A new keyboard concept from the unproved Guru-board, dubbed Miniguru, could certainly shake up a few things if it hits the market. The basic idea is to keep your fingers from leaving the home row, with special modifier keys to move you through three "layers" of functions. Hold down the modifier with a free thumb and you get the JKLI keys turned into arrows, and the capslock into control. Naturally you can configure this in software to your heart's content (or just do this in software without a fancy new keyboard, if you're a rebel like that), hopefully without causing too much harm to your poor, inflexible fingers. The mouse nub is also designed to keep you keyboard-centric, but it can be removed in the highly-custom sales configuration panel, which also works in an option to choose between three different switch parts, a multitude of colors and the existence of keycap symbols. That custom bit sounds a little like optimism on the part of a company that hasn't shipped anything yet, but we're rooting for this one to make it to market someway or other, if just out curiosity.
posted January 12th 2010 9:08PM
Nipples are so weird.
Pink bumps on a person's chest.
Rub them for pleasure.
@Nzo
I didn't know if I should laugh or shake my head. So I did both.
@Nzo Speak for yourself.
Highest ranked here I come!
If I was a fan of the nub I would be tempted. Given that, I still think that's pretty cool and has market value. Can't believe no one has thought of this before (or maybe they have?)
@Steve Ballmer It's a valid point, but on the flip-side, you don't have to reach up to the function keys - hit the modifier with your thumb, and then they're right near the home keys, only two rows away.
I saw this on a forum discussing a diy trackpoing keyboard a year ago. Good to see that it has finally come into fruition. I'll be picking this one up for sure.
@bigcow05
Found the original forum post!
http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4917&do=comments
@bigcow05
Yep this is actually the brain child of a geekhack member. He is also working on a new custom mechanical switch for it. If that doesn't work out you'll be able to pick pretty much any Cherry set for it. I've been waiting for this for a little while now. Glad to see it made engadget!
It looks like it'd get wedged between the spaces of a regular keyboard.
A desktop keyboard with a ThinkPad clit-mouse?
Interesting.
I don't type in home row.
You probably do most of your typing on the top row, followed by the home row and then the bottom.
Wow. Keep your fingers on home row... so it's QWERTY instead of a decent layout like dvorak or colemak.
Fail.
@ethana2
Seriously, are you capable of making posts that aren't about Linux or Colemak? Nobody cares. You've wasted more time talking about Colemak than you would have saved by typing with it. Shut up.
The /other/ things I'd say, someone else usually gets to first.
@Zorque Not only that, but the thing may have blank keycaps and IIRC will programmable to have whatever layout you want, so that guy needs to learn to read.
Yeah, that was the idea behind the Optimus too. ..Still only works with Windows and OS X. Who's to say this company would do any better?
@ethana2
Props for the Dvorak love
To the rest of you, what's with all the hate? So what if it's software programmable to a different layout? EVERY keyboard is. But the real question is: can you change the HARDWARE to Dvorak or any other layout? Because on most modern keyboards you can't. And yea, once you've learned to touch type on Dvorak then you can get one with blank keycaps, or with QWERTY keycaps, or with whatever you want - I mean honestly, why do you think blank keycaps are better than QWERTY keycaps if you're using a different layout? They're both equally useless. But the point is, sure that's great once you've learned to touch type on Dvoark, but until you reach that point, having a keyboard that's acutally in Dvorak is a great help. I spent a year or two trying to learn Dvoark with no success - then I bought an IBM Model M keyboard, switched the keycaps into the Dvorak layout, and was back to the same speed I'd had on QWERTY within a month or two.
So yes, all that customization is great, but if it's still got the same tricks as most modern keyboards which prevent you from moving the keys around, then I'm not interested. Though actually, if it doesn't use real springs (and I'm betting it doesn't), I'm not interested either.
My point here is just that who really cares what special functions they put on home row if they don't include some layout by default that features /actual typing/ on the home row? I don't see the point. It's not news, it's just another oversight, and this world has enough of those already.
@ethana2
DVORAK sucks.
@urza9814
This one is customizable in firmware, apparently. I know you're talking keycaps, but still pretty cool, and far more than most keyboards.
@urza9814
Go check out the original post and prototype at geekhack. This is not "some company" making a crappy keyboards, its a total keyboard geek putting his personal design into production. This is going to have Cherry's or his own new custom switch he's working on. Plus he's incorporating a customizer to make it easy for dvorak/colemak users. I've been following this for a little while now and I'm looking forward to it. He's trying to keep the price well below the HHKB, and competetive to filco's and the like.
@urza9814
Oh and those "tricks" keeping you from moving keys are molded keys that are shaped for a specific row. They serve a functional purpose and aid typing, its not to make changing them hard. Every keyboard has it, not just new ones. In fact some of the older ones are even more pronounced.
oooohhhh... interesting.
@ethana2
From the FAQ:
"Which platforms will the programmer software support?
Windows, Mac OSX and Linux."
Sounds like hardware-accelerated vi.
@Sc4Freak Make the big fat capslock key a ctrl and replace the JKLI arrows with HJKL and I'll bite.
@Sc4Freak Was thinking the same thing. I even used HJKL for scrolling around the page in Konqueror. :P
and what the hell -- someone explains to me please -- this blog is all about?
P.S. I mean if this KB has nothing to glow about, might not see the light of the day, and is not even so particular as to be needed by even non-Alzheimer dyslexic people from Mesopotamia... I don't get it, who took my medication away?
Interesting, this is just about the same thing as the PFU Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite I've had for several years (sans the nipple).
I don't get it. Didn't IBM have these KB ages ago?
@max1001
Yeah, but they don't sell them anymore. The new ones have laptop-style keys.
Also, none of the Thinkpad style keyboards are quite this compact.
This is totally what I've always wanted in a keyboard. I love my HHKB professional and HHKB lite 2, but if I can get all that, with clicky keys and a nub mouse, all in one, I think I'd be in heaven! Granted, the arrow keys are different here, but it looks like you can reprogram everything to your heart's content.
I don't even use all four of my fingers while typing. I only use my index and middle fingers for typing letters, my left ring for shift and tab, and right pinky for enter. Home row FTL
@ChrisK15
You only have four fingers? Sorry dude :(
Haha whoops, I mean all ten.I only use four mainly while typing.
A company should change its product to suit the consumers, not hope that the consumers will change to suit their product.
This seems like a good idea, but I don't know if many people will like having to type in a different style.
This seems to be very much like vi was (not vim) - there, when not in insert mode, you could navigate with hjkl - however, I like the change to i instead of j.
I like it because of its size, real keys, and the nipple. It would be a nice wireless keyboard for an HTPC etc. The home row deal means nothing to me.
I like the prospect of not having to reach for the mouse just to click the Engadget login button that doesn't respond to the Enter key (and other things like that).
JKLI? Is the creator left handed?
I'd buy it.
I would hate for those metal clips at the bottom to slit my wrists while typing.
@MrAffrox
They are the mouse buttons.
@MrAffrox
Those are the mouse buttons.
@MrAffrox
Also, from the website's FAQ:
"Where is the third mouse button?
The prototype has only two buttons. The final version will have third button functionality. Most likely it will be thin horizontal strip of plastic between the buttons that are already there."
Do want. I love the nipple for the exact rationale behind the design -- I hate moving my hands off the keyboard.
I've always been tempted by IBM/Lenovo's special nipplized keyboard. They have always been too expensive though, and of course them phasing out the awesome clickity keys hadn't help either.
Also, JKIL? Doesn't the guy know it's HJKL in vi?
@scrunge I'm pretty sure IJKL is intentional - he wasn't going for vi keys, he was going for inverted T.
WASD is the normal combo for inverted T navigation in the letter area, but that's on the left (wrong side for a normal keyboard.)
HJKL and IJKM were formerly popular navigation in the letter area, and IJKL almost took root before arrow keys were popular. It's right on the home keys, right on the right side of the board, and it's inverted T.
Very well thought out design for those of us who type fast and own real keyboards. Haters can go back to your oem or Logitech gaming POS and enjoy the bliss of input ignorance. This keyboard does what even the Happy Hacking keyboard hasn't in customization and with the trackpoint it will be a real contender in the high end keyboard market. Can't wait to own this one.