iTech's got the latest (Bluetooth) virtual keyboard

We still remain vigilantly skeptical of the whole virtual keyboard thing (we know one day it will be a reality, keepin' hope alive!), but iTech claims to have the hookup on one that even goes so far as to be a class 2 Bluetooth 1.1-enabled BTVKB. It probably works for crap, but we're really just thinking of the oohs and ahs it'll get when we pull it out—that, and the way it looks like some small robo-drone sent to wipe us all out.

[Thanks, Paul]

[010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

that is so awesome. i can't wait for this tech to be included in cell phones or PDAs. i think it is less useful as a general use desktop or high-use keyboard but freaking PERFECT for cell phones or PDAs.

and... i'm personally thinking it looks like Maximilian from "The Black Hole". man. i haven't seen that movie since i was like 8.

here is a seriously lame low-res image of Maximilian for those who remember it'll make sense:

http://home.houston.rr.com/dpstudios/images/gallery/maximilian2.jpg

[Mumblix Grumph @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Looks more like a Cylon from the 'hood.

[Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

yeah, it would be great for cell phones. but who is going to sit and pound their fingers into a hard, flat desk surface for hours on end? it just reminds me of that scene from kill bill 2 when uma is punching the board over and over again.

sounds like you're really going to have to suffer just to get people to say "ooooo"

[Dave Weinstein @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Ummm, not to nitpick here, but their website says that it projects a keyboard using "infrared" technology. Unless I'm mistaken, infrared light would be suitable for making toast, but since it's outside the human visable spectrum, wouldn't work if you want to project a VISIBLE red virtual keyboard. ;-)

-dw

[Pete @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Keyboards are nice but so what? A foldable one is small enough.

What i'd really want is to have games coded into the thing. Chess, Go, Backgammon etc. And if the update/scan is fast enough...astroids!

[Sheldon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Just to point something out: 1/ these devices do exist (and work!) 2/ the keyboard projection is completely independant of the keypress sensing which uses two infra-red beams to scan where a finger is being pressed.
The limitations of them are that it feels very very strange tapping a desk (no feedback to your fingers) and you can only press one button at a time.
Oh and they only work well on solid flat surfaces.

[Andreas @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Two hours for continuos typing? That's bad. It's cool tech though ;)

[Mihir @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

So...I'm not sure if these are production models or engineering samples, but someone is selling them on eBay at 200 bucks a pop:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48676&item=5744752353&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V

They claim to have 19 units. If Engadget is willing to get me one, I'd be more than happy to review it for them! ;)

Also available from this seller, a "Hello Kitty Bluetooth Mobile Handsfree Cellular Headset". Yikes.

[Keith @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

I noticed that this site was selling a version of the VKB w/ Bluetooth. I decided to buy one to see how/if it works. : )

http://www.pc-notetaker.com/vkb/Products.asp

Cheers.

[frank @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Oh my god, talk about weird... So I went to the link from #9's post above. All of a sudden, a popup disguised as a live chat window with a customer service agent pops up. I, of course, it's just garbage and that if I clicked anywhere I would be taken to a site with Vi*gra for sale. Jokingly, I typed something like "So you want my credit card number", assuming nothing would happen. Amazingly, a person actually responded. Keep in mind, I clicked on nothing.

I chatted with the guy for a few minutes with this person whom, I suspect from his/her English skills, is from that country where outsourcing tech jobs to is becoming increasingly popular due to cheap labor costs. In any event, it was freakin' weird!

[Daniel Waters @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

I had a go on one at the Stuff Live Exhibition in London, and it was definitely all down to Wow-factor rather than anything else. It could cope with two keypresses at once, but no more than that, and it was a very spooky feeling indeed. The lack of being able feel your way around means no touch-typing, and since there's no "bounce" like you get with real keyboards, it's difficult to know when you've pressed a key or not. It's beautifully silent though. ;)

It was possibly the worst trade stand I've ever seen - some guy in his 60s standing next to a table with a LAPTOP on it and this virtual keyboard. The fact this thing isn't very bright meant he had to have the light off as well, so he was even more hidden! The font size was set to 10 or something, so you couldn't see what was going on unless you went over, so I helped him out by changing it to something about 5 times larger.

And after all that, the �100 price is just unacceptable.

[Katsushiro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

Actually, you might want to check out Dave's iPaq (the website, go Google it). They've got a 6-page review of the gizmo, and after some getting used to the way you type with it, they're actually thrilled with it, and proclaim it to work pretty damn well. The reviewer even claims he wrote the whole 6-page review with it.

[Geoff Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 1:04AM]

I have a BTVKB and have been very pleased with it. It is very convenient to carry, and works well in all but direct-sunlight conditions. In very bright ambient light, I find it works best projected on a light-coloured surface.

My wife is a touch-typist and found it awkward at first, because you can't leave your fingers resting on the keys.

Two notes of caution:

1) The drivers for Palm OS5 occasionally cause my T3 to hang. It recovers easily with a soft reset.

2) I have not found contact information for iTech product support. Nothing is mentioned in the unit's packaging or documentation and the itechdynamic.com website has no links to support that I could find. Attempts to contact the company through e-mail addresses listed on their website have gone unanswered. That being said, the only support issue I've had to date is the question (above) about the OS5 drivers.

Bottom line:

This is a slick piece of technology that works very well. It's fun and easy to use. It works accurately for me (with my multi-finger hunt-and-peck typing style). However, if you have a problem with it, you may have difficulty finding support.