If Apple got away with "reinvented" folders, then I'm pretty much OK with Microsoft "reinventing" this and anyone else reinventing any wheel they may find.
I'm not saying you are wrong per se, but at least lets try to keep our standards consistent.
Seriously, you're more than correct. To say this is a straight up advertisement disguised as a puff piece would be kind.
That said, I do regard the Microsoft Natural keyboard one of the greatest keyboard designs I've used, but even that was only a slight variation on prior art. My only gripe is that I've never found one with mechanical switches (so I'm pretty sure they never existed).
PS - here is a plug for another "reinvented" bluetooth keyboard - its not foldable though :)
I tried a Truly Ergonomic for two months, I just couldn't get used to it. The layout is pretty awkward and I don't think it's suited for programming. Mine also had a weird key repeat issue where random keys would just bounce for no apparent reason. I really wanted to like it too. And I actually think the curve of the Natural Keyboard series is really important for the ergonomics. Luckily TE has a 60 day money back guarantee so I didn't waste any money, but it's definitely not for everyone.
You weren't alone experiencing the key repeat issue in your TE. I was an early purchaser of the TE as well, and my understanding is the first batch of MX-Blue keyboards they made all had this issue. I also returned mine.
I am also a big fan of the curve to the Natural keyboard, used to be my primary keyboard. However I find the combination of mechanical keys + a tenkeyless standard layout design (noticed a sore shoulder from mouse hand being far to the right) offers the most comfort for me at the moment.
I've tried Gold Touch, ErgoDox, MS 4000 and now the MS Sculpt Ergo. The Microsoft keyboards are the best I've used. Everyone I know who uses an ergo keyboard settled on the MS 4000 or upgraded to the Sculpt Ergo.
Now if only Logitech would make their TrackMan Wheel still. Or maybe Microsoft would make a worthy successor? Hint, hint (I own 4 Logitech trackballs just incase they are ever discontinued completely).
If anything, I'd prefer using the many other folding keyboards out there, ones that don't have a huge gap between the two halves when unfolded and thus feel far more like a regular (laptop) keyboard with respect to key spacing etc.
The B key is usually in the middle, and I've always used my right hand to hit it, so this isn't a keyboard I'd want to use.
Reinvented is pretty strong language here, this idea is far from new. I think this new keyboard looks convenient enough for those needing extreme portability, but also probably a pretty mediocre typing experience.
The TextBlade looks fascinating. There were only demos of it running on iOS and Android devices, but I hope it can be compatible with OSX, Windows, and Linux too.
Is all the required software onboard the device itself? I thought it was using some kind of paired application to handle processing the input.
edit:
>With the TextBlade, WayTools can deliver over-the-air updates to keep firmware up to date, something that's not possible with most keyboards. The TextBlade will have more functions six months after it's released than it does today. For example, one upcoming update will add multi-device support, and that update is coming a few weeks after launch.
It's not rocket science, how hard can it be to make a bug-free keyboard firmware? It's not this is virgin ground either, keyboards have been built for decades which had no bugs.
Well, since it uses multitouch and some smarts to figure out which letter in one of the merged keys you wanted to type, I imagine it would be more useful to update that algorithm than in a keyboard where one button press = one keycode. This goes especially so if that algorithm uses any text based prediction, although I don't know whether it does. The multitouch, combined with an accelerometer I read the device has, could also be used to add interesting gestures or pressure-sensitive functionality that don't directly map to key presses. You could send the raw data over the air instead of using firmware on the device, but then nothing would be able to use it out of the box, so what's the advantage?
I think you're being purposefully obtuse here. This device is obviously more complicated than a standard keyboard and would definitely benefit from having a) sophisticated firmware, and b) the ability to update the firmware.
The keyboard can't get OTA updates unless it can communicate with the update server. That means it has either WiFi or 3G or the tablet gets the files and uploads them to the keyboard. Probably the latter.
Select and Edit combos (on home row!) let you access arrows, dedicated prev/next word, home/end and replaces Ctrl+ZXCV. So you're using Cmd(/Ctrl) and Shift less in favor of home row chords.
To further deprecate Shift (leaving only letters and <>?"), most punctiuation moved to the Fn layer (the green modifier though they don't call it that).
That makes a lot of sense, as thumb-activated Cmd and Fn ought to be more comfortable than Shift.
The only loss in modifier convenience is numbers requiring Fn but that's cheap price for a row off.
=> Seems it has almost everything. The big missing modifiers are Alt and Win/Super. OTOH there is a "Media" modifier they don't elaborate on. I hope the remapping software is flexible enough to map at least Alt.
There will be a big learning curve for shortcut users, though modifier usage _ought_ to be actually more convenient than standard keyboards. (all theoretic)
Smartphones and tablets are at least 15 years old too. Bill Gates used to run around CES telling everyone that tablets were the future.
Anyway, for the "Post PC era" to truly take off, we're going to need portable wireless keyboards that "just work". Tablets are going to replace desktops for most people, once we figure out how to attach better input devices. The Microsoft keyboard does appear to be a big step in the right direction, if it actually works.
I don't think so - my mum was trying to get a cheap-ish new replacement for her 5 year old 10" netbook last month. It's very very hard to do. Certainly when you compare the spec:price ratio of anything on the market today compared to a tablet + bluetooth keyboard.
I got some older model (no touch screen, dual-core and only 1GB of ram) and it is indeed amazing. Perfect for work anywhere, when you put a lightweight Linux distro on it.
Netbooks are being subsumed by laptops, as laptops get smaller. Several of the "ultrabooks" are thinner and lighter than my old Dell Mini 9. The 11" models are perfectly acceptable "netbooks", they just don't call them netbooks anymore because that was an indicator that it was kind of a crappy computer, but was small and cheap and good enough for browsing the web. The cost is getting closer to netbooks, as well, though I guess the really thin and light laptops are still pretty pricey...they will converge fully eventually.
In short, tablet has taken the place of the "crappy tiny laptop", and the modern good laptop has gotten closer to the size of the crappy tiny laptop without being crappy. The sweet spot for the netbook has shrunk to the point where it almost doesn't exist anymore, and thus there are no netbooks.
But even the 11" models cant replace tablets. Imagine a scenario, you are travelling in a train or a bus-you cant open the 11" laptop/netbook, while traveeling.
And as far as the debate about tablets replacing desktop goes, that might be possible when tablets get stronger/better processors
There are plenty of 2-in-1 Windows laptops where the tablet is completely detachable from the keyboard. Some are very popular, like the Asus Transformer T100 wiht a 10.1inch screen. (Yes, Asus launched an Android version years ago.)
There are other Windows laptops where the screen folds back to provide a slightly heavier tablet, like the Lenovo Yoga 2 series and the HP11 x360.
Windows 8.1 tablets can support USB keyboards and full-size screens. Hook them up to a expanison hub and they can support multiple screens. I wouldn't recommend one as a desktop replacement, but then, I wouldn't recommend a MacBook Air as a desktop replacement either.
We used to have quite a few nice, small machines. The one of the Psion Series 5 was amazing for the size. I had an HP Windows CE machine that was only a little bigger and the keyboard was even better. Lack of USB, SD and Wi-Fi rather limits their usefulness nowadays ;-)
And frankly, MS and Intel basically made it this way.
Both freaked when the netbook first hit. Intel because they could make for a passable citrix client and so undermine their lucrative ultraportable segment. MS because it was Linux on a off the shelf product.
So what we got was some very stringent spec requirements from the two to make a underperforming mini-laptop running Windows XP (remember that MS was trying to sell Vista at the time).
What looked like a interesting experimental market (one early model had a thumb sized touchpad sitting near the screen hinge rather than a touchpad below the keyboard) ended up another pile of rebranded clones.
Why is an HP Stream (for example) not a cheap replacement for a 10-inch netbook? It's a lot faster, has better graphics, has a better screen resolution, and actually costs less.
Does "post PC era" even have a meaning to anyone other than tech pundits? Is tablet hardware really better, or do people just prefer the software experience? In a world of commodity hardware that distinction is quite important. People will buy an IPad because it is easy to use and will reject the Windows 8 laptop because it is hard to use and ignore the practicality of the hardware.
Possibly, in that the PC was "open" while these new devices are more and more locked down.
Just look at Android. Now a days a app can't really get direct access to the filesystem. Everything has to go through the "media storage".
The way i see it, these "post PC" devices are Big Media's wet dream. Now they can get the DRM enforcement built in that before they had to attempt to "hack" in (Sony's rootkit, anyone?).
It's both the hardware and the software. For $500, you can get a high quality, well designed piece of hardware tightly coupled with the software and it does everything you need it to do. If the iPad breaks, throw it out and get a new one. But chances are, it won't break (that is, unless you break it).
Meanwhile for $500, you can get a cheap plastic laptop that will break on its own through normal wear and tear. It runs an OS that is far more advanced than what you need. The OS needs maintenance, and you need to pay attention to what you're doing. It's super hard to keep a computer running. You might not think it is, but look at the existence of Geek Squad and how many people are afraid of their computer, or can't do simple things. But they're using iPads like an expert.
That's post-PC. You and I will keep our x86 systems with massive globs of RAM and terrabytes of hard drive space because we need them. And the rest of the world will finally get to use their computing devices the way they want to use them for a change.
In general I think building operating systems is difficult and sooner or later you get a bad apple (no pun intended). Apple may have avoided this but it is common on Windows and some Android devices to have strange issues that are never really resolved. As we pile platform on top of platform this kind of emergent property becomes more likely. By simplifying things you just delay this for a few years before the bloat starts to pile up sooner or later somewhere in the stack.
We could easily see a return to more traditional hardware that gets back to simplicity. I would love to see affordable SoC laptops with discrete graphics running something like Ubuntu and Steam. This would be an amazing combination of reliable OS, high quality free software, and access to entertainment. Selling a device with good software included should be a selling point instead of tricking people into an app store pyramid scheme.
I guess this can be the case but at least in my totally-unscientific anecdotal experience, it's not quite there yet for everyone. About 3-4 years ago I bought an iPad 2 for around $650 because I was going to be traveling a lot and wanted something reasonably capable to take along while not adding a lot of weight to my backpack. Maybe 6 months later, my girlfriend wanted a lighter laptop to replace her old Dell but she didn't have a lot to spend at the time. I spent about $500 on a fairly low powered (i3, 4GB RAM, Intel GPU, touch screen, etc) Asus laptop because it was very light and reasonably capable and well built for such a low cost.
Today, that iPad has cracks in the screen from the minor bumps and scuffs it's taken over the years. After several iOS updates it's become slow and tedious to use. Wifi reception is terrible so I often have trouble using it when sitting in bed, exactly one floor above my home router. Opening more than one or two tabs in the web browser causes each one to reload when switching and overall performance is barely acceptable.
Contrast this with the less expensive Asus laptop. My girlfriend still uses it as her sole personal computer and runs Office apps, connects to her work VPN for access to company resources, uses it to watch movies on Netflix, browses the web, and plays casual games. It runs just as well as it ever did and while there are also minor scuffs on the housing, the screen has no sort of cracking and the touch input still works as it always has.
I think that a big part of this has been how iPads and the more "appliance" style tablets have gotten more capable but so have more traditional notebook and desktop computers. Likewise, the performance you get from budget/entry class computers continues to go up even as hardware stays cheap.
At some point, the whole "post-PC" thing will happen as the traditionally "non-PC" devices continue to become more capable up to the point where they can do 90% of the average PC user's tasks. But then, aside from the inability to customize or upgrade, what makes them not PCs?
Meanwhile, I bought an original iPad, and a first gen iPod Touch that my kids are still happily using today. My 19 year old daughter learned (via Youtube) how to replace iPod/iPad screens and has a small side business going...
I know I certainly consider that specific reply to be flippant, and I know there are others who do as well. I don't know if it's the general opinion of people on the Internet to view it as flippant, but at least on HN, the general culture is to not use Reddit-esque short-form replies, and to articulate a full response that uses your own words. Wikipedia isn't exactly known for being a welcoming community.
I think what sets it apart in my mind is the "needed". In a Wikipedia article aiming to be authoritative and correct it may very well be "needed", but in a HN comment it is not "needed", it is "requested". Perhaps even "humbly requested". And the conflation of those 2 words tend to make the requester come off as judgmental/abrasive.
Everyone gets the reference, but it's not really the same situation.
It was just a matter of luck, try using [citation needed] with an argument the HN Community usually disagrees with (for ex. one which favors C or C++ over Rust or Go), and the results will be completely different.
Based on my own experiences with /r/programming and /r/startups, HN is very reasoned, respectful, and lacking in fanaticism in comparison. I think a lot of that has to do with the expectations that the moderators have established and their enforcement thereof. Though I don't necessarily agree with the mostly invisible way in which they do, I've never ran a site this big, so I don't really have the background necessary to argue on what is most effective.
Yes, it's not perfect, but nothing is, and that's not a good enough reason to give up on trying.
In general HN is pretty centered, but there is always a slight bias, I don't complain about it, it is expected, there's no place without bias.
But when you play the devil's advocate you have to take a little bit of extra care in your wording, or at least, this is the pattern I have noticed when your argument disagrees with the consensus.
Are there any detailed reviews on textblade from actual humans? Googling around i find only copy-paste advertisements, and to say that their website doesn't fill me with confidence would be a massive understatement.
The TextBlade looks pretty cool. Looks like it would take a lot of training to get proficient at as well. The MS keyboard is very nice looking and would work for casual typing. It might be a better buy than the cheapie keyboard that the Surface Pro comes with, which is one sucky keyboard.
I'm interested in the textblade. Was the moment I first heard of it. But I've never spent $100 on a keyboard. I would like at least a good honest review from a programmer I've heard of and respect. I would definitely prefer a hands on at a store before plucking down that kind of cash.
I think $100 would be a reasonable price to pay for a keyboard that you use for many hours every day over several decades. The Textblade seems like something that I'd use in short intervals here or there for a year or two.
Most keyboards from <1990 that have been treated reasonably well are still be in good working order today (or are at least repairable). It’s only really the last 25 or so years that keyboards have been on a downward cost/quality spiral.
My favorite freestanding desktop keyboard is still the original Macintosh Extended Keyboard[1] (the 2 is ok, but not as good as the original). I still have one in use on my linux machine. It requires a ADB to USB converter, but it's HID and so it works with anything. That keyboard is from the 1990 timeframe, so it's about 25 years old now and still works wonderfully.
Keyboards and mices from Microsoft and Logitech used to cost around $20-$30 and were of such a high quality that MTTF was about 10 years. Nowadays their products do not meet my needs (no 1990s/2000s traditional business style, only fancy form factors) and are overpriced with lower quality.
You can return it within 30 days of receiving it for a full refund. This means you can do your own review which is really all that will matter.
I am hoping that it helps greatly with special keys compared with standard keyboards. I am very curious about how it works with keyboard navigating type software such as Vim.
It's obviously no mechanical keyboard, but it's a full sized keyboard none the less, and it allows you to enter large amounts of text into your smartphone much easier than what was previously offered.
I would call that a major improvement in the keyboard arena, not a mediocre typing experience.
The limited rate of data entry was what pulled me away from owning a smartphone. I have a dumbphone and I use my laptop for all my serious work. It's nearly impossible to write code on any smartphone out there as of yesterday. But today I would consider getting a smartphone to actually work on. Probably with an HDMI output on it, too. Just in case.
I know what you mean, I have tried to code on my phone far too often!
Wireless keyboard for smart phones aren't new, though. This one is convenient, but you can use existing wireless keyboard with just about any iOS device: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202041
I still prefer when the phone has an integrated keyboard [1]. Less battery drain due to bluetooth, more convenient since you don't loose screen real estate, and your muscle memory develops in no time.
Too bad the marked decided they didn't want this form factor anymore.
It looks similar to a type cover for microsoft's surface. In that case typing will be quite good. I prefer it to any other laptop keyboard that I've used. Of course you can't expect it to be as good as a conventional keyboard.
I've been using a similar keyboard for months. It's a bit awkward and I get stares at coffee shops, but it's an amazing way to crank out emails on my large screen phone. It's the most portable office I've ever had. http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-High-touch-Bluetooth-Flyshar...
You know, if this was a foldable ergonomic keyboard, and also supported OSX/GNU Linux I'd be down. A standard keyboard though, well I can get a nice smallish mechanical switch one for a hundred bucks.
Microsoft once made an awesome trackball and then discontinued it, leaving the remaining supply to be auctioned at high prices on eBay. If you're lucky, you can now find one of these extinct $50 MSRP rarities for the low price of $550 on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer...
Why they won't bring this trackball back to the market is a mystery.
I don't understand why the trackball died. I can move a mouse pointer much faster with it than with a trackpad.
Google's G1 had also a trackball. I think this was the only smartphone with a trackball.
I love my Logitech M570... Have one at work and one at home and can't imagine going back to a regular mouse (may be if I go back gaming but not sure if this would happen).
I had a Pocket-Top folding keyboard that I used with my Sharp Zaurus over ten years ago ... There are a ton of these already on the market [1]. I'll admit this one looks pretty nice.
Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me. I learned typing on my own, and I don't use the home row. My hands wander of their own regard across the keyboard, and I still pull above 100 words per minute. I understand the necessity of a folding point, but this just makes the product unusable for me.
My biggest gripe with almost all portable keyboards is that they can only be used on a flat, firm surface. If I have a flat, firm surface, I'm not mobile.
Unless that MS keyboard locks, I can't sit it on my lap while I'm in the train, or in the back seat of a car. Where are people finding themselves, such that they need a portable keyboard, have a nice, stable flat surface, but also didn't bring their notebook? Shrug :/
I could definitely see myself using something like this to avoid carrying my MacBook around. Especially if I'm traveling in a foreign country and all I'm really doing is sipping wifi checking messages and using google maps.
Hah! Like the good old Microsoft Natural Keyboard, eh? I would go for that if it locked in place, actually, but the wobblyness would drive me nuckin futs.
For me, the quality of a keyboard mostly comes from it's ergonomics. That mostly means tall, mechanical keys that give me tactile feedback about 2/3 press with some space to go. I can't imagine how you'd cram that kind of ergonomic into this flat form factor. It really looks like a torture instrument for the fingers. Did I miss some important point here?
No. It will be like typing on a laptop keyboard, I imagine. I imagine the main requirement is just that it be a lot better than typing on your phone, which fortunately is a pretty low bar, allowing them to focus on saving space even if it's at the expense of a bit of key feel.
I believe you confuse ergonomics with personal preferences.
Ergonomics means literally the "law of work" and was a science devoted to study how to improve productivity of people without breaking them, basically.
Then ergonomics' discoveries proved useful for other areas.
Now, tall mechanical keys are a personal preference of you, but this does not mean it being the best way to do it.
One question, is that really a personal preference or it is just the way you had been trained to use a keyboard?. Remember your first keyboard, how it was? it was tall with mechanical keys? how much time have you been using(trained on)tall mechanical keys keyboards?
I used to prefer working sitting down precisely before studying human factors and ergonomics. Working standing up looks terrible unhealthy until you dive into the data and realize that most of the problems comes from women using heels while working.
Then I discovered that the remainder of workers standing and moving while in work are in fact healthier than those that work sitting down. Sitting down all day is terrible for your health.
So I started working standing up a little and using a stool the rest of the time, put my computer at eye level.
At first I preferred the old way, because I had been trained since child for working sitting down. But one or two months later, when my body has adapted, I discovered the benefits were enormous. No way I could go back.
It is difficult for people to change a habit, but young people are raised with tablets and they will find awkward the concept of tall mechanical keys. After using Apple's keyboards for long I do too.
They really don't like touch keyboards do they :-)
Having said that Microsoft IMHO are much better at hardware than software anyway so it could well be a decent keyboard - but original - nope - had one of these 10 years ago.
Since every single comment[0] at the time of me writing mine is negative, let me make a positive one.
I do really like the concept and would buy a high-quality Bluetooth keyboard. I care about ergonomics and probably wouldn't want to code all day on such one, but sure as hell I would use it to reply to e-mails during my commute or write stuff wherever I happen to be at the moment.
I actually bought a cheap BT keyboard for my phone once for the very reasons outlined above, but ended up not using it because it was too crappy. Not the ergonomics, mind you - this I would tolerate, but the fact that it sometimes locked up and some letters were almost impossible to press - making the whole thing too unreliable for touch-typing. But I trust that Microsoft can make their own hardware well enough, and I might be looking into buying it when it comes out.
[0] - not picking on you personally, AnkhMorporkian, but your "Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me" sounds ironic when surrounded by over a dozen of comments criticizing the device. No, you're not alone ;).
When folded it is about the same size as my Note 4, and I use it with the phone plus a Bluetooth mouse as a much more capable tablet alternative.
The actual keyboard is pretty good - better than some laptops - and the fact you can run two apps in split screen on a Note 4 makes it pretty practical for a lot of tasks. Plus I can fit the whole setup into my jeans or a jacket so I don't have to take a bag.
I actually used this [0] old Palm keyboard quite effectively with an iPad when travelling. Not very comfortable, but quite usable in a pinch. Bought out the last remaining mint condition piece a couple of years back and it has actually served us quite well when we feel the need to type longer bits of text while on vacation :-)
That doesn't fold though. It's a foot wide and 4cm thick. The whole point of this new keyboard here is that it folds, and that it's really thin, so that it's like 6" x 5" x 1cm, and can go in your handbag or coat pocket.
I still have two generations of the Palm folding keyboard, including the one shown in the link, and a newer one that's even slicker. They are in my junk box along with the Palm Pilots that I bought them for.
They were absolutely wonderful. I could unfold the keyboard, turn on the Palm, and be taking notes in a meeting or on an airplane, in seconds. Plus, the Palm devices had killer battery life despite the battery technology of their time, and some usability concepts that were way ahead of their time.
Every software replacement keyboard has the same problem in lacking familiarity and having a high learning curve that makes it difficult for new users to pick up. The only exception is qwerty on mobile.
It's a keyboard that fits in a purse. C'mon, that's awesome! I used something similar though back a decade and a half ago with my Palm V, although it wasn't quite as sexy.
They guy who is marketing this keyboard is responsible for selling keyboards, so he lists them in the order of likelihood that the reader owns one. Speaking exactly, only 71 people on Earth actually have Windows tablets, so mentioning them first would only serve to make the author seem like a corporate toolbag of the highest order.
It tells you nothing about their self esteem, it's about offering products people want to buy. Does selling Microsoft Office for OS X show a lack of esteem? (Hint: the basic Office programs appeared first on the Mac.)
In any case, Microsoft already launched a Universal Bluetooth Keyboard (works with Windows, Android, iOS) last year. It would be a surprise if they went backwards from that.
I would gladly buy something less portable than that if it was still at least somewhat portable and was half as comfortable as Microsoft's Natural Keyboard line.
248 comments
[ 5.1 ms ] story [ 268 ms ] threadThere's much prior art: https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&client=safari&hl=en...
I wonder how much MS paid Time.com for that article?
Here I was half-excited, half-terrified about seeing something with no buttons; or one without the standard letter keys.
Still, if it's comfortable for typing, and if the battery really lasts that long, that'd be kinda neat. But I doubt either will be true.
I'm not saying you are wrong per se, but at least lets try to keep our standards consistent.
How about patenting this http://goo.gl/9KApy7, then?
That said, I do regard the Microsoft Natural keyboard one of the greatest keyboard designs I've used, but even that was only a slight variation on prior art. My only gripe is that I've never found one with mechanical switches (so I'm pretty sure they never existed).
PS - here is a plug for another "reinvented" bluetooth keyboard - its not foldable though :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOot8H8GPM4
Edit: reviews of other mechanical ergo keyboards: http://www.anandtech.com/tag/ergonomic
I am also a big fan of the curve to the Natural keyboard, used to be my primary keyboard. However I find the combination of mechanical keys + a tenkeyless standard layout design (noticed a sore shoulder from mouse hand being far to the right) offers the most comfort for me at the moment.
Now if only Logitech would make their TrackMan Wheel still. Or maybe Microsoft would make a worthy successor? Hint, hint (I own 4 Logitech trackballs just incase they are ever discontinued completely).
(Here's how to enjoy a thumb-trackball: Push up the sensitivity to max. Give it 14 days no matter how bad you think it is. Love it forever.)
Then they went on to "reinvent" CP/M for the IBM-PC.
They "reinvent" pretty much everything they do.
The B key is usually in the middle, and I've always used my right hand to hit it, so this isn't a keyboard I'd want to use.
In any case, this time.com post is just blogspam. Here’s Microsoft’s page that all the content comes from: http://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2015/03/02/get-more-done...
And here’s another third party page with some more pictures: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/132994-microsoft-universal-f...
Here’s discussion at geekhack, a keyboard enthusiast forum: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=69498
For a keyboard attacking the same ultraportable market, the upcoming TextBlade keyboard seems like a much more interesting sort of new idea: https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/trailer
edit:
>With the TextBlade, WayTools can deliver over-the-air updates to keep firmware up to date, something that's not possible with most keyboards. The TextBlade will have more functions six months after it's released than it does today. For example, one upcoming update will add multi-device support, and that update is coming a few weeks after launch.
Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/06/hands-on-with-the-textbl...
So it seems that there is enough brain inside the device to handle it all, if I'm reading that correctly. Interesting.
It's not rocket science, how hard can it be to make a bug-free keyboard firmware? It's not this is virgin ground either, keyboards have been built for decades which had no bugs.
In the end of the day it's still a keyboard. You click the keys and it sends keycodes down a wire or using Bluteooth. What's there to update?
Keyboards also haven't changed significantly for decades, we still use the same basic design, exterior(QWERTY) and interior(keyboard matrix circuit).
Cut and paste seems to have buit-in shortcuts, I'm not sure about things like cmd+space, ctrl+tab etc. There don't even seem to be an escape key.
Select and Edit combos (on home row!) let you access arrows, dedicated prev/next word, home/end and replaces Ctrl+ZXCV. So you're using Cmd(/Ctrl) and Shift less in favor of home row chords. To further deprecate Shift (leaving only letters and <>?"), most punctiuation moved to the Fn layer (the green modifier though they don't call it that).
That makes a lot of sense, as thumb-activated Cmd and Fn ought to be more comfortable than Shift.
The only loss in modifier convenience is numbers requiring Fn but that's cheap price for a row off.
=> Seems it has almost everything. The big missing modifiers are Alt and Win/Super. OTOH there is a "Media" modifier they don't elaborate on. I hope the remapping software is flexible enough to map at least Alt.
There will be a big learning curve for shortcut users, though modifier usage _ought_ to be actually more convenient than standard keyboards. (all theoretic)
Hmm, I'm off to try https://superuser.com/questions/96299/mapping-superhjkl-to-a...
Anyway, for the "Post PC era" to truly take off, we're going to need portable wireless keyboards that "just work". Tablets are going to replace desktops for most people, once we figure out how to attach better input devices. The Microsoft keyboard does appear to be a big step in the right direction, if it actually works.
That already exists, it's a netbook. Or worst case scenario, one of those netbooks with detachable screen.
In short, tablet has taken the place of the "crappy tiny laptop", and the modern good laptop has gotten closer to the size of the crappy tiny laptop without being crappy. The sweet spot for the netbook has shrunk to the point where it almost doesn't exist anymore, and thus there are no netbooks.
There are other Windows laptops where the screen folds back to provide a slightly heavier tablet, like the Lenovo Yoga 2 series and the HP11 x360.
Windows 8.1 tablets can support USB keyboards and full-size screens. Hook them up to a expanison hub and they can support multiple screens. I wouldn't recommend one as a desktop replacement, but then, I wouldn't recommend a MacBook Air as a desktop replacement either.
Both freaked when the netbook first hit. Intel because they could make for a passable citrix client and so undermine their lucrative ultraportable segment. MS because it was Linux on a off the shelf product.
So what we got was some very stringent spec requirements from the two to make a underperforming mini-laptop running Windows XP (remember that MS was trying to sell Vista at the time).
What looked like a interesting experimental market (one early model had a thumb sized touchpad sitting near the screen hinge rather than a touchpad below the keyboard) ended up another pile of rebranded clones.
Just look at Android. Now a days a app can't really get direct access to the filesystem. Everything has to go through the "media storage".
The way i see it, these "post PC" devices are Big Media's wet dream. Now they can get the DRM enforcement built in that before they had to attempt to "hack" in (Sony's rootkit, anyone?).
Meanwhile for $500, you can get a cheap plastic laptop that will break on its own through normal wear and tear. It runs an OS that is far more advanced than what you need. The OS needs maintenance, and you need to pay attention to what you're doing. It's super hard to keep a computer running. You might not think it is, but look at the existence of Geek Squad and how many people are afraid of their computer, or can't do simple things. But they're using iPads like an expert.
That's post-PC. You and I will keep our x86 systems with massive globs of RAM and terrabytes of hard drive space because we need them. And the rest of the world will finally get to use their computing devices the way they want to use them for a change.
We could easily see a return to more traditional hardware that gets back to simplicity. I would love to see affordable SoC laptops with discrete graphics running something like Ubuntu and Steam. This would be an amazing combination of reliable OS, high quality free software, and access to entertainment. Selling a device with good software included should be a selling point instead of tricking people into an app store pyramid scheme.
E.g. The Wi-Fi issue in iOS 8. Already on 8.2 and not fixed for many people.
Is this inescapable?
Today, that iPad has cracks in the screen from the minor bumps and scuffs it's taken over the years. After several iOS updates it's become slow and tedious to use. Wifi reception is terrible so I often have trouble using it when sitting in bed, exactly one floor above my home router. Opening more than one or two tabs in the web browser causes each one to reload when switching and overall performance is barely acceptable.
Contrast this with the less expensive Asus laptop. My girlfriend still uses it as her sole personal computer and runs Office apps, connects to her work VPN for access to company resources, uses it to watch movies on Netflix, browses the web, and plays casual games. It runs just as well as it ever did and while there are also minor scuffs on the housing, the screen has no sort of cracking and the touch input still works as it always has.
I think that a big part of this has been how iPads and the more "appliance" style tablets have gotten more capable but so have more traditional notebook and desktop computers. Likewise, the performance you get from budget/entry class computers continues to go up even as hardware stays cheap.
At some point, the whole "post-PC" thing will happen as the traditionally "non-PC" devices continue to become more capable up to the point where they can do 90% of the average PC user's tasks. But then, aside from the inability to customize or upgrade, what makes them not PCs?
[citation needed]
No offense was intended in the grandparent.
Everyone gets the reference, but it's not really the same situation.
Yes, it's not perfect, but nothing is, and that's not a good enough reason to give up on trying.
But when you play the devil's advocate you have to take a little bit of extra care in your wording, or at least, this is the pattern I have noticed when your argument disagrees with the consensus.
http://news.cnet.com/Gates-defends-PC-at-Comdex,-unveils-new...
http://news.microsoft.com/2001/11/11/gates-showcases-tablet-...
One example: http://www.tabletpcreview.com/tabletreview/samsung-q1-ultra-...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Extended_Keyboard
I am hoping that it helps greatly with special keys compared with standard keyboards. I am very curious about how it works with keyboard navigating type software such as Vim.
I pre-ordered it.
It's obviously no mechanical keyboard, but it's a full sized keyboard none the less, and it allows you to enter large amounts of text into your smartphone much easier than what was previously offered.
I would call that a major improvement in the keyboard arena, not a mediocre typing experience.
The limited rate of data entry was what pulled me away from owning a smartphone. I have a dumbphone and I use my laptop for all my serious work. It's nearly impossible to write code on any smartphone out there as of yesterday. But today I would consider getting a smartphone to actually work on. Probably with an HDMI output on it, too. Just in case.
Wireless keyboard for smart phones aren't new, though. This one is convenient, but you can use existing wireless keyboard with just about any iOS device: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202041
Too bad the marked decided they didn't want this form factor anymore.
[1] http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-p...
I'm pretty sure they screwed something up, since it points to https://waytools.com/products/textblade/1/undefined.
Note "undefined"!
Why they won't bring this trackball back to the market is a mystery.
Highly recomend it! :)
[1] http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Afold...
People who use it are to be called UFK'ers
Unless that MS keyboard locks, I can't sit it on my lap while I'm in the train, or in the back seat of a car. Where are people finding themselves, such that they need a portable keyboard, have a nice, stable flat surface, but also didn't bring their notebook? Shrug :/
Ergonomics means literally the "law of work" and was a science devoted to study how to improve productivity of people without breaking them, basically.
Then ergonomics' discoveries proved useful for other areas.
Now, tall mechanical keys are a personal preference of you, but this does not mean it being the best way to do it.
One question, is that really a personal preference or it is just the way you had been trained to use a keyboard?. Remember your first keyboard, how it was? it was tall with mechanical keys? how much time have you been using(trained on)tall mechanical keys keyboards?
I used to prefer working sitting down precisely before studying human factors and ergonomics. Working standing up looks terrible unhealthy until you dive into the data and realize that most of the problems comes from women using heels while working.
Then I discovered that the remainder of workers standing and moving while in work are in fact healthier than those that work sitting down. Sitting down all day is terrible for your health.
So I started working standing up a little and using a stool the rest of the time, put my computer at eye level.
At first I preferred the old way, because I had been trained since child for working sitting down. But one or two months later, when my body has adapted, I discovered the benefits were enormous. No way I could go back.
It is difficult for people to change a habit, but young people are raised with tablets and they will find awkward the concept of tall mechanical keys. After using Apple's keyboards for long I do too.
Having said that Microsoft IMHO are much better at hardware than software anyway so it could well be a decent keyboard - but original - nope - had one of these 10 years ago.
I do really like the concept and would buy a high-quality Bluetooth keyboard. I care about ergonomics and probably wouldn't want to code all day on such one, but sure as hell I would use it to reply to e-mails during my commute or write stuff wherever I happen to be at the moment.
I actually bought a cheap BT keyboard for my phone once for the very reasons outlined above, but ended up not using it because it was too crappy. Not the ergonomics, mind you - this I would tolerate, but the fact that it sometimes locked up and some letters were almost impossible to press - making the whole thing too unreliable for touch-typing. But I trust that Microsoft can make their own hardware well enough, and I might be looking into buying it when it comes out.
[0] - not picking on you personally, AnkhMorporkian, but your "Perhaps I'm nearly alone in this, but this just wouldn't work for me" sounds ironic when surrounded by over a dozen of comments criticizing the device. No, you're not alone ;).
I think there's definitively a professional market that can afford to pay well for something only used occasionally. It's just not mass-market.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QRQZQR8?psc=1&redirect...
When folded it is about the same size as my Note 4, and I use it with the phone plus a Bluetooth mouse as a much more capable tablet alternative.
The actual keyboard is pretty good - better than some laptops - and the fact you can run two apps in split screen on a Note 4 makes it pretty practical for a lot of tasks. Plus I can fit the whole setup into my jeans or a jacket so I don't have to take a bag.
The MS keyboard seems like a continuation of their Surface keyboard cover.
[0]http://www.amazon.com/Palm-3245WW-Wireless-Bluetooth-Keyboar...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Hacking_Keyboard
Much better prior art here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Vx-Portable-Keyboard-105Keys/dp... (has 2 fold points, feels like a laptop keyboard)
"But your bicycle is so slow!"
They were absolutely wonderful. I could unfold the keyboard, turn on the Palm, and be taking notes in a meeting or on an airplane, in seconds. Plus, the Palm devices had killer battery life despite the battery technology of their time, and some usability concepts that were way ahead of their time.
http://stenosaurus.blogspot.com/
Was that necessary?
That's much better than corporate-speak from lala land where there's only Surface tablet and Windows phones.
In any case, Microsoft already launched a Universal Bluetooth Keyboard (works with Windows, Android, iOS) last year. It would be a surprise if they went backwards from that.