Consumers love their iPads, although more than a few are frustrated by the device’s onscreen keyboard. But rather than buying a separate, tactile keyboard, two inventors have another idea.
Christian Sax and Hannes Lau at the University of Technology in Sydney showed off a “Liquid Keyboard” at the Tech23 conference Tuesday in Sydney. As the video explains, normal touchscreen keyboards only let you use one or two fingers at a time. That makes typing slower than it would be on a traditional keyboard, where you can use all your fingers.
Sax and Lau propose a solution: Keys that adapt to the user’s typing style. Wherever you put your fingers, the keyboard follows them, and the other keys are “where you expect them to be.” It’s an interesting idea, but in the demo, the Liquid Keyboard appears to take up a lot of screen real estate.
What do you think? Would the iPad be better with a Liquid Keyboard? Let us know in the comments.
[via The Economist]
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Posted on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:08:46 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/uxw3rcGB7Uc/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/24/liquid-keyboard-ipad-2/#comments
Christian Sax and Hannes Lau at the University of Technology in Sydney showed off a “Liquid Keyboard” at the Tech23 conference Tuesday in Sydney. As the video explains, normal touchscreen keyboards only let you use one or two fingers at a time. That makes typing slower than it would be on a traditional keyboard, where you can use all your fingers.
Sax and Lau propose a solution: Keys that adapt to the user’s typing style. Wherever you put your fingers, the keyboard follows them, and the other keys are “where you expect them to be.” It’s an interesting idea, but in the demo, the Liquid Keyboard appears to take up a lot of screen real estate.
What do you think? Would the iPad be better with a Liquid Keyboard? Let us know in the comments.
[via The Economist]
More About: apple, ipad, iPad 2, keyboardFor more Tech & Gadgets coverage:Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:08:46 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/uxw3rcGB7Uc/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/24/liquid-keyboard-ipad-2/#comments