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One-Thumb Keyboard
pagercam2 writes "As Japanese teens are so used to typing one another messages on their cellphones, they are now more comfortable with one thumb typing than the old two handed QWERTY. So a Japanese company has come out with a
one-thumb keypad
that allows a user to enter alphanumberic text and control the mouse with only one thumb. Sort of a cross between a TV remote and a phone keypad, with a USB connection, although wireless seems to be an obvious next step. Maybe not a revolution for the desktop, but this could advance data input on handhelds." Pictures transcend language barriers.
Although they didn't say much more about it...
Wired blurb
For those who have lost both hands, I think we need to look at new technology...
I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
No You don't.
Kawaii=cute
Along with Sugoi (Great/Incredible), it's one of the two generic exclamations in anime.
"You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
It bugs me to no end when someone posts something and doesn't cite a source. Posts like that shouldn't get modded up, period!!!
0 20325_001.html
http://it.asia1.com.sg/specials/phones/thumbgen20
There's the link.
This site features a goos system for one handed data imput. It makes more sense to me than the pictures from the japanese sight did anyway.
There are other options out there. One is the fitaly keyboard, which is supposed to be optimized for use with a stylus. They claim you can get 50 wpm. I've never tried it, but it certainly looks easier than Graffitti to me. Anybody out there tried it?
--
The internet is the greatest source of biased information in the history of mankind.
Thinkgeek also has a one hand keyboard. Works a bit different though.
"Nobody really checks their email any more. They just delete their spam"
Boy, where to start with a post like that...
1) There's around 50,000 Chinese characters used in the Japanese language. Of those, around 2000 are used regularly.
2) Entering Japanese requires only that you type in the phonetic reading. You can then convert that (wholly or in part) to a mixture of Kanji (the Chinese characters), hiragana (the standard Japanese phonetic 'alphabet') and katakana (which is almost exactly equivalent to hiragana, but is usually used for writing terms imported from foreign languages and for emphasis, among other things).
3) A Japanese typist can do a lot more than 10wpm. Shit, a schoolgirl on her mobile phone can do more than that one-handed (there was a survey recently conducted by a Japanese university professor that showed that young people who regularly use a mobile phone for mail can type at up to half the speed of a person using a full keyboard).
KEITAI = portable
DENWA = telephone
(most people refer to their "keitai denwa" simply as their "keitai")
So the word "keiboard" is a mix of "keyboard" in the shape of a "keitai"
Just a little Japanese trivia for ya.
you are mostly correct. it is technically for foreign words, however it has lately been adopted as a way to bring attention to the word itself. kanji is very overlooked, hiragana is generally just used for particles now... but katakana words stick out like sore thumbs, so katakana is great for bringing attention to certain things. on the other hand, it's also trendy to just use english words (thus using katakana) so it still goes both ways. i hate the fact that they use katakana on native words though... it bothers the hell out of me when i read something and i sit there for 10 minutes trying to figure out what word (usually english) they are trying to emulate... then ultimately coming to the conclusion that they really meant fish all along, some marketing idiot just decided to make "FISH" stand out and confuse the hell out of all the foreigners.