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Ars Technica Reviews Controller Keyboard
phaedo00 writes "Ars Technica has reviewed the AlphaGrip AG-5 handheld keyboard and mouse. From the article: 'After lots of research and five revisions, the perfectionists at AlphaGrip finally decided that they had a product worthy of marketing, and they released the long awaited AG-5. Although the AG-5 looks strange and intimidating, it is a unique and highly innovative product that deserves consideration, particularly by mobile computing enthusiasts. The AG-5 interfaces with computers via a single removable USB cable. It uses a simple chord-like keyboarding model and an integrated trackball to provide complete keyboard and mouse functionality in a unique form factor that looks a bit like a console gaming controller.'"
...Is how is it going to effect people with RSI. Having something which looks relativly heavy and having to hold it up for a longish period at a time isn't going to be good for your wrists (not that a keyboard is much better tbh)
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It seems to me that without wireless support via Bluetooth (not the USB wireless that they promise real soon now), this keyboard/controller's usefulness is decreased quite a bit.
I might be open to switching to an alternate input device, but only if I'll be able to use it with my other devices (PDA, cell phone, etc.)
Also, I fear my vi productivity will decrease dramatically with this device...
That thing looks like a beast.
This is Offtopic, but maybe someone here would know...
I've been looking to get a chord keyset similar to the 5-key style that Engelbart created. Picture. I vaguely remember seeing one or two products when i looked a few months back, but nowhere could i find a purchase link.
I guess the question is: does anyone know where i could buy a chord keyset? Maybe some uber-nerdy slashdotter has one laying around i can buy?
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Your two hands comment is actually very correct. This many provide a useful tool for people who type alot of the time in a "conventional" manner but most of the time I am doing other things with one of my hands (I can predict the replies to this part of my comment). I like to eat, drink, hold up a piece of paper or hold one of my kids on my lap. Plus my kids will be pissed that it does not seem to be able fit their hands very well.
On the whole a good idea and a great device for alot of people but not for me.
Using the headtracking on my Z800 to full effect has been a challenge, since I have been largely stuck using the keyboard for FPS gaming. But this thing could really give me some extra freedom of movement. Just need a long enough USB cable and I should be able to manage the cables well enough to do a few 360 degree turns without getting too tangled.
I tried a wireless programmable controller, but the batteries didn't last very long and their seemed to be some latency. This thing should provide all the keyboard commands you could ever need.
For some reason it seems to me that using a device other than microphone is too much... why work so hard to go from one handheld device to another? I'm not advocating for brain implants (the ultimate in hands free computing), but voice control is a nice medium. Hands free + surgery free ;) Complex key combos can be shortened to a word or two... no more RSI... plus it frees up both hands............
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I really wish that somebody would make a console controller similar to the Xbox 360 controller, with the right analog stick replaced by a trackball. Using an analog stick for moving a pointer or your player's view in a first-person shooter is just terrible. Having a trackball would be much better for such actions. Also, with such a change, the controller would have 3 direction controls: D-pad, analog stick, and trackball. Each have proven themselves to be useful for certain game tasks, so why not make them all available at the same time?
But we already have a solution: the Nintendo Revolution!
The idea is simple: you move the mouse cursor through tilting the device. It requires no extra buttons and is perfectly natural and intuitive, since you're already holding the thing in the air. Basically, it would be a pointing device that you could really point with. Finally, you could mouse around without interrupting your typing! There would be all sorts of ways the device could detect its orientation. I'm not sure which method will be best, though the Nintendo Revolution controller will probably provide us with good clues. So why not build the innards of the Revolution controller inside of this keyboard? Apart from being useful for living room applications, it would just be awesome for games! Consider for example a game like GTA where you turn the car's steering wheel by tilting the controller!
If these guys don't build that in, I hope someone else does. Hell, I'd pay $200 for a wireless tilt-driven one of these (that fits large hands).
I'm also an AlphaGrip owner, and I'm six feet five inches also with very large hands. If I keep my hands loosely wrapped around the the device (with my hands out rather than with my palms firmly against the grips) and I hold it lightly against my stomach, I don't have to tightly grip the bottom part of the device. I experimented with a couple of different hand positions, and I found that holding it like that provided the best balance of comfort and control. If you hold it that way too you probably wont get that problem.