.KEYWORD halfkeyboard
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Get a whole solution with half a keyboard
.OTHER
.SUMMARY When you need to input large amounts of data into your handheld, you don’t always have a desk in front of you to set up your portable keyboard. Matias Corporation has devised a clever solution. In this article, Vladimir Campos reviews their handy Half Keyboard, a completely wearable keyboard solution.
.AUTHOR Vladimir Campos
What is the Half Keyboard? It’s a small size keyboard for Palm OS handhelds created by Matias Corporation (at http://www.halfkeyboard.com). The strange part of it is that it only has half the keys of a regular keyboard. When I first saw the Half Keyboard prototype on the Matias Corporation Web site, I asked myself: "Why would I use a Half Keyboard with so many full size keyboards available for Palm OS devices in the market?"
First of all, it’s half the size of a regular keyboard. And not only that, as far as I know, the Half Keyboard is the only non-thumb keyboard on the market that will let you type with one hand while holding the both the handheld and the keyboard in the other hand, as shown in Figure A.
.FIG A Type with one hand while holding the handheld and the keyboard in the other hand.
Also, there’s no need for a flat surface or any surface at all. You can really walk and type. Or, if you prefer, you can sit anywhere and start using the Half Keyboard with your handheld.
Matias Corporation has created a very nice piece of hardware that has half the keys but 100% of the functionality of a regular keyboard. You may even use symbols and accents from most of the Latin languages. You can really type all the letters, numbers, and symbols found on a regular keyboard.
The Half Keyboard secret is the space bar that works both as a regular space bar and as a sort of shift key. Let’s understand how that works. If, for example, you hit the key marked with a big letter "W" on the keyboard, you’ll get the letter "W" on the handheld screen, but if you hit the "W" key while holding the space bar pressed, you’ll get the letter "O". Yes, each key is related to two or more symbols, letters, and numbers.
Another important key is located on the top right corner of the keyboard: the "A-Z, 0-9 and <->" key. Like the space bar, this key also works as a sort of shift key and can be combined with the space bar. If you press the "A-Z, 0-9 and <->" key once, you’ll be able to write using the white letters and symbols on the keyboard, pressing the space bar or not. Press it twice and you’ll get access to the yellow numbers and symbols. Pressing it three times lets you use the blue symbols.
Let’s go back to the letter "W" example. The letter "W" key also has some other small symbols marked on it: "O", "9", "@", "(", and "PgUp". Hit the "A-Z, 0-9 and <->" key twice, and the letter "W" key will show the number "9" on the screen when you type it. Hit the "A-Z, 0-9 and <->" key three times, and the letter "W" key will become a "PgUp" key.
Though it looks like something crazy and impossible to use, believe me, it’s not that hard to learn! In fact, I got used to it very quickly. Of course you’ll need to relearn how to type. But Matias Corporation has also thought about that. On pages 26 and 27 of the Half Keyboard manual you’ll find a tutorial to help you learn how to type. Follow the instructions, practice a little bit, and you’ll be typing very fast before you know it.
If we start thinking about classrooms, libraries, meetings, or even airplanes, the Half Keyboard is much more comfortable to use then the other kinds of keyboards for Palm OS devices. The handheld and the keyboard can lie on the surface of a table, letting you pay attention to someone speaking or even read something in a book or memo while typing with one hand and writing with the other hand, as shown in Figure B.
.FIG B The Half Keyboard lets you multitask.
You can even put the keyboard or the handheld over a book, memo, or any other kind of document you’re working on to make your notes easier.
Matias Corporation has also created a wearable version of the Half Keyboard for field use. You can wear the handheld on one wrist and the keyboard on the other with the help of a bracelet, as shown in Figure C.
.FIG C The Half Keyboard is completely wearable.
.H1 Conclusion
All in all, the Half Keyboard is a nice piece of hardware that fits both end user and corporate needs. Though it’s a small keyboard, the keys are the same size as the ones we use on our desktop keyboards. Another clear advantage is that, to use it, you won’t need a flat surface, or any surface at all for that matter. If you can get past the learning curve of the multi-key feature, you’ll find the Half Keyboard to be an extremely useful tool.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the Half Keyboard from Matias Corporation, visit http://www.halfkeyboard.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Vladimir Campos is LatinGo Associate Director and MobileSite.com.br co-founder. For more information, visit http://www.vladimircampos.net/eng.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee70017
