Virtual Keyboards: Start Typing Anywhere Sans Keyboard
Hate the cramped key layout of your cellphone ? Looking for a more ergonomic replacement of your desktop keyboard that makes typing as comfortable as laying hand on a flat table surface ? You'll probably love the magical yet affordable Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard shown above. [the screenshots are real]
Virtual Keyboards project a full size QWERTY keyboard with 63 keys on any flat surface - you can then type away accompanied by simulated key click sounds. The device occupies no desk space and you can easily carry it in your side pockets since it's just the size of a matchbox.
If not a replacement of standard 101-key keyboards, these virtual laser keyboards can be a useful add-on for mobile phone or PDA users who frequently type long SMS or email messages using the minuscule keyboards of the handheld device.
And if you don't find them very useful yet, they could be a great gadget to impress your girlfriend atleast. [Works with PC, Mac, Treo and almost all Smartphones]
I-Tech Virtual Laser Keyboard | Think Geek [Available for ~$180]
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Reader Comments:
I have been intrigued by the virtual keyboard concept since I first heard it mooted a few years ago. I touch-type, and hate the fiddly keypads on mobile phones, so I thought this would be a good solution.
However, I have read a lot of user reviews which have prevented me from investing in one of these devices.
Here's a summary of the pros and cons that I've read about.
Pros:
- Great conversation piece; impress your geek friends!
- Very portable
- Good for dusty, dirty environments where a regular keyboard would get clogged up
- Good for sterile environments such as a lab
Cons:
- Only works well on hard, flat surfaces
- Sore on the fingertips
- Lack of tactile feedback
- Frequent duplication of characters
- Lack of compatibility with other devices
However, if the product can find a niche, I'm sure a lot of the cons will be removed in time.
Well Its a cool gadget but I dont think functional. I like a keyboard because my fingers just fall in place on the keyboard, they are cupped a lil. I would prob move my hands too much.
Does it use a solenoid or vibrator to provide tactile feedback via the desk surface? It should.
This stuff also features on CNET's Top 10 Worst Products (albeit at the bottom of the list at no. 10)
"Looking for a more ergonomic replacement of your desktop keyboard that makes typing as comfortable as laying hand on a flat table surface?"
I'm not sure what you mean. How is this device more ergonomic than a regular keyboard? I would agree, it maybe better than a tiny PDA keyboard, but I don't see the advantage of this (ergonomically) over a regular keyboard. The CNET reviewers thought it was not comfortable on their fingers after prolonged use. Still, this is a cool idea, maybe they can improve on it a bit.
It sure would solve the problem of all that dus-covered hairy goo that builds up in between my keyboard keys.
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