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Tiny Linux PDA: Filewalker
senseimoron writes: "Check out the Filewalker, a new Linux-based handheld, with a very unique (one-handed) means of inputting characters. It is too difficult to explain, just checkout the site. I'd be interested to see how well the interface works." The English link may be more useful. From the price listed on the site, it would sell for US$560.
A revolutionary instead of evolutionary means of inputting data. Whether it works or not - this is a good thing.
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I have no doubts, that it will require a few days of toying around to get accustomed to, but since you have 3 characters at your disposal for every turn of the wheel, I think the wheel-spinning will not break your thumb off.
Imagine for a moment that you have become proficient at "typing" in data in this way. You have the use of your second hand for other things like holding the phone, etc. when using this device.
No one should bear any illusions that this thing will have any kind of mainstream success. It's obviously designed as a geek toy
Too bad I recently bought a m505 or else I'd give this thing a try. I'm not too fond of the palms graffiti either, on long texts I use the pop-up screen keyboard instead.
This input type depends on visual feedback. You have to choose the character among a list by scrolling throw it. A typical character selection would look like this:
1. You look at the currently selected char.
2. Is it your desired character?
Yes: Press the selection key, think of the next character, and restart at 1.
No: You estimate the alphabetical distance between the currently selected char and your desired. If it's "far", hit the scrollwheel fast. If it's "near", hit the scrollwheel gently. Start at 1.
The problem is, you will always have to look at the display while you're searching, which makes the process dependent on visual feedback. Just think back to the times when you where new to QWERTY (or for those who can't remember, think of the times while trying DVORAK). You were looking at the keyboard searching for your key to press, ackwardly slowing your lexical progress.
The revolution in typing speed has accoured that moment as you don't depend on the visual feedback any longer, freeing a lot of mental processing time for hand, finger, eye coordination.
The scrollwheel is as slow as my mobile phone sms writing interface.
Oh good grief! Well, Windows is pretty well established on the desktop and some server markets - does that mean we Linux dorks should just go home and stop bugging people with our silly ideas?
Handheld devices are becoming more and more powerful (I read that in a 2002 prediction list, so I think it's true), as such they will need to utilize "real" operating systems at some point (when they are roughly equvalent to todays desktops, lets say), WindowsCE is a nice intermediate step, as are the Linux variants for portable devices currently being used - it's just that the "evolution" path for Linux seems a bit easier than with the Windows paradigm; but what do I know.
Oh, and I didn't know that WindowsCE was an entirely new codebase written from the ground up for portables and had nothing to do with WindowsOtherWise. (I don't think I have to mention that WindowsCE is about as Open Source - yes, with capital O and S - as my ass, from the Linux perspective of course)
sic transit gloria mundi
I own a Sony cell phone with one of these jog-wheels, and personally I see this as a great input method. You can easily go up to 8 clicks with an easy roll, so going from the (abc) to (pqr) is easy. I also own a Palm, and I still have to look at it while writing in grafity because it's so easy to mess up a character. So what we have here is a solution that only uses one hand, even if it no easier to input text. Any of you out there that drive/talk on the phone/smoke/use palm/drink coffee will be able to appreciate that!
Bah!