A compact keyboard for an iPhone
Compact QWERTY Keyboard
http://geocities.com/gene_technics
- Compliance to the US keyboard layout
- Localization for any languages
- Ergonomic and fast one-hand typing
- Compact size - 54x98 mm (2.8" display)
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
http://geocities.com/gene_technics
- Compliance to the US keyboard layout
- Localization for any languages
- Ergonomic and fast one-hand typing
- Compact size - 54x98 mm (2.8" display)
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
Comments
I have added a new design - Honeycomb Keyboard.
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
Originally posted by gene_technics
- Ergonomic and fast one-hand typing
Ummmm how about one that people with grown-up hands might be able to use without hitting 6-8 buttons at a time.
Dave
Originally posted by DaveGee
Ummmm how about one that people with grown-up hands might be able to use without hitting 6-8 buttons at a time.
Dave
The design of the Compact QWERTY Keyboard doesn't allow it at all. The integrated numeric keypad has buttons that are flat and located below the level of the adjacent QWERTY layout button when it's pressed.
And the buttons of the Honeycomb Keyboard are pretty big for this.
Mihail
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/nokia6820.htm
IIRC, the QWERTY models start at a little above 100EUR.
The solution presented on this thread has a hard time competing against that. The hand is obscuring the bottom buttons so there is a learning curve, and I think it's harder to hold with one hand and write with another.
The traditional phone keypad, of course, is both held and manipulated with one hand only. The button size and placement enable this and it wouldn't be possible with the compact QWERTY.
When you have so much writing to do that you are prepared to carry two separate gadgets, the Bluetooth Frogpad looks like an interesting option.
http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.asp
Originally posted by Gon
Some Nokia phones have a full QWERTY keyboard and not all of them are even expensive. Both hands hold the phone, both thumbs press the buttons, Gameboy style. Quite stable, fast and easy. Here's one:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/nokia6820.htm
IIRC, the QWERTY models start at a little above 100EUR.
Do you like its display (128 x 128 pixels, 4096 colours, 8 lines of text)? I would prefer Nokia E61 or i-mate K-JAM/Qtec 9100 (HTC Wizard) for two-hand operation in such case. And I have invented Compact QWERTY layout with the system of typing for better future implementations with one-hand operation.
The solution presented on this thread has a hard time competing against that. The hand is obscuring the bottom buttons so there is a learning curve, and I think it's harder to hold with one hand and write with another.
It's much harder to hold a device with two hands and type with thumbs for a long time - there are a lot of horizontal movements of thumbs while operating with one hand allows fingers bend freely all the time and type fast without strains. This advantage also refers to one-hand operation when the device is held with four fingers of one hand and operated with only the thumb.
In my project I have realized the US keyboard layout for typing in a portrait mode in the same familiar way as with ten fingers. Do you know any device with such characteristics? And therefore it also complies with the strict requirement for full localization in exactly the same method as for a standard keyboard. How many smartphones with 62 keys do you know? Only the Nokia 9300/9500 have the same functionality - 66 keys while the Nokia 9300 (132x51 mm) is noticeably bigger in size. Just imagine the Motorola RAZR V3x with the US keyboard. Now it's possible and with a full localization - for example, if you would buy the newest Sony Ericsson M600 (http://www.mobile-review.com/review/...-live-en.shtml) in Russia, it will have only the Russian layout without QWERTY layout and Palm Treo 650 and HP 6515 available now have only QWERTY layout without the Russian layout. So where is the competition in terms of the global market?
The traditional phone keypad, of course, is both held and manipulated with one hand only. The button size and placement enable this and it wouldn't be possible with the compact QWERTY.
Why do you think so? It would be done easily like for a standard numeric keypad phone and even easier, especially with the Honeycomb Keyboard design - the integrated numeric keypad is located exactly for one-thumb operation. The question is for what? My goal is comfortable typing for everyday work like on a standard keyboard, not only for dialing a number with one hand using the thumb.
When you have so much writing to do that you are prepared to carry two separate gadgets, the Bluetooth Frogpad looks like an interesting option. http://www.frogpad.com/information/bluefroginfo.asp
By the way, about two separate gadgets. For example, the Honeycomb Keyboard could be implemented as a Bluetooth keyboard and placed on the inside surface of the leather case using this technology - http://www.eleksen.com. A separate gadget for any BT-enabled phone.
Originally posted by shady104
they already make phones with key pads like that...sorry to burst your bubble.
Please, give us a link.
I have added a new design - Mobile TV Phone. Note that the construction has a Golden Rule - the double distance between the centers of the locks (that are hidden for sliding in the open position) is the width of the device.
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
I've done some changes and created the design with the code name "Compact QWERTY Keyboard iii". Now the symbols on each key are arranged geometrically in the same way as of a standard keyboard. This is especially important for the localized layouts to give the same feeling when you are typing on the keyboard.
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
Happy 4th July!
I've added some standard color pattern that is emphasizing the numeric keypad (like in Palm's Treo, for example).
Regards,
Mihail Molin
GeneTechnics Company
Originally posted by Project2501
I love my Nokia 9300 communicator, and it's qwerty keyboard, it's very intuitive to use, and so was nokia 6820, when I tried that one. Nokia has some phones with stylus handwriting recognition for chinese market, it would be interesting to try one(in some language I can understand), to see how would it work out. I'm not saying that your design wouldnt be intuitive, it's just that users would have to learn a completely new way to write. What comes to iPhone, I don't think that your design would cut it, Apple is all about minimalism and les is more sort of thinking. All those buttons in strange order would propably just scare customers away. There propably are good uses to your design, but I don't think cell phone is it.
Do you agree that minimalism means effectiveness in use in case of iPod? And how do you evaluate the fact that every company goes after Motorola RAZR V3 in the race for the thinnest phone. Why couldn't Apple provide such a device for customers and with the functionality of a notebook?
Originally posted by Project2501
I love my Nokia 9300 communicator, and it's qwerty keyboard, it's very intuitive to use, and so was nokia 6820...
(*sigh*) I love my 6820, which is going on 3 years old now. I wish I could find a replacement though before it dies on me again. (It's already been replaced once). But all the new phones that has a qwerty keyboard is bigger than the 6820.
Please, please, we don't need another keyboard layout.
Originally posted by dac0nvu
(*sigh*) I love my 6820, which is going on 3 years old now. I wish I could find a replacement though before it dies on me again. (It's already been replaced once). But all the new phones that has a qwerty keyboard is bigger than the 6820.
Please, please, we don't need another keyboard layout.
You don't need one-hand typing?
Originally posted by gene_technics
You don't need one-hand typing?
No, I have two hands. And if I have a Coke in one and I want to send a text message that bad, I'll put down the Coke.
80 words a minute baby!
Originally posted by dac0nvu
No, I have two hands. And if I have a Coke in one and I want to send a text message that bad, I'll put down the Coke.
80 words a minute baby!
All right. You don't need 240x320 display too?
Originally posted by gene_technics
All right. You don't need 240x320 display too?
What I've been using for the past 3 years is 128x128, I think. So no, I don't *need* 240x320. To get me to buy another phone my #1 priority is that it fits well in my front pocket, even with jeans. Otherwise, I won't want to carry it everywhere, and no, I don't wear a phone clipped on my belt like some Batman belt.
But, that's me. I just want a phone to make calls and send text messages. I leave my work in the office, so I don't need/want a PDA. Don't need a camera either.