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Grippity returns as a transparent Android tablet with two-sided touch (video)
When we last saw Grippity, it wasn't much more than a pretty media center keyboard. Well, it just grew up -- its creators have revived the concept as a full-fledged, crowdfunded Android tablet. The new design still centers on a transparent, dual-sided touch surface, but there's now more to do than type. The PS Vita-style back control lets users tap interface elements without obscuring the screen, and it opens the door to more complex multi-touch gestures. The infrared remote control and thumbpads have also returned from Grippity's previous incarnation. If you're intrigued, you can pledge $235 ($159 for a few early birds) to Grippity's Kickstarter campaign to reserve a tablet for yourself; provided the team reaches its funding goal, you should have the device in your hands by October.
Grippity 1 back-typing keyboard finally up for pre-order, asks for $60 and your patience
To say the Grippity has been a long time in coming would be an understatement. The quirky keypad that stashes the buttons around back seemed to have all but vaporized into thin air after showing some early promise, but hey, it's back now! Back with a vengeance, which in this case means pre-order availability on its eponymous site at $60 a pop. Mind you, the earliest deliveries are scheduled for February, so we do hope you have enough to distract you while waiting through this holiday season. January should be nice and fun, though, as we're sure the Grippity guys will find a way to hit up our CES 2011 trailer for another hands-on opportunity with this trackball-equipped peripheral -- which is now billing itself as the ideal media center controller. We'll let you know how well the Grippity plays that role as soon as we can.
Grippity drops by again to show off gaming mockup and original keyboard model
We just can't get enough of these Grippity back-typing keyboards, and Jacob Eichbaum dropped by the Engadget trailer one last time to show us his super-early mockup of a Grippity back-typing gaming controller, along with the original prototype that started all this insanity. Apparently they've been getting a lot of interest from manufacturers, especially with the media remote we saw the other day, so hopefully we'll see this crazy concoction hitting stores sometime this year.%Gallery-41760%
Grippity back-typing keyboard hands-on
We've seen the Grippity back-typing keyboard move from mere prototype to working, production model, so our interest was definitely piqued when we heard that the developer would be at CES with his one-of-a-kind QWERTY board. Well, he came by with the Grippity, and we got some finger-time with it. The keyboard's certainly not an immediately comfortable or intuitive typing experience by any means, but it's got a real charm to it. The designer also kindly did a demo for us, and even he -- the creator of the device -- wasn't exactly what we'd call lightning fast on it, but see for yourself in the video (and gallery!) after the break.P.S.- Yes, that's the inside of the Engadget double-wide trailer in the video -- we promise we'll have some more pictures as soon as all the real CES news dies down!%Gallery-41221%
Grippity back-typing keyboard is one step closer to existing
Not terribly long ago we caught a few glimpses of a prototype of the Grippity, a sort of garish looking back-typing keyboard. Well, the actual production model's completed, and though it's lost some of it's Frankenstein-ish charm, it continues to look rather insane and cool. The unit boasts a full QWERTY keyboard, for use with eight-finger typing from the back, plus two triggers on the back that function as the mouse buttons. As if that wasn't wild enough, it also boasts an orientation sensor that allows the 60 QWERTY keys to double as hot keys when the unit is flipped over. The final unit is expected in about six months, and should retail for $100. Check out the gallery for more views of this terrifically weird specimen.%Gallery-38595%
Back-typing keyboard prototype doesn't need a desk, your attitude
We've seen plenty of out-of-the-ordinary, so-called ergonomic keyboards concepts, including some that are configured so that the user types on the "back." This prototype, from Israeli startup Grippity, is especially odd looking, as it appears to be a full-sized QWERTY keyboard with gamepad buttons that's completely handheld -- "no desk needed" as the developer says. We don't have a ton of detail about the apparently patented design, other than the fact that it's not yet in production, but the makers expect it to cost about $1,000 once available. That's an expensive keyboard, but if it frees us up from the necessity of hunching over our desks for 12 hours a day, we just might give it a try. Check out two more photos of the device after the break.