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A Modest Proposal for a Better Tablet Keyboard

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by SageBrush, Jun 15, 2011.

  1. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I doubt tablet keyboards are ever going to be as good as the real thing. One problem the virtual keyboards have is no feedback to the user that the hands are positioned correctly. Haptics could provide a solution, but I at least dislike the current iteration.

    So how about instead of the keyboard signaling the typist, let the typist signal the keyboard. I imagine a gesture (say, both small fingers pressed concurrently) that positions the keyboard under the hands. Since the keyboard is virtual, lets take advantage. Not only would the keyboard move to a correct position, a user could train it so that key size and relative key positioning was optimal for the user.
     
    #1 SageBrush, Jun 15, 2011
  2. twittel

    twittel Senior Member

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    I've keyboarded for many, many, many years and I sure would like to try the virtual board. I agree that user feedback is critical; at least for me. I'm used to pressing against resistance, so virtual could be my downfall.
     
    #2 twittel, Jun 16, 2011
  3. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

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    I agree that is one of the problems... but I also don't see that it's really that big of a problem. When typing on my computer, I can just barely see my hands moving over the keyboard - the line of sight to the monitor pretty much ensures that I'm either looking down at my hands, or up at what I'm writing. With tablets, it's completely different. What I'm typing is appearing mere inches over the "keyboard" I'm typing it on. With a little usage, it becomes habit to look at both at the same time, and I've never really had an issue lining up my hands on the keyboard. Maybe the biggest issue I have is missing the space bar and hitting "n" instead on my iphone... it leads to some pretty interesting messages!

    As for key size/positioning... While the graphical interface doesn't show it, Apple already does that on its iPhone and iPad (not sure about other companies). It adjusts the virtual footprint of various letters based on what it thinks you're going to be typing, and over time learns your patterns.
     
    #3 eagle33199, Jun 16, 2011
  4. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    That turned into a non-issue for me once I stared using Swype, email and forum posts no big deal. You slide your finger, rather than press.

    But those rare times I need more, my small bluetooth keyboard does the trick. In fact, that is so nice, I sometimes use it with my notebook too... you know, when you wasn't to kick back but still type.
    .
     
    #4 john1701a, Jun 16, 2011
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