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A different kind of keyboard

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Re: A different kind of keyboard

#31

Post by pjerem »

skohan wrote: post #25
Kiro wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speed typers did not use T9. A friend of mine used to compete in texting.

But was that because it was bad or because it was slow on those old microprocessors? T9 would fly on a modern smartphone chip

Neither, T9 was pretty reliable and fast. That was the best method for most people.

But if your goal was to be above the average speed, the probability, even low, of false prediction by the algorithm would make you lose « a lot » of time while with no T9 your error span is scoped to one character.

Plus, for the people who typed without seeing the screen, you couldn’t take the risk to accidentally send the wrong word that would totally change the meaning of your message while an error on one character could be understood by your recipient.

But for the average user who just wanted acceptable speed, reliability and used its phone while watching the screen, T9 was the best for them.

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#32

Post by tsimionescu »

laurent92 wrote: post #29
funnybeam wrote: post #7

I love how honest this is about the limitations and the whole design process. Truly a great example of a real hacker project I have a Georgi keyboard (mentioned in the article) which I started getting to grips with then put aside during a way too busy period at work. This has made me want to dig it out and try again. I’m also thinking that two of those faunchpads put together on the long edges could make an even bett…

Sure, but if you have a few keys to press, why not go all the way and make it a Braille keyboard? It would teach sight-able people how to write braille.

> It would teach sight-able people how to write braille.

Is this an interesting goal? I absolutely understand why it would be extremely valuable for most people to know their local sign language for communication with those who can't hear, but I fail to see how wider learning of a very special writing system (one that anyway can't be currently read from electronic devices) would impact the sight-impaired community.

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#33

Post by puzzlingcaptcha »

o40 wrote: post #20
puzzlingcaptcha wrote: post #11

I remember that a couple years ago Motorola was pushing its Moto Mods - hardware extensions you could clip at the back on your phone. I always thought that a Mod for alternate input (like this, or chorded/braille) would be very neat. Unfortunately looks like it never picked up.

Braille input exists on apple phones: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210066 and I think Android supports something similar.

Of course, but you generally need to hold the phone with the screen facing down (as you are supposedly hard of seeing, e.g. https://youtu.be/wueLXCbm_KY?t=45). Here you could have a touchscreen or tactile buttons seamlessly integrated on the back of the device.

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#34

Post by jonsen »

diplodocusaur wrote: post #30

I'd love to see a progression of typing speed over time. That's the real test. I believe this idea can have potential for breaking the world record because there is no finger-to-key travel. But maybe it is diminished by the having to press a key multiple times over to get to the target just like in old cellphones [0]. Alternatively maybe one could brute force the problem of optimal keyboard layout/etc using simulatio…

Way back when paying a stack of bills at the postoffice the clerk was adding numbers at a breathtaking speed on a mechanical calculator. I've often had the thought, why not write by typing ASCII codes on a numeric keypad?

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#36

Post by [deleted] »

jonsen wrote: post #34
diplodocusaur wrote: post #30

I'd love to see a progression of typing speed over time. That's the real test. I believe this idea can have potential for breaking the world record because there is no finger-to-key travel. But maybe it is diminished by the having to press a key multiple times over to get to the target just like in old cellphones [0]. Alternatively maybe one could brute force the problem of optimal keyboard layout/etc using simulatio…

Way back when paying a stack of bills at the postoffice the clerk was adding numbers at a breathtaking speed on a mechanical calculator. I've often had the thought, why not write by typing ASCII codes on a numeric keypad?

[deleted]

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#37

Post by sudcha »

This is fascinating! It definitely needs more iterations, but once the learning curve is achieved, something that uses 8 fingers. vs. 2 thumbs is going to be far more productive.

Good post, but even better design thinking and execution. Thanks for sharing, and good luck on next steps!

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#38

Post by jhy »

tsimionescu wrote: post #32
laurent92 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but if you have a few keys to press, why not go all the way and make it a Braille keyboard? It would teach sight-able people how to write braille.

> It would teach sight-able people how to write braille. Is this an interesting goal? I absolutely understand why it would be extremely valuable for most people to know their local sign language for communication with those who can't hear, but I fail to see how wider learning of a very special writing system (one that anyway can't be currently read from electronic devices) would impact the sight-impaired community.

There are definitely electronic Braille reading devices. They're called refreshable braille displays, and are often also combined with a specialized keyboard.

Wider adoption could conceivably improve these interfaces through more users and commercial interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refreshable_braille_display

Re: A different kind of keyboard

#39

Post by [deleted] »

diplodocusaur wrote: post #30

I'd love to see a progression of typing speed over time. That's the real test. I believe this idea can have potential for breaking the world record because there is no finger-to-key travel. But maybe it is diminished by the having to press a key multiple times over to get to the target just like in old cellphones [0]. Alternatively maybe one could brute force the problem of optimal keyboard layout/etc using simulatio…

[deleted]
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