|
Learn to type backwards on a Grippity |
|
|
|
Written by CB Team
|
|
Tuesday, 13 January 2009 |
 This guest post was provided by LaptopLogic - your premiere source for the latest laptop news. In a move that some might call reinventing the wheel, a very secretive entrepreneur is developing a radical take on the QWERTY keyboard design called the “Grippity.”
There have been a number of attempts to make typing a more natural, ergonomic process. The most publicly successful iteration is the split keyboard design, or “Natural” as Microsoft calls it.
With a relatively small learning curve, these keyboards had a strong wave of acceptance when repetitive stress injury got a big focus in the 90’s and are still around in smaller numbers today.
This writer likes the feel of a natural keyboard and even types with fewer errors on it, but alas, I live out of a notebook so a split keyboard isn’t possible.
The device is held like a large game controller and you actually type on the back of the device. Your fingers wrap around to the back where the Grippity’s “keys” are pressed for input.
There are a series of hot keys at the top of the device, which appear to be directional control (like your keyboard’s arrow or page up/down keys), multimedia controls including volume & mute, and what looks to be a joystick.
If that’s not enough, the qwerty keys can double as hot keys via an orientation sensor if you flip the unit over. In combination with the mouse-pointing joystick, there are two triggers on the back that function as mouse buttons.
Engadget has a video of the device’s creator using it at CES and frankly, he doesn’t look to speedy using it himself. I suppose the value is in being able to type & mouse without needing a flat surface to sit on. Maybe this will make using your HDTV as a PC display and computing from the couch a reality?
The device is expected to go on sale around six months from now at a price around $100 USD.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 January 2009 )
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
