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Is hoping LCD Keyboard realist?

post #1 of 5
11/27/12 at 8:22pm
Thread Starter 

I use to write a lot in korean, french, and in the near future I attend to tackle arabic. Theses languages got their own alphabet, so they have their own keyboard (except french, where its special characters: é è à etc.), but my keyboard is a normal american one: so when I change my keyboard setting to korean for example, I must learn by heart where are all the letters. 

 

So, do you think that anytime soon we can expect an universal keyboard where all the letters could change depending the language we would be using? Would be fucking great... But I don't think it would be interesting for most monolingual americans unfortunately

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post #2 of 5
11/28/12 at 5:41am
Probably not soon but Apple has a patent for using laser perforated aluminium in more creative ways than they do right now.

The wireless keyboard could effectively be like a giant Magic Trackpad but with laser perforations all over it and light would shine through the holes. The pattern could be determined using something like a sheet of e-ink, which maintains its state without power.

This would allow the wireless keyboard to have a numpad and other buttons but also act like a trackpad (except it doesn't click) so you only have to buy one item.

They can allow programs to put icon shortcuts onto the keyboard and you can have any letter layout you want.

Because it doesn't have tactile feedback, it would be better with a proximity sensor that could tell which key you are about to press and type-ahead so you don't have to look at the keyboard but they can add tactile feedback to the keyboard too.

There have been attempts by other companies but too expensive:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Optimus-Keyboard-LCD-Screens,14365.html
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post #3 of 5
11/28/12 at 7:08am

No, but hoping that your screen becomes your keyboard is very realistic.

PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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PhilBoogie
That's Google alright. For a stupid company they sure do dumb things.
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post #4 of 5
11/28/12 at 12:09pm

As mentioned by Marvin, keyboards with changeable displays integrated into the keys do exist but are insanely expensive. I would like to think the concept has merit; I think a non-illuminated e-ink keycap would probably work well and could have a more reasonable cost.

 

Of course, an on-screen keyboard can easily adapt to the selected language, but physical keys are here to stay for most people.

 

A cheap solution that already exists is overlay stickers. Basically these are transparent stickers that you can put on your keys that still show the original marking but add a small second-language character to the key. For example, your English keyboard can be an English/Korean keyboard or an English/Arabic keyboard.

 

The pre-printed stickers might not be good if you frequently use more than two languages (i.e., English/Korean/Arabic). However, you might be able to custom-print your own stickers, or even just use some masking tape and a pen!

 

Good luck on your language studies!

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post #5 of 5
12/4/12 at 12:35pm
Thread Starter 

Thank you for your answers! 

 

I found this in another tread, its exactly what I wish:

 

http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/152825/future-of-mac-pro#post_2197325

 

Of course I can still put stickers on my keyboard. But seriously, my macbookpro is gorgeous, no way I will make it look ugly that way :)

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