What one hand keyboard exists?

[xeon123]

What one hand keyboards exists in the market?

They are advisable for someone that is in the computer all day?

[yasuo]

Maltron single hand w/ blacks and expensive
better  you buy 2nd

[RabRhee]

There is always this thing if you want a different experience, I have no clue what switch type it uses though.

http://www.infogrip.com/bat-keyboard.html

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Matias Half Keyboard — very expensive, though!

(This post was brought to you with one hand, as I'm eating my lunch :)

[terran5992]

Talking about this?

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[Daniel Beardsmore]

Ignoring the retards who made that video — if that's from 1981, what switches did it have? Certainly would not have been Cherry MX back in the late 70s (first keyboard came out in 1976) and the beginning of the 80s.

[Epimetheus]

There's the FrogPad,  It uses a funky layout and chording.  It would take major training to master, and may be an invitation to develop major RSI, but it is interesting.

Here's the wikipedia article, which talks about the first iteration:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FrogPad

Here is a link to FrogPad's own site, with info on the upcoming second model:

http://www.frogpad.com/frogpad2.php

If you're really curious about how it works, you can even download an iPad app.

[yasuo]

Ignoring the retards who made that video — if that's from 1981, what switches did it have? Certainly would not have been Cherry MX back in the late 70s (first keyboard came out in 1976) and the beginning of the 80s.

Old/vintage black
Proword maybe more know

[hoggy]

Why do you need a one hand keyboard?  Are you only able to use (or have) one hand.  I only ask as a few people have tried a one handed keyboard so they can keep a hand on the mouse all day - and given it up.

You could try a fitaly layout on a programmable point of sale board - such as Access or Tipro. 

something like the one on the left



Or the twiddler.

[Findecanor]

Many many years ago, there was the Microwriter. It was really a small word processor with a chording keyboard. You could edit text on it, and then print from it, but it could also be used as a keyboard for a computer.
The input system "Microwriting" is now used by the keyboard CyKey.
I have heard about an iPhone app also, but I am not sure.

The DataEgg and the Twiddler are portable chord keyboards meant to be held in one hand when you type.
The Twiddler seems to be (or have been) available, but the DataEgg does not seem to have got off the ground.

http://www.infogrip.com/bat-keyboard.html

Kurrk had brought one to the Deskthority Keyboard Party 2013. I don't remember, but I think that it used Cherry MX Black.
The keys are a bit far from each other. The chords are based on how to resemble letters with your fingers.. somehow.

Matias Half Keyboard — very expensive, though!

The idea behind the Half Keyboard is that if you do proper touch typing, then your muscle memory for one hand is present in the other (!). That means that you can use the left hand for typing like the right, and the thumb for toggling between left and right.
It would be easy to configure an ErgoDox to work according to the same principle, except that I don't think that it supports overloading a key for two functions like Matias' keyboard does. Hasu's firmware can do overloaded keys though, but I don't think that it supports ErgoDox's I/O expander.

BTW, if you are really interested in weird, alternative or experimental input devices, do check out The Buxton Collection. It is a guy at Microsoft Research who put photos of his device collection on the web.

[hoggy]

I'd forgotten about the microwriter.  The chords are really well thought out, and you can master the alphabet pretty quickly.  I wouldn't recommend one for coding (for the same reasons why I don't recommend any of the chording keyboards for coding) as the mastery you require of the device before you could take it into work would pretty much remove the chance of you mastering the device...

[Proword]

I've cut and pasted this reply from another thread in the ergonomics board.

*************************
http://www.maltron.com/component/content/article/11.html

I've used Maltron 2 handers since the mid '80s, and a couple of years ago I bought two single handers to experiment with.

I was very pleased with how quickly I was able to grasp it and it was only a few hours until I reached about 12 wpm touch typing.

This is me fairly early on in my learning.

I didn't go any further because I didn't need to, but I'm satisfied that you'd be hard pressed to get anything better.

If you buy a keyboard from Maltron you can get a CD with typing lessons on.  But if you buy one privately there are typing lessons on line which I used and found excellent.

http://www.maltron.com/training

Just pick your hand.

Towards the end of this little advertising jingle there is an interview with a single hand user.

Joe