcategory=&CatTxt=&optiontxt=Keyboard These do make a lot more sense in a world where one hand is on a mouse and they adapt to smaller form factors more gracefully

Nobody mentioned the frogpad?
http://www.frogpad.com/

Its a small footprint (1/4th a keyboard with the same size keys) cording keyboard.

I started using the "ifrog" (bluetooth version) a few months ago. The layout has some quirks I disagree with but there are reasons behind the design, it is very well thought out.

The best part is they actually listen to you, the bluetooth version came out with some improvements based on user feedback. There's a pretty good forum http://frogpad.zeroforum.com/. They are asking about and looking into in other possibilities such as a built in mouse, custom layouts, and a gamers version. I still haven't given up the keyboard due to gaming issues, but once they come out with a gamers version I'll be ready to toss that old qwerty keyboard out for good.

There are many interesting options for input devices in a wearable computer. For the short term, i'm going to buy a throat mic (around Christmas, said the poor broke college student :), but the frogpad (http://www.frogpad.com/) has received good reviews, and the last time i checked, thinkgeek still had some halfkeyboards... On a "slightly" longer term, gesture recognition should work ok with a webcam :)

Great. A laptop that only a two-year-old can type on. Those of us with normal-sized hands can look forward to cramping, RSI, and other fun medical issues.

Why not do something semi-revolutionary and incorporate a keyboard like the FrodPad into it instead of trying to shoehorn an entire QWERTY layout in there?

p

Not left handed but I have a very strange config, left hand mouse, right keyboard (kepad). Nearly every kepad i've found always key locks when holding down 0,8, and 9. The nostromo would be great, but I never got a straight answer about a right handed one. Sure, you could use it with your right but its made for the left.

While looking for another cording keyboard, google turned up the frogpad. I like the look, might even buy they bluetooth version so I can use it for with a PDA. Apparently there is a gamming version out soon so i'm waiting for that.

jerometramblay says:
This one is smaller, and supports both a USB and a Bluetooth connection (so you can use it with your cell phone).

I only wish they included flash memory on it.

http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.as p

Forgot to mention this one which might be of interest to you:

the FrogPad

This one is smaller, and supports both a USB and a Bluetooth connection (so you can use it with your cell phone).

I only wish they included flash memory on it.

http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.as p

One handed keyboards
One handed keyboards
One handed keyboards

No, no, Lojban !

It's Esperanto ^ 2.

And we'll type it on a FrogPad.

According to this article, Think Outside will have a Bluetooth Stowaway keyboard on the market this month (May, 2004). There's also this fascinating keyboard from a South Korean company, listed as "coming soon." If you want something smaller, check out the FrogPad, specifically the BlueFrog model (available for pre-order). It's one fifth the size of a normal keyboard but emulates all normal PC/Mac keyboard functions. This device looks absolutely ideal for a home theater controller.

If you can wait, oh, a few years, you might have other options.

Five seconds search on Google - including time wading through "Bluetooth Trackball Ringtones" - came up with this:

http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/moreinfoa.asp ?pe=BFBGFGAQ_+keyboard+with+trackball+and+mouse&ci d=880.

Then there's always the FrogPad which is cool...

A better solution on the same lines would be a bluetooth phone and the new bluetooth frogpad which is available for pre-order - looks like the dog's knob.

Assuming the phone has GPRS, it would enable you to email your log to yourself, providing a good backup.

Not cheap, but a good geeky solution which justifies the purchase of a new toy (I've just ordered one!).

If you're really interested in wearable stuff, check out MIT's wearable computing lab - they have reviews on various keyboards and other hardware. I wouldn't recommend buying the stuff to avoid RSI's, but there are some cool toys around.

Ugh. You can keep the twiddler. I tried one of those for a while. It was an older Twiddler 1, awhich is a slight bit less ergonomic than the Twiddler 2, but they haven't fixed the real problem. Try it yourself: put your hand in this position for a few seconds and you feel your whole forearm start to freeze up. It's great as a one handed, no desktop keyboard, but it's an RSI waiting to happen. That Frogpad thing looks interesting though...

Actually, I've never figured out why manufacturers go for qwerty-style keyboards instead of doing something like a one handed keyboard. You'd have to relearn where the keys are, but I would think you could beat thumb-keyboard speed in a couple minutes. As for the trackball: meh. The only good trackballs are large trackballs. I'm not overly fond of touchpads, but the device has a nipple, which worksforme.

The review is interesting, but there are even more keyboard alternatives that have a plausible shot at market acceptance. One that got a fair amount of press attention at Comdex (Yes, there were people there to see it) is the FrogPad keyboard which manages to generate a full keyboard's worth of scan codes from 15 keys and four shifts.

The benefit: You get a keyboard with full-sized keys that fits in the space of a 3x5 index card, or you can reduce the key size by a bit and end up with a PDA-sized keyboard that's still manageable.

The downside: You have to learn a whole new way of typing, albeit one that is designed to make common letter sequences easy to enter. Try it - print the picture of the FrogPad keyboard and pretend you're typing on it. It's not built for 120 words per minute, but I can see how it could be a true QWERTY replacement for the average typist.

Another thought - if the FrogPad or some other device of the kind discussed here are accepted by the market (and that's a BIG if), what kind of new form factors could we see in keyboard-based devices? Current PDAs and laptops suddenly look sooo last century!

The review is interesting, but there are even more keyboard alternatives that have a plausible shot at market acceptance. One that got a fair amount of press attention at Comdex (Yes, there were people there to see it) is the FrogPad keyboard which manages to generate a full keyboard's worth of scan codes from 15 keys and four shifts.

The benefit: You get a keyboard with full-sized keys that fits in the space of a 3x5 index card, or you can reduce the key size by a bit and end up with a PDA-sized keyboard that's still manageable.

The downside: You have to learn a whole new way of typing, albeit one that is designed to make common letter sequences easy to enter. Try it - print the picture of the FrogPad keyboard and pretend you're typing on it. It's not built for 120 words per minute, but I can see how it could be a true QWERTY replacement for the average typist.

Another thought - if the FrogPad or some other device of the kind discussed here are accepted by the market (and that's a BIG if), what kind of new form factors could we see in keyboard-based devices? Current PDAs and laptops suddenly look sooo last century!

How do you get by with so few keys?
You can see the support problem he's talking about here.
The sexiest of the lot, but not handheld
This one's straight outta sci-fi

None of these have a pointing device. It seems to me that if you want to type with one hand, you might want to mouse with the same hand. I sent McKown an email to that effect, suggesting that he integrate a small trackball into his design.

HandyKey Twiddler 2The Twiddler2 is a pocket-sized mouse pointer plus a full-function keyboard in a single unit that fits neatly in either right or left hand. The Twiddler2 plugs into both keyboard and mouse PS/2 ports on any computer that accepts standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard input. WearClam: A Wearable Input InterfaceThe WearClam is an wearable Input device, developed for those situations where you need keyboard-like input nearly all the time. It is an ergonomic ring which resembles a real Clam's shape and as such it could be considered as a wearable interface for a wearable computer. L3 Systems WristPC KeyboardL3 Systems has developed the WristPC Keyboard for portable and wearable computer applications. The WristPC is a rugged QWERTY keyboard with a standard PC keyboard interface. The housing is a black anodized aluminum. Completely sealed, it can operate in the rain and other harsh environments. Fitaly One-Finger KeyboardThis "keyboard" is optimized for entry with a single finger or with a pen, as is the case on a pen computer or a computer with a touchscreen. The Fitaly One-Finger Keyboard minimizes pen or finger travel as well as hand travel. Tactex smart fabric technologyTactex's Smart Fabric technology enables the manufacture of both expressive and rugged control surfaces, which can be presented in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and surface finishes. A retail product, the MTC Express, is about the size of a mouse pad, and is produced for Mac and Windows platforms. Senseboard virtual keyboardSenseboard (tm) is a virtual keyboard, designed for the millions of mobile computer users, struggling with their tiny or nonexistent keyboards when trying to communicate or type. The VK hand mounted devices allow the user to type on any surface as if it were a keyboard. Sensors in the units measure the finger movements and artificial intelligence and a language processor determine appropriate keystrokes or mouse movements. Thunbscript Input DevicesThumbscript (TM) is a patented universal text entry system for mobile people and devices. Equally at home with Pen based devices like the Palm Pilot and keypad devices like your telephone or TV controller, Thumbscript offers users a single system that is simple, inexpensive to implement and easy to use because it is visual. FrogPad keyboardThe "FrogPad" is a 19-key device that uses patented simultaneous key function change technology to emulate a full-size keyboard, and requires a fraction of the physical space. Kord Interface TechnologyKord (R) Interface Technology (Kord [R] IT)is a suite of hardware and software that creates "an ambidextrous, chordic Human Machine Interface HMI, suitable for any computing device". Essential Reality P5 GloveTo digitally "walk" through an online room or actually "pick up" objects in a video game requires the ability to manipulate in three-dimensions. Not through complicated keystrokes but by the simple movement of your hand in space.

but maybe it could become more cooler if Nokia worked together with some PDA-company (Best choice would be Palm IMHO). They could reduce the keyboard's size be building one of these in it to make more room for the screen.
Devices is this one allready excist but most are a PDA that you can make phonecalls with or a cellphone that remembers your appointments.