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Not A Bat, Nor A Plane, But A Vertical Keyboard

Posted by timothy on from the need-any-beta-testers? dept.

A reader who chose anonymity writes: "As usual ZZZ online was updated this Sunday. Nevertheless the issue number 67 contains quite unusual info about vertical keyboard. It is made by splitting normal keyboard into two parts and and rotating them by 90 degrees. The human imagination has no limits, vertical keyboard looks really weird." It also looks much comfier than most flat ones. Maybe that would make me learn to truly touch type, as well?

11 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Look at the screwdriver! by steveha · · Score: 4
    Forget the split keyboard; further down on that same page they describe a new screw head and screwdriver design. One screwdriver for multiple screw sizes, less likely to mangle screw heads... looks like a winner to me.

    steveha

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    1. Re:Look at the screwdriver! by FFFish · · Score: 3

      Not a chance. The Robertson screw already rules the intelligent builder's world. Square-head recessed slot, that provides far better torque than hex, plus can't be stripped-out. Three standard sizes, and common as mud... if you're in one of the more advanced sort of civilizations, at any rate.

      Canadian invention, I think. Part of our insidious plan to take over the world, eh? Get with the program already; resistance is futile.

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    2. Re:Look at the screwdriver! by British · · Score: 3

      I like the screw idea. I remember having 5-sided star(torx?) head bits on my car's bumper. I broke several screw bits trying to unscrew them. After dremeling the heads as to use a normal screwdriver on it(and failing), I eventually had a machine shop extract them and re-thread them so I can use regular bolts.

      I find the keyboard mentioned in the article to be the least interesting of all the gadgets.

  2. Re:Ergonomics? by digitect · · Score: 4
    Two things cause carpel tunnel syndrome: pressure on the wrists and any type of wrist-turning motion done repeatedly.

    This keyboard would be successful in reducing wrist strain only because it prevents people from resting on them or using those stupid wrist rests that only increase pressure on the wrapping wrist ligaments. Of course, if you just support your lower arms (and most importantly, your elbows) off your work surface, much the same way a pianist does, it might be a little cheaper even though a little extra work until you get used to it.

    The huge drawback I see with this concept is that finger action is no longer aided by gravity. You essentially have to re-learn the pressure needed for key action and don't have any opposing force to steady your arms. Instead, your arms swing like pendulums, your fingers bouncing off the keyboard surface like a repeller. This might work better if the surfaces were at a 45 degree angle or less but 90 degrees? I hope not much federal money went into this project...

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  3. Re:How to touch type by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 4

    Heck, just shell out the few extra bucks and get a natural kb.

    Maybe if/when IBM makes a split keyboard I'll consider it, but I can't use anything less than an IBM keyboard with those oh-so-wonderful keys. I think I get at least another 20% speed just because of the key feel.

    Say what you want about IBM, but they are the keyboard king. Everything else is cheap crap in comparison. Unfortunately, I don't think they make the really indestructable, old-school I-can-kill-you-with-this-steel-case-keyboard anymore. On the other hand, the plastic ones are virtually indestructable, but it would be harder to kill someone. :) [would probably take several blows]


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  4. Re:When can we have... by Speare · · Score: 3

    How about Braille dots? This should be easier to feel than just the letter-shaped raised ridges, and there's no concave areas to collect spilled/builtup gunk.

    I didn't find any prebuilt braille-dotted keys, but did find these stick-on caps: hooleon.com. Incidentally, this company appears to do many weird things with keyboards.

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  5. Re:A keyboard you can sleep on! by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 4

    Ooh! Ooh!

    No more keyboard-face.

  6. Lacking in ergonomics? by Grexnix · · Score: 4

    When human hands relax, they curve, going eventually into a fist. This keyboard would require the hands to be flat, only rotated through 90 degrees - a posture that I imagine would become quite tiring. If the keyboard halves were curved, so that using it was like putting your hand around the far side of a cylinder, it would probably be a lot more comfortable to use.

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  7. Re:it isn't available anywhere by bgdarnel · · Score: 3

    Yes, as seen on /. quite a while ago.

  8. side mirrors?! by JudgePagLIVR · · Score: 3

    and I quote

    "The users don't see what they are typing, so the keyboard has two fixed side-mirrors."

    Side mirrors? on a keyboard?!

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  9. you can get better from microsoft R&D by small_dick · · Score: 4

    Microsoft's new keyboard kicks ass.

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