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Could a Pen Replace the Keyboard?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the why-the-hell-not dept.

theluckman writes "Reuters has this story on how new devices like "digital pens" could possibly replace keyboards as primary data entry devices. Maybe so, but I would need my pen to make cool clicking sounds."

5 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. not for me! by noser · · Score: 5, Insightful


    After all these years of typing, I can write way faster and more accurately with a keyboard than I could with a pen. My handwriting is for shit these days. And I couldn't imagine trying to write code with a pen!


    1. Re:not for me! by mark_lybarger · · Score: 5, Insightful

      exactly! until the pen learns itself to write 60 wpm it's useless.

      voice recognition software is where i see major strides coming from (that and a good education everywhere on correct phonetics). i've heard that most people talk at 100 wpm (though i'm positive i've clocked my wife rambling twice that speed)

  2. duhrrr.. (pens and voice) by kisrael · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Being good human beings, we've adjusted admirably to contraptions such as keyboard and mouse pointing devices," said Charles Golvin, a mobile phone industry analyst with Forrester Research. "But these are very, very poor ways to go about interacting with such machines."

    Well, it's not like we evolved with a pen in our hand either! It's just a very, very poor way of interacting with paper. (and as others are pointing out, a poorer way than interacting with paper than say, a typewriter is)

    Kurzweil is betting that voice recognition is the future. I don't know, a full day of talking, and an office full of talkers, could get pretty rough after a while, though I suppose they could pretty quickly get into subvocalizations.

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    SO YOU'RE GOING TO DIE: The Comic for Dealing with Death
  3. As someone who is semi-bilingual by ProfBooty · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For inputting the english language, i can type far faster than i write, and i believe most people who ultilize computers on a day to day basis can.

    However, when I type in japanese, it takes me a lot longer to type the character phonetically and then select the proper character from a list to use. Pen input of complex characters would be signifigantly faster because, assuming the character regonizer is good enough, you wouldnt need to select the character from a list.

    The other main advantage of a pen is that you need not lift your hand off the keyboard to reach the mouse to manipulate a GUI. Granted for a "power user" you would have a number of hotkeys/shortcuts handy on the keyboard, but for someone who is already using the pen, its just point and click. Its also easier for someone who is just learning to navigate a computer as it is just like using a mouse.

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  4. As someone who is visually impaired... by decipher_saint · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have been legally blind my whole life, writing things on paper was a problem for me, I just coudn't keep up with other kids. So in 1985 I was given typing lessons (good ole IBM electric...) and the next year I got my first personal computer. My productivity went through the roof after I learned how to type, my marks were up and I had neatly typed notes that were easy for me to read. My typing ability coupled with my love for computers ended up culminating into my "dream job"; programmer.

    I, for one, could not imagine writing as much as I do without my friend; the QWERTY keyboard.

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    crazy dynamite monkey