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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: fkeidjn on Mon, 17 November 2008, 23:16:25

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: fkeidjn on Mon, 17 November 2008, 23:16:25

I thought I'd try to kick up discussion once again of a corny keyboard (if it even deserves to be called such) concept.

From the same makers of the Optimus Maximus (http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/) comes the ultimate in keyboarding............

The Optimus Tactus!!! (http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-tactus/)

Meh...

It's supposed to be a touch-screen keyboard, with no actual keys.  I think it'll work great as a collector's item to simply look at, but never to get one self's grubby paws on...

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 18 November 2008, 06:03:36

Fail.

This is completely moving in the wrong direction.  First, mfrs. started dropping real switches for rubber domes, now they are dropping rubber domes for, well, nothing.  Great. :rolleyes:

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: bhtooefr on Tue, 18 November 2008, 07:17:09

itlnstln: But, but, the iPhone doesn't have a real keyboard, and it's soooo cool!

(I'll note that I can't type worth a crap on my iPhone, yet on my Centro (with much smaller physical keys than the iPhone's software keys) I can do about 30 WPM.)

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 18 November 2008, 07:37:47

I have a Centro as well, and I am very suprised how well I can type on it.  I do a lot of e-mail for work from my phone, and have very little trouble cranking them out from the Centro.  Touchscreens drive me insane, especially, when they are not calibrated (I SWEAR I pressed Obama!!!  Why does it keep picking McCain!!!) :)  Bejeweled and the solitaire game work real well with the Centro's touchscreen also.

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: bhtooefr on Tue, 18 November 2008, 07:45:03

I was actually helping a "friend" shop for phones, and we got to talking with the Wal-Mart sales drone, who ended up whipping out his iPhone. He ended up handing it to this friend, who tried a rather realistic test - typing while not looking at the phone. What showed up was total and complete gibberish.

Then, I handed my Centro to her, and she only made a couple mistakes, never having typed on a Centro before.

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 18 November 2008, 08:05:05

I would like something other than a Palm (WinMo, probably) as my next phone (something with a bigger screen, for sure), but I will definitely be looking for a QWERTY keyboard.

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: bhtooefr on Tue, 18 November 2008, 08:18:44

The OS's stability does leave a lot to be desired...

(And, because of its weird development models, the two best browsers are Blazer, which... doesn't blaze, is incompatible with a lot of sites, and requires a LOT of sideways scrolling, or Opera Mini, which requires a pirated version of the J9 JVM, requires lots of tweaking to run at all, and crashes left and right because the J9 JVM sucks horribly.)

But, they got the UI right, IMO. Simple is good on a device like this. Yes, it looks dated, although I've got PalmRevolt and Fonts4OS5 installed, and that helps a lot.

(Fonts4OS5 is also a good thing to have for Opera Mini, because Opera Mini wants to run at the large font sizes on Palm OS, and doesn't support the Opera Mini built-in subpixel-rendered font. So, Fonts4OS5 allows you to install a different (smaller) font of your choosing for certain applications.)

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 18 November 2008, 08:22:25

Do these apps have official websites?  I am getting killed at work trying to research them (Websense, FTL).  I might have to check them out when I go home.

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: bhtooefr on Tue, 18 November 2008, 08:38:05

pRevolt: http://www.3gxsoft.com/palmrevolt/

(Hmm, I need to update my copy, they've even changed the name...)

Fonts4OS5: http://www.lubak.net/

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: itlnstln on Tue, 18 November 2008, 08:46:01

FontSmoother looks pretty nice.  I will have to check out pRevolt when I get home, though, I am getting hammered by Websense.

Title: optimus tactus???
Post by: Chuque on Tue, 18 November 2008, 14:18:39

I can see this being used more as a secondary display with touchscreen bonus at my desk at work where an extra display on the desk might be better than in a more traditional display array.  I have a total of ( monitors across 3 pcs in front of me right now)

but primary input device?  nope I'll stick with my Model M ...