Five Finger Keyboards 177
Tijaska writes "Mobile devices are becoming more capable all the time, but their small screens and keyboards limit their usefulness. This article shows ways in which five buttons located on the edges of a mobile could be used in combinations to generate 325 or many more different characters, making a full-sized keyboard unnecessary. If that sounds like a tall story, remember the case of the retired 93 year old telegraph operator who used a Morse key to send a text message faster than a teenager could send it via mobile phone (see here)."
Adult Chat (Score:5, Funny)
Well, along the sides I guess.
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One finger keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)
As my friends slowly pick up PDA phones without "real" keyboards, they've also mimicked my thumbnail mod and found they can type incredibly fast, especially with the faster processor PDAs (HTC Trinity is what I use) which offer almost no delay when typing. Disable any sound response, and you can type even faster.
I'm sure that the iPhone will make huge leaps in efficiency, but I'm happy with where I am with the "old fashioned" touchscreen typing. I've blogged, read and written on slashdot, and posted to forums from my tiny 320x240 screen, all because of a simple thumbnail mod.
Try it -- it may save you quite a bit of time, and not cause you to have to learn some new fandangled invention.
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Re:One finger keyboard (Score:5, Informative)
I worked with blind and partially sighted kids who use 5 finger keyboards. They use a 'chord' system, like a guitar or piano.
The chords kinda look like the letter you are spelling, so to create a J you would hold the keys that kinda make that shape, I forget the exact sequence, but it was pretty easy to use.
But, the 5 finger keyboard was used like a regular keyboard, it was placed on a desk. I dunno how this would work if you had to hold it at the same time. Much harder I'd imagine.
monk.e.boy
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Of course, a data glove and some software that figures out what you're trying to type on a virtual QWERTY (perhaps including real-time typo correction) might just be easier for the user. Of course, the data glove would be a bitch to have to wear whenever you want to use the PDA. Maybe one of these days a really lightweight PDA can be built into a glove...
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A while ago I saw a one-handed, chording keyboard advertised that would have been great to use. Instead of something you needed to lay flat on a desk, or hold with one hand and type with the other, it was simply a joystick that you gripped lightly with a loop that went round the back of your hand to hold it in place. Looked very comfortable and the ability to type at any angle, in any position, would have been great. Unfortunately, they had stopped making them when I saw them and I've never been able to fi
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A buddy of mine home schooled some of his children (due to the unique needs of each child, not for reactionary religious reasons). As an educational project, he had is oldest boy (13 at the time) make an alternative input device for an amputee. He harvested buttons from a pile of game controllers, researched stenographic chording, assembled a device that would be used one-handed, and wrote his own device
Re:One fingernail input (Score:2)
Tell me that Cordwainer Smith didn't beat you to the idea 50 years ago:
"He did not use his voice again. Instead he pulled his tablet up from where it hung against his chest. He wrote on it using the pointed fingernail of his right forefinger-the talking nail of a scanner - in quick cleancut script: Pls, drlng, whrs crnching wire..."
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You'll notice they have long nails on the right hand for strumming and picking, and shortened nails on the left so they don't get in the way.
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My right thumbnail is the same way, but it's for playing guitar with my fingernails.
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Re:One finger keyboard (Score:5, Insightful)
Dude. Seek help.
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http://littlebrotherblues.com/Gear/Thumbpicks/905
Prototype? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Prototype - Microwriter (Score:3, Informative)
As endorsed by Douglas Adams.
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Most modern keyboard have lousy support for multi-key combinations --- my Microsoft Internet Keyboard (which is otherwise pretty good) can only cope with three simultaneous keypresses, plus a modifier key. Cheaper ones can only handle two. If you hold down more keys, then it'll start forgetting which keys you pressed earlier and won't generate keyup events when you release them.
You might have more luck with a game controller, which handle keys diff
Transferable skills (Score:4, Funny)
As a side benefit, you become a proficient player of the penny whistle [wikipedia.org].
Peter
Current Solutions (Score:2)
I understand the enumeration and recognize that it scales quite quickly per key. The reason I don't think this has been employed or will be employed is that people are not willing to take the time climb a learning curve--even if it would take them a few weeks of memorization and the time
Morse (Score:2)
Rockbox [rockbox.org] lets you use Morse code to enter text on an mp3 player, I tried it out on my iRiver and it's a surprisingly efficient interface. Learning Morse isn't really that hard, no harder than learning to touch type. And wow, a one (or two) button interface is very cool!
Twiddler. (Score:4, Informative)
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IM-speak compression (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:IM-speak compression (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:IM-speak compression (Score:5, Informative)
Q codes [flashwebhost.com], internationally recognized 3 letter codes beginning with the letter Q. Used in the Ham community, but there are Q codes for aeronautical, nautical, etc. use as well. It is possible to hold a meaningful conversation with someone, regardless of what language you speak.
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http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=xy
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Some one used to even a straight key can tap out a 'u' in Morse much quicker than two clicks of, where was that, Oh yea, the '8' button. Then there are electronic keyers, only two touches.
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A more interesting test would be to choose a phrase that can be texted verbatim using t9. That's very close to one key per character and should
1968: Engelbart shows chord keyboard (Score:5, Interesting)
These single hand keyboards are called chord keyboards [wikipedia.org] and a pretty old idea. In fact Douglas Engelbart used on during the mother of all demos [stanford.edu] (first: windows, mouse, internet, video conferencing etc.)
I wanted one since I saw one for the first time in a computer magazine (the Octima, about 1984), but they never caught on. Some are available, mostly for disabled people, and they are very expensive. According to people who have worked with them it just takes just a couple of days to become fast on these ones, but you cannot become as fast as a very fast typist.
I guess this is the main problem: for starters they seem to be harder, since they cannot see the letters, for pro-typists/programmers they do not offer enough gain, unless they have RSI. Maybe mobile typing will finally be their breakthrough. Took only 30 years.
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These single hand keyboards are called chord keyboards [wikipedia.org] and a pretty old idea.
Indeed. I've tried out the Twiddler [handykey.com], which is very nice, and easy to learn. Over a weekend, you should be able to get back up to being useful on it, though it has its limitations. The biggest advantage is that you can rest your arm at your side and keep typing.
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Well, speaking as a pro typist, guitarist (the ten-finger kind), etc., I'm endlessly intrigued by these devices and the way keyboards are being designed, but I have strong concerns about anyone making use of them on a regular basis.
I don't know whether
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A good court-reporter can "write" on a stenomachine at more than 240 WPM. Yes that is word per minute.
The only down side is it takes years to learn how to write well.
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I will.
From the text snippet you provided it seem more that he was from the "do not dumb it done" school of UI. This often comes with a steep learning curve, but that does not really have to be. E.g. it should actually be easier to learn to use a chord keyboard than to learn to touch type.
I learned typing on a C64 by placing stickers on all the keys so I cou
Not news. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not saying he's wrong. Personally, I'd love to see this being implemented. QWERTY input isn't likely to be shunted aside until text-input keyboards become obsolete - it's well-established and it works well enough, and would require a hell of a lot of people to unlearn and relearn typing for a marginal increase in efficiency - but for other specialised applications there are always better ways. Just look at the stenotype [wikipedia.org] used in courts, or the way SMS texting made use of the very limited resources that phones had back in the day. Very specific developments for very specific purposes.
My point is, this sort of idea is not new, and it's being discussed and ummed-and-aahed over in development labs even as we speak. Until someone with real inside knowledge writes about it, however, I'm really not interested in someone's inter-blag brain-fart.
Yeah, no kidding.wtf? are people this mental? (Score:2, Interesting)
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Keyboard shortcuts and chords (Score:2)
Yeah, keyboard shortcuts suck and no-one can remember them. That's why keys like Shift and Ctrl are so rarely used these days, particularly by experienced typists, and never in combination. :-)
Personally, I've always quite fancied trying one of these Datahand units [datahand.com], but obviously there's a high cost involved and quite a steep learning curve. I can well believe that when properly configured, it's much nicer for things that aren't simple typing jobs, such as programming, writing in mark-up languages like La
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Anonymous Brave Guy wrote:
I strongly disagree that keyboard shortcuts suck. I tend to use them to this day because I find it faster, easier, and more accurate than using a mouse and menu, especially for immediate commands like saving and moving around the document
Even when using the menu system, I tend to use
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In short, you is teh fail.
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So do bagpipes. Or they have less, depending on how you look at it... they have no keys, but they have 8 holes in the chanter.
So... I like the example, but it's not much better than his.
The idea is nearly 30 years old... (Score:2)
In the late 70's, someone was selling a "one-handed keyboard" that implemented the concept, albeit a bit differently. The user pressed a combination of 4 keys with fingers, and then completed the operation by choosing one of 8 buttons with the thumb. This yielded only 128 unique combinations, but I believe there was 9th "shift" key that was pressed separate
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emacs (Score:2)
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Here's an old example (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.geoff.org.uk/museum/microwriter.htm [geoff.org.uk]
Circa 1989, so patent worries should be minimal!
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The two big things going for it were ridiculously fast text entry via the Microwriter keys and the way that absolutely any text entered was indexed.
The biggest problems were the screen (as you can see in the picture in the link) and the size and weight of it - much heavier than a modern PDA. Also, having t
Will there be a discount on this? (Score:3, Funny)
Middle finger alone is enough ... (Score:4, Funny)
BAT keyboard (Score:4, Interesting)
http://www.infogrip.com/product_view.asp?RecordNu
Had a clerk who was unable to type with both hands bring in one of her own. She did just fine in a demanding, fast paced environment (ER Patient Registration).
For what it's worth, I could never get the hang of it. Would certainly take some time to learn. Perhaps as much time (if not more) than learning an alternate full sized KB layout.
Morse-to-text keyboard driver? (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if there's a Morse-to-text keyboard driver for my phone? A lot of time is wasted looking to see what three keys my fat thumb is pressing this particular time. If I could just hammer away messages on one key, without needing to watch what I was typing, that would seem to be quicker...
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I would be interested in something like that too, since I already know Morse code. I learned that to use with ham radio, although I have not used it very much. I don't know about any specific drivers for any particular cell phone, but here are a couple of links that mention people using Morse Code with a cellphone. It seems to me that someone could probably send CW with something smaller than a traditional telegraph key. I believe there was also once a discussion on Slashdot about that too, but I don't
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Below is the Slashdot article from May 6, 2007 about using Morse Code on cell phones that I mentioned. Perhaps CW would possibly just be sent using a button on the phone, while the cell phone is laying flat on a table. I think there may possibly be some way to send CW from a few Nokia phones, if I am not mistaken. Text messaging is almost useless for me when I am out hiking in bright sunlight and don't have my reading glasses with me, because I can't read the display. With Morse code, I probably could g
Why the Qwerty exists (Score:4, Informative)
The reason qwerty was adopted as a standard was not for efficiency, but because kingpin (at the time) IBM decided that when electronic buffers were introduced to typewriters and there was no longer a need to obscure keys on the keyboard in order to prevent mechanical jams, a keyboard layout they were currently producing would become the standard.
Since then, every typing class, every default layout and the vast majority of keyboards have been based upon the qwerty layout.
While some people on the bleeding edge of technology are willing to learn something new (I personally am proficient on Dvorak, Palm Graffiti, phone texting, and blackberry) A real standard of input will arise when the device is both similar to the qwerty equivalent and small enough to take along in your pocket. The average users are more willing to learn something slightly different than new altogether.
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When I typed out of my typing class in the Air Force back in 1985 they offered the option of taking the test on Dvorak-layout typewriters (in retrospect, I regret not taking note of how they kept track of which machines where which since the keys were blank). ISTR that they offered the option for certain specialties (not mine) of using the Dvorak layout.
William
Chords are used all the time for subtitling (Score:3, Informative)
Those operators use chording keyboard (though with more than 5 keys), set up so that particular key chords map to common phrases. Typing this way is a lot faster than typing on a conventional keyboard, but it obviously is a lot of effort to learn.
So yes, it does work.
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Guitar Hero (Score:4, Funny)
Add that and we'll talk.
Practical (Score:2)
It's easier to develop an industry around millions of teens who don't want to learn a lot to use their gadget properly.
since all the rage now is dynamically changing input device, ala iPhone, but we can't exactly forget tactile feedback, a mobile version of this [artlebedev.com] comes to mind.
Why not 10 finger keyboard? (Score:2)
Morse (Score:2)
A previous post argued the difference is that morse streams, while SMS is sent as a message, but I'd still bet even if you streamed SMS, or waited for complete sentances with morse, morse would win easily. Morse avoids the hunting and pecking, your finger and thumb is always on the key (or paddle)
Pardon me, but do you have 6 fingers? (Score:2, Insightful)
Also, this method would seem to encourage people to use 6 fingers if they have them. That would be an interesting progression for us, as a race eh? Due to the usefulness, we evolved/grafted/added a mechanical 6th finger!
Just watch out for revenge bent young Spaniards tell you their name...
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Another possibility.... (Score:2)
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Remember (Score:2)
So you're saying that if I make a career out of sending text messages, when I'm 93 I will be able to do it as fast as I can now with a keyboard?
Five finger Keyboards (Score:2, Funny)
Dvorak (Score:2)
hunt and peck (Score:2)
The problem with the chording keyboard is the same as the problem with shorthand: its hard to learn and virtually useless until you've learned it well. A regular keyboard is as useful to a novice who visually hunts for each key as it is to a touch-typeist who never looks at the keyboard. The chording keyboard is thoroughly opaque to the novice and no one has found a way to make it
The Microwriter Agenda was a perfect little PDA (Score:2)
It used a chord keyboard exactly like the one outlined, although it was burdened with alphabet keys also because they wanted to appeal to everybody. I seem to remember hitting 30 WPM on this thing without any kind of predictive text input. Really good kit.
Evidence that learning/benefit ratio is too low (Score:3, Informative)
The stenotype machine was, invented in 1830 [wikipedia.org], still in production, and still in use by court reporters who can attain up to 300 wpm with it. In contrast, the record sustained typing speed for a Dvorak typist is 150 wpm [wikipedia.org].
The fact that stenotype machines have been around for well over a century and that nobody but court reporters use them... and that when Doug Engelbart and his group invented the mouse, it was only intended to be used only in conjunction with a chording keyboard... and the fact that most modern keyboards actually allow a form of chording (shift, control, alt, and a letter) but there are no common hacks to use this to increase typing speed... strongly suggest to me that the learning/benefit ratio is way too low for any scheme of this kind to be adopted.
If I recall correctly there was a glove-like chording keyboard marketed a few years ago, whose designers had even devised a clever chording scheme in which the fingers you used sorta-kinda had a relationship to the shape of the letter, and a number of reviewers praised it and said they were able to achieve facility with it in a week or so. It obviously didn't take the world by storm.
sevent fingered hands (Score:3, Insightful)
Here are some of the the problems:
1978 ..The "WriteHander" (Score:2)
the famous telegrapher's text (Score:2)
dot dash dash dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dash dot dot
dash dot dot dot dash dash dot dot dot
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It's suppose to be "pwned nub".. guess I pwned myself. I'm leaving now...
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It would also help if there was a standard for chorded data entry.
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We got our first computer in the house when I was in 5th grade. In 7th and 9th grade where we had to take a "mandatory" keyboarding class in school I was routinely one of the fastest typers.
Then senior year my mom asked me to find a key board program for my brother who was going to be 12. I found one that included this weird thing called the "Dvorak" layout. I did some research and it just made logical sense, so I decided before I was to go off to college I would learn
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Utter bollocks. Skills like this can be picked up easily at any stage of life. I'm a member of a novelist's web group that has a large number of dvorak typists. Most of them learned it after the age of 40, and few reported any serious difficulties. I learned a device very much like the one the blogger is describing in just a few hours, substantially le
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And there's an even better texting system article in the works, for a flat fee a text message can be sent anywhere in the country via flying titanium tubes or eighteen wheeled box shaped transport and delivered to a container on the recipient's property, in rain or snow or hail.
Did you read the article? (Score:2, Informative)
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this got by you and the mods,- bunch of rookies...
Re:I'm left handed (Score:4, Insightful)
65 combos will get enough to send emails and text, and would be very easy to manage, if the thumb gets thrown into it, it is harder to squeeze the finger buttons.
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And while I'm up here on my soapbox: it's just NOT that hard to learn to chord. Some people declare confidently that the learning curve is the ba