Nokia files virtual keyboard patent

Nokia, you've done it again. As usual, the Finnish mobile phone kingpin has produced the kind of innovation and "wow" that we've come to expect with its latest patent request: a virtual keyboard. That's right, until now we've had to suffer the indignation of using a physical keyboard, vainly hoping that one day a company would come along with a concept that would upend the establishment and put a stop to the tyranny of single use, out-dated plastic keys... and now that day has come. Still, something seems vaguely familiar about this patent which details the workings of a "Mobile device with virtual keyboard." Okay, this system differs from others in that it expects you to wiggle your fingers around in front of the phone's camera, and responds to sound as well as vibrations, yet somehow we feel like the company's efforts could be better directed. A nice new QWERTY model wouldn't bother us, for instance.

[bob @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:31PM]

is it just for 3 handed mutants then?

[Matt @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:33PM]

You have to pretend to type on the other side of the phone? In front of the camera? THAT'll be awkward.....

[Vivek @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:41PM]

The design also seems to suggest that the phone has to docked/propped up in order to use it. You need both hands to be free and so you can't hold the phone and use the virtual keyboard at the same time. Silly Nokia.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:04PM]

It would make more sense f the diagram showed the hands using the thumbs to type and the fingers cradling the device.

[JDizzle @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:51PM]

"And if no working surface is available, the user can just imitate the tapping sound with his voice."

lol wtf?

[anderesp @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:49PM]

im also guessing that the owner would be typing 'wood-pecker' like the one shown above.

[IphoneWinner @ Jan 23rd 2008 8:58PM]

how would u even know where the keys are? Would there be a "scale" setting for the key size?

[Mr. S. @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:10PM]

Looks tarded

[thethirdmoose @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:20PM]

Wow... this sucks
So now not only is there no tactile feedback, but also limited visual feedback
Next step - the "airboard" - Close your eyes, swing your arms, and cross your fingers. It will sell like hotcakes.

[BigD145 @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:32PM]

If you give it the bird, will it explode in indignation? Or will the person standing in front of you hit you in the face?

[Lazyboy @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:42PM]

if this ends up being what i imagine from the picture and description, i think it'll be pretty incredible. Nokia already does crazy cool things with the camera, like using it for tilt and such. The way i see this, you'd need to prop the phone up somehow (not extremely useful, but bare with me) probably with a little stand built into the back of the phone, and you set it on a desk. then the display will show a virtual keyboard as though it were on the desk in front of you, and you would simply tip-tap away at the desk and the awesomeness would pick it up fairly accurately. a FULL keyboard on a phone, sounds extremely useful to me. Plus it obviously wouldnt be the only way to type, so if you dont have a desk at your disposal, you could use T9 as you do normally.

[danny @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:51PM]

Lazyboy, reading your comment was a bit enlightening but you must consider the angle at which your hands type and what your fingers do while they are in that position. Unless the camera could hover directly over your hands (as in, 90 degree angle) I can't see it being able to capture what you are typing with any accuracy unless you are using a "wood-pecker" typing style. Really, I see this as a downgrade from the iPhone keyboard. And considering I find the iPhone keyboard to be only acceptable, but definitely not exceptional, I will definitely take a pass on what this appears to be.

-D
http://www.androidboards.com

[danny @ Jan 23rd 2008 9:46PM]

By the looks of it, this is a (sad) attempt at a laser-keyboard-esque setup where the device you are typing on (in this case the actual phone itself) must be propped up. How incredibly awkward that would be to use. Totally unnecessary. Thankfully patents get filed for just about every idea under the sun and we'll probably never see this come full circle.

-D
http://www.androidboards.com

[shaliron @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:26PM]

Joy, a keyboard with even less tactical feedback than a touchscreen!

And Nokia, who's going to hold the phone while I've got my hands waving in the air, tapping out my email?

[Harry @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:31PM]

So, to submit a patent filling, all you have to do is to come up with some idea and draw some diagrams??? Don't you have to build a prototype for demonstration or something?

[neil @ Jan 24th 2008 12:21AM]

yea.. so doesn't this already exist and they put it in a phone? is that like saying.. hey we invented a camera phone.. we already had camera's and we had phones.. somebody just put the two together..

http://www.virtual-laser-keyboard.com/

[DYLAN UNUTMAZ @ Jan 24th 2008 12:33AM]

wow never seen anything like that before. very original idea.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/gettingstarted/keyboard.html

[shaliron @ Jan 24th 2008 1:49AM]

Do you read?

[Shmapple @ Jan 24th 2008 3:09AM]

@ Shaliron

Probably not, but then again:

"People don't read anymore" -- Steve Jobs

[shaliron @ Jan 24th 2008 3:55AM]

@Shmapple
Haha, true, so true.

[husky_1 @ Jan 24th 2008 2:52AM]

The news is great...

Over here I suppose they talk about the same thing but in Italian:

http://www.techup.it/news/nokia_tastiera_virtuale

[Pouya @ Jan 24th 2008 3:09AM]

"And if no working surface is available, the user can just imitate the tapping sound with his voice."

lol, this is the funniest thing I have read all week.

[stagueve @ Jan 24th 2008 6:14AM]

This Nokia Multi-Touch patent is much more exiting, isn't it ? : http://www.nowhereelse.fr/?p=3712