Slashdot Mirror
A One-Handed Keyboard For $25
Bruce Perens writes "Slashdot has often featured attempts at improvement upon the QWERTY keyboard. Here's a one-handed USB keyboard that you can buy for $25 online, or a bit more at the CompUSA. There's one catch: someone will have to design a keying pattern and hack up software for it. It's a task just crying out for an Open Source project." Bruce has also included on the linked page code with which to read the output from the device.
let the stream of one-handed web surfing jokes begin...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
about what the other hand is doing. "I tried to have phone sex, but the holes were too small" - Sage Francis
"yes, but is it left-handed?"
Saying that you can buy a one-handed keyboard for $25, but you have to roll your own software, means you're not buying a one-handed keyboard for $25. That's like saying you can buy your own crystal meth for $25 - sure, the ingredients are only $25, but you have to know the recipe and risk life and limb cooking the stuff.
Not that I'd know about those things. (And that applies to both coding my own keyboard drivers as well as cooking meth.)
What's your damage, Heather?
Looks pretty armless to me ;-)
What is the sound of one hand typing?
elSpike out.
Dvorak allready has keyboards designs for both left and right hand only. These could probably be put on the new kb easy enough. Not that I can read the article, mirror anyone?
My daughter only has one hand. I used to think she had a really hard time typing because of the style of typing she used on AIM, it was very fast but did not make much sense. Then I realized all the kids type that way. She can type about 15-20 wpm with just her one hand. I guess it depends on how handicapped someone is but if someone handicapped learned to type with this device, they would be "stuck" using this device any time hey needed to type.
Writer must be stuffed, this couldn't possibly become a successfu... oh Bruce Perens, ^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h
Wow, great idea! Lets start coding! Where's the source-forge page?
This idea is akin to changing the steering wheel in a car to a joystick; possible, but why change something that is a functional standard?
Curb CO2 emissions: Kill yourself today!
Mod this up. This isn't even close to a one handed keyboard. It's just a Belkin Speedpad that gamers use for FPSs. They've been out forever. The link is just some blogger speculating about what might be done with it. Belkin isn't marketing one handed keyboards. Just one handed keypads. Stupid post.
Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Product_Id=157024
Seems the technocrat site is already slashdotted.
man xmodmap
As long as the one-handed keyboards gives any kind of output, it can be mapped al gusto.
First, you will not risk life and limb writing your own keyboard driver, unless you've somehow decided to add in a force feedback option.
Second, my bet is that there will be an open source driver for this thing by the end of the week. Just keep watching the comments on this story and someone may have a link by later today.
KDE (and, I believe, Gnome) allows you to configure shortcut keys to more or less anything, based on keys/key combos.
It wouldn't be all that difficult for someone with a modicum of experience to configure a one-handed keyboard so it becomes very usable - at least for whatever it is you'd want to use a one-handed keyboard for. No need to write code.
...what isn't imperfect. I live with it comfortably,
with no RSI or anything else. Why squander brain power on yet another weird device? If you really are sitting there pounding away at 100wpm all day then what kind of coding bot are you anyway?
(and are you thinking about what you're coding?)
It's far too late to educate anyone about the merits of a new device that replaces an old device wot works. Try convincing the Brits or US that metric is a good idea? 3/8" bolts on the ISS (yuk). (and I'm old enough to remember (ouch) don't want to comment...).
Perhaps the open source world needs to discuss what we ought to play with (gee: i have this neat
idea for photographing emperor penguins...) rather
than the old well worn stuff. Try a sci fi style
workshop maybe?
sidenote: Wagtails wag their tails in order to create turbulence. Prove me wrong.
Bart: Did, did you lose your arm in the war? Herman: My arm? Well, let me put it this way: Next time your teacher tells you to keep your arm inside the bus window, you do it!
Imagine what you could do with two of those!
Why this is in the "Linux" section?
The article contains some C code by Bruce Perens and further suggestions on how to get this device working on Linux.
"Madness is something rare in individuals - but in groups, parties, peoples, ages it is the rule." -- Nietzsche
the previous version of the nostromo, the n50 ( same thing w/ less keys and less orange ) had some linux software written for it avalible here
My small form factor ThinkPad has such a small keyboard, it's essentially one-handed.
And it even comes with a nipple!
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
Other than the title, category, subject matter and content - great post!
i am right handed, but i use a mouse for my right hand. Therefore, with a device like this, i wouldn't have to take my hand off the mouse. It's more efficient that way.
I've been looking for a cheap one-handed keyboard for use with my tablet PC, hopefully something I could velcro onto the back for use while holding the tablet. Photoshop and Painter are tedious without tab, alt, shift and ctrl. This could be just the thing to provide those.
so yes this is left handed and I doubt the manufacturer has the kind of production run that makes a left handed device worthwhile.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
I have one of these things and it works fine. You could probably use joy2key to use it as a keyboard. I'm not sure if the shift functions work or not.
Clickety Click
You could always use the right-hand Dvorak layout here - windows can switch to it pretty easily (i use the standard Dvorak layout myself on MS Natural Keyboard Pro), and there are online stores where you can get 'custom' keyboards and keytop labels if you want them. (I'm not impressed with the keyboards though, which appear to have just had the keytops switched)
Funny, but one handed keyboards have been around since the Englebart demo.
Except for CAD, they never really took off - until the modern video game.
And while I certainly would not want to type a comment like this with a one-handed keyboard, I can see where they would be damn useful in editing a document - click-drag, button press for bold, click-drag, underline (or click-drag indent, click-drag create-subroutine-skeleton, click-drag lookup-definition).
www.eFax.com are spammers
Of course, it's intended for gamers, but can easily be made into a one-handed chording keyboard to nurture your inner cyborg, if you just...
Yeah, so why buy a $25 gaming thing with 14 buttons when you can get a numeric pad? those have 17 keys, have been around for ever and can be had for a buck at your friendly computer recycler.
What's so different with the gaming pad? why didn't Bruce propose the same thing with numeric pads? hell, why didn't he propose the same thing with the numeric pad section of a normal keyboard?
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
This one is smaller, and supports both a USB and a Bluetooth connection (so you can use it with your cell phone).
s p
I only wish they included flash memory on it.
http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.a
(please mod down parent, I accidently submitted before finishing editing)
I bought a nostromo n52 a couple of months ago. I definitely wouldn't consider it a candidate for a "one-handed keyboard" but it is a good complement to your existing keyboard. Don't let the goofy Slashdot editor limit the potential of this device. The software that comes with it is already quite good. You can assign any macro you want to any of the 14 keys (and with the "shift" key that lights up 3 different LEDs, you can basically multiply that 14 by 4). It also has a scroll wheel, thumbpad, and button. All can be set up to do whatever you want, launch programs, type snippets of text, etc.
If you shop around a bit for keyboards with a large number of programmable keys, you will find that most are quite expensive. In fact, there is a thriving market over on eBay for the Gateway Anykey keyboard with 124 programmable keys, which I don't believe is even manufactured anymore.
In reality, I don't actually use the nostromo all that much, as I rely more often on the terrific
Winkey to set up most of my macros. But I'm happy with my purchase of the $25 Nostromo and do use it from time to time.
slashsearch.org - slashdot search. powered by google.
Correct me if I'm wrong, as I've only seen a few peripheral numpads (generally for laptops), but my impression is that they tend to be built the same way as the average computer keyboard. You know, where you can't press two keys at the same time if they're in the same row? If this device allows you to detect which keys are pressed as individual signals, then chording is much more feasible. And I would not be surprised if they indeed allow for multiple keys being pressed as this is one of the major problems with playing FPS games using a keyboard.
This sig has absolutely no significance and serves only to take up screen space and waste the time of the reader.
The Quinkey Microwriter... I had a left-handed one for a while, some ... 17 years ago, maybe?
Look here
for a review of one. This item has a picture of one...
I actually own the n52, upgrading from my earlier n50.
As a gamer (yes, I admit it), I do find these devices useful. After about 4-5 gaming sessions, I became extremely comfortable with the device, and began integrating its usefulness into more traditional applications (like 3DS Max). Given the included software (albeit Windows), you are able to map keystrokes (macros as well) to the device, to which you can reconfigure/reinitialize the mapping through an app that sits in the systray (Loadout Manager).
Now onto the bad stuff. The n52 makes some improvements over the n50 (extra row of keys, dpad, thumb shift key), however the response of the keys themselves seems to have suffered a setback. While I was never completely satisfied with the response of the n50 keys (not enough tactile feedback for these fingers), the n52 has this even less so. More importantly, the keys sometime stick, making you depress some of the keys more than once in order to execute the keystroke - a pretty large issue when it comes the one thing a keyboard should do well.
Hopefully, the problems I encountered with this n52 is a defect with this particular unit (/.er's, chime in!).
All-in-all, the n50/n52 are good and versatile products, and I recommend them for those looking for a one-hand input device - particularly if you come across them at a cheap price (I bought my n52 for $35). The software support is a little flimsy, but Belkin seems to be more focused on this as their products are growing in popularity.
Another extremely interesting input use... The ILL Clan (a Machinima team I co-founded) use these devices to puppeteer their virtual characters during their Machinima productions/live performances - mapping the keys to facial gestures, lipsync and triggered animations.
Rejected from about a year ago, even, so who says Slashdot doesn't keep up with the times? :)
Here's my old review, in plain text glory:
Review of the Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52
The Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52 is a reworked version of
the n50: both are gaming peripherals that combine a small keyboard,
a D-pad, and a scroll wheel into a small, ergonomic package. Using
the included software, you can bind keys and macros to the Speedpad
for use in games and applications. So, for example, instead of using the
typical WASD layout on your keyboard, you can map those keys to the
Speedpad, along with keys for throwing grenades, switching weapons,
etc.
With macros, you can initial multiple actions, such as targeting
the nearest enemy, following him, and going into attack mode, all
with a single keypress.
The n50 is probably the best gaming peripheral I've ever owned: I
find it indispensible for FPS and MMORP games. When news of the
n52 began to filter out, I was hoping that many of the flaws of
the n50 would be eliminated, but that the core utility of the
device would be maintained. I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed.
Firstly, some of the flaws with the n50:
* Lame "scroll" wheel was really not a scroll wheel, but more like
a throttle: it did not have full 360 degree motion.
* Shift state indicators in a bad spot: the n50 (and n52) has three
"shift modes" that you can switch between, allowing each key to have
more than one use, depending on the shift mode. However, the n50's
shift mode indicators are on the left side of the unit: when you are using
it, your hand blocks the ability to see those indicators.
Minor problems, really: the scroll wheel was easy to just disable, and after
a while, you didn't worry about the shift mode indicators.
The n52, though, fixes both problems: it has a 360 degree scroll wheel (that also
can act as a button when pressed, just like many mouses) making it actually
useful. The shift indicators have been movies to the right side of the
controller, near one of the new thumb buttons. Now you can see the shift
state at a glance.
There's a new row of keyboard buttons, adding 4 more buttons in good positions.
Your pinky will now be able to trigger death and destructions much more easily.
The new thumb buttons, though, are a disappointment. The idea is great: two
buttons above and below the dpad on the right of the controller. However,
the round orange button above the dpad is extremely difficult to press without
Pros:
* Great ergonomics
* More buttons
* Better positioning of shift indicators
Cons:
* New thumb buttons are a little annoying in placement and use
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
...trackball that is, I find it an excellent way to use AutoCAD. ...oh...you didn't think that......
;)
you people are sick....
A goal is a dream with a deadline
I typed that command, and my keyboard still doesn't work.
If there is a 1-hand keyboard, is there a 2-hand mouse?
I asked Google, and interestingly enough, it gave me just the opposite - a 0-hand mouse: No Hand Mouse.
Simpy
My QWERTY is just fine, as long as I use one hand at a time:
Fred was a fat ass
"Hop on my jolly polonium puppy, you union ho'..."
Greedy Fred created extra stewardesses
"Union ho?" I'll kill you!
Badass stewardesses cratered Fred
Unholy, huh?
I got one of these last year the the intention of doing this. The problem is that if you use the four way thumb pad as a shifter, it sends the finger key(s) held again when the thumb pad is released. I eventually got to typing on it, but that "feature" severely limited my speed.
funny munging
It actually does have Linux Drivers: "Project: Linux Nostromo Speedpad Driver" http://sourceforge.net/projects/nostromodriver/
__________
Don't belong. Never join. Think for yourself. Peace!
I bought one of those for gaming. I was surprised at the amount of filangy strength needed to depress keys. Not to mention that on occasion keypresses repeat and sometimes arent read at all, though that could be a driver issue.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
It seems they let just about anybody post to Slashdot these days.
when douglas englebart invented the mouse (and windows, and networking, and hypertext, etc.), he made the first machines to use a mouse and a one-handed keyboard so that both hands would be utilized.
then xerox parc had the alto, but their mouse didn't have a mouse ball -- it was apple that invented the mouse ball, and shipped the first commercial computer that came with a mouse as standard.
one of the devices that came out in the late 1980's was a device called 'the bat' -- a one-handed keyboard -- you can still by this device here.
regards,
j
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
The idea with open source is that it only takes one sucker to write the driver and the rest can benefit from the novelty of it.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
...and an n50, incidentally...
Both of these models will actually output text in normal applications already, no modding required (running XP).
Maybe all that needs to be done to make this usable in a windows environment is to whip up a profile via the included customizing software
Howdy.
Generally keyboards that have chording problems don't give you break codes (key release) when you have more than 3-8 keys down. (depending on the model). Make codes work fine on all keyboards, to the best of my knowledge.
The symptom is that when playing a fps you might get stuck in firing or stuck crouching after a crouch-jump. etc.
Keyboard controllers only report the changes in the state. every few microseconds the keys are scanned (in a matrix pattern). And keys that are down are checked to see if they've been reported as down in the past, if not it's sent out. Keys that are no longer down are reported at up if they haven't been reported before. Generally it's easier to report down keys than up keys (because there are almost always more keys that are up than down). Cheap keyboard controllers have small queues rather than complete bitmaps because it's less memory (the microcontroller they chose might only have 16-32 bytes of RAM).
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I can't read the article since it's slashdotted, but if you need to design the keying pattern and write your own software, then what are you buying for $25? Why not just make a keying pattern and write software to work with a normal 101/104-key keyboard to give it a one-handed mode?
It seems far more useful to me not to make a keyboard that must be used only with one-hand but to make a two-handed keyboard that allows one-handed use when you need it (the other hand's on the mouse, you dirty thinkers).
Enter OkayKeybees. It lets Windows users define keying chords to make your own one-handed mode. Its GUI is kind of clunky (I found it easier to edit the configuration file with a text editor), and it kind of sucks that you have to define your own key chords (Matias has a patent on their layout).
Bruce
Bruce Perens.
http://www.aboutonehandtyping.com/
I found this site a few weeks back, and it caught my attention. It advertises the sale of a software product (or maybe just information...) designed to teach you how to type one-handed on a normal, full sized QWERTY.
At first I was interested but skeptical, and then I saw a diagram showing basically how it was pulled off, and the whole thing just clicked into place (home row == FGHJ, use pinky and index fingers to access most of the keyboard).
I expect it would be a bit harder to pick up than two-handed touch typing, but as I played around with going for the keys from the home rome, I realized that all it would take is training your muscle-memory for a new situation (the keyboard is still fully accessible, albiet requiring a stretch at times to get to the characters on the far right). The only other issues I can think of involve the Shift key... I can't figure out how to press the damn thing. Maybe just learn to switch CapsLock on/off for each capital letter?
It'd be a cool party trick, though, huh? One-handed typing on two different keyboards? At the least, it would be nice to keep my hand on the mouse at times.
And of course, if I was disabled in any way, being able to use my good hand anywhere I went would be priceless.
In case you don't have one of these Belkin Speedpad 52s already, they're awesome. I use it for gaming, and there's no limit to what you can program these things to do. In fact, I might even consider using one borderline cheating if you program the macros well enough.
Anyway, because I had some with the "profile editor" of the included software, I went ahead (after reading the article) and made a profile that does (what I believe) the original author had intended.
I did this in about 30 minutes, so bear with me if some keys are missing or if it's a little buggy. All major symbols and lettered keys are included but I still need to find where to put keys like "[", "]", and so on.
I broke the keyboard down into 4 logical secions:
1. All function keys / most symbols
2. Right lettered side
3. Left letter side
4. Numpad
From there, I made each of those sections one of the four "shifts" for the controller. Shifting is controlled via the 4-way D-pad with up being "cycle shift", right being right letters, left being the left letters, and down being the numpad. Function keys are the default. Additionally, because of the frequency of their use, the enter and space keys exist in all "shifts" on the circle button and button number 15, respectively.
I know this sounds complicated, but it's really not. Once you take a look at the design in the profile editor, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
I'm posting these files up on my university filespace. They're small, but if anybody wants to mirror, feel free to do so. Also, feel free to change my design and distribute as you see fit. (Patents/copyrights are for the birds, imo.)
To use these files, you'll have to already have to use the software that is included with the device. Directions, which consists of 2 steps, are included within the readme.
DOWNLOAD HERE
-Grym
They also market to the handicapped market, though their products for them tend to be overpriced - all you really need to implement it is a different driver for a standard keyboard that lets you flipflop both sides. They've got demoware that lets you try it out. And unfortunately, they've patented what they've done, and would probably get annoyed if somebody released a freeware driver...
Another interesting design is the FITALY keyboard, which is designed for one-finger use, or one-stylus use on a palm touchscreen. Like DVORAK, it's designed for low-travel efficient movement.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Thanks
Bruce
Bruce Perens.