Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Will Touch Screens Kill the Keyboard?

Posted by timothy on from the really-cold-really-dead-fingers dept.

CWmike writes "Next-generation touch-screen devices will embed more haptics, or touch-based feedback, into virtual keyboards. 'A lot of companies are really getting into haptics, [using] source feedback and a sense of touch to try to replicate a keyboard on a display,' says Bruce Gant, a mechanical engineer at Product Development Technologies, which integrates touch screens into cell phones and other devices for manufacturers. 'If people really get that down and nail that experience, [virtual keyboards] could replace mechanical keyboards on laptops.' Don't tell that to Motorola, which just introduced the Atrix 4G, and dual-core 4.3-inch smartphone that docks to a laptop with, you guessed it, a physical keyboard."

6 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. No by TheL0ser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Keyboard is a lot cheaper, more easily repaired if something goes wrong.

    1. Re:No by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Add to that, the best device for avoiding RSI has a large amount of travel and a gradual resistance in the keys. A touchscreen has no travel and a very sudden resistance. Try spending five hours typing on one and see how much your fingers hurt.

      They're fine for consumer devices (i.e. devices for consuming), but not for devices people use to create anything involving text.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    2. Re:No by KermodeBear · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It also keeps my finger smudges out of my line of sight. I hate touch screen anything. They always end up dirty.

      --
      Love sees no species.
    3. Re:No by I8TheWorm · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And....

      You simply can't type on a touchscreen without looking, at least not for any usable amount of time. I love my Galaxy-S with the Swype keyboard, but even that is no replacement for a physical one.

      --
      Saying Android is a family of phones is akin to saying Linux is a family of PCs.
    4. Re:No by Sarten-X · · Score: 5, Funny

      My Model M has never failed me.

      Except that one time when it only caused an ugly bump, rather than kill my opponent. I mostly blame my aim for that.

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  2. Answer: no. by Senes · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Big media: quit saying "XYZ is dead" every time you're starved for attention.

    No matter how good a smartphone gets, that doesn't mean that old technology people still benefit from should suddenly disappear. My phone has a built-in keyboard; I can text so fast it startles people and any flashy features my phone doesn't have would be all the better with it. Give us more functionality, not tell us we should settle for less.