5 ms·

Microsoft's RearType: Physical keys to the iPad, Kindle and tablet kingdoms?

10 points by bensummers 16y ago

fragmede 16y ago
The actual paper is https://research.microsoft.com/pubs/135609/reartype%20mobilehci.pdf https://research.microsoft.com/pubs/135609/reartype%20mobile... They only had 12 participants, and while they cite 15 WPM as average performance, one of the participants did 47 WPM. Unfortunately, they don't give original keyboard speed of participants. Their testing also compared between the 3 - touchscreen, keyboard, and rear-type in relatively short bursts. The all-important question is how well would someone do if they used this exclusively as their input device? Judging from the pictures, the hardware used is a MIMO usb monitor[1] with an ergodex keyboard[2]. [1] http://www.mimomonitors.com/ http://www.mimomonitors.com/ [2] http://www.ergodex.com/mainpage.htm http://www.ergodex.com/mainpage.htm
BornInTheUSSR 16y ago
I hope they get somewhere with this, but it just seems like the wrong direction for tablet interface design. "Perfection is not when nothing more can be added, but nothing more can be taken away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery
WiseWeasel 16y ago
This looks like an awful kludge. The thought of typing for extended periods while holding my arms up at that angle, plus supporting the weight of the iPad seems like an ergonomic nightmare. If you need to do some serious typing with a tablet, pull out a bluetooth keyboard and prop the tablet up, or go for a clamshell keyboard case for the tablet, like this: http://clamcase.com/ http://clamcase.com/
- fragmede 16y ago
  This is attempting to supplant usage of laptops where there are no desks - http://www.amazon.com/Connect-A-Desk-Mobile-Laptop-Harness-Desk/dp/B001G713NO http://www.amazon.com/Connect-A-Desk-Mobile-Laptop-Harness-D...
  - WiseWeasel 16y ago
    For that, you simply hold the tablet with one arm, and peck-type with the other hand; works fine for short text entry. You're not going to write an essay without sitting at a desk first. I don't see any good usage cases for the MS tech being demoed.
    - fragmede 16y ago
      What's with being chained to a desk for essay writing? If you can't admit to a use case somewhere between 'short text entry' and 'an essay', then I can't help you. Snark aside, you've never had an email you're writing ('short text entry') turn into something longer ('an essay')? At what point do you sit down? Or how about a 30-minute long subway commute? No tables, and during rush-hour, no seats either. Or on bus or in a car? You can awkward perch a tablet on your lap in a pinch; no one is saying you can't still do that, but, well, it's awkward.
      - WiseWeasel 16y ago
        The answer is simple ergonomics. If you have any notion of staying free of back, neck, arm and wrist pain for the rest of your life, you'll want to get comfortable to type for extended periods, along with any other repetitive tasks you perform. Bad ergonomics plus extended repetitive tasks equals potential serious and lasting injury. If it's just your personal device, it'll simply not get used and gather dust in a drawer. If we're talking about something you'd be required to use at work, then it's a legal liability.
Shorel 16y ago
I want special gloves and special glasses. That's my dream portable computer.
kenjackson 16y ago
I think they have the right idea, but the wrong implementation. It shouldn't be a physical keyboard, but rather a touchpad on the back. With faux-translucency so you can see where your fingers are resting. By default, when you rest your four fingers to each side of the back... the keyboard home row adjusts to rest under your finger The way it should work is that it detects a keypress when the user presses down and releases a key within half a second. This would allow them to build a thin device, easily support landscape and portrait, and even provide multiple keyboard types.
adolph 16y ago
It reminds me of some Apple patents for back-side input on small devices: http://gizmodo.com/259271/next-gen-ipod-patent-has-touch-surface-on-back http://gizmodo.com/259271/next-gen-ipod-patent-has-touch-sur... I think that both ideas have a snowball-in-hell chance of being in an actual product. A significant power of a touch interface is directness ( http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1453235 http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1453235 ). Fingers on the back of the device break directness.

10 points by bensummers 16y ago

The actual paper is https://research.microsoft.com/pubs/135609/reartype%20mobilehci.pdf https://research.microsoft.com/pubs/135609/reartype%20mobile... They only had 12 participants, and while they cite 15 WPM as average performance, one of the participants did 47 WPM. Unfortunately, they don't give original keyboard speed of participants. Their testing also compared between the 3 - touchscreen, keyboard, and rear-type in relatively short bursts. The all-important question is how well would someone do if they used this exclusively as their input device? Judging from the pictures, the hardware used is a MIMO usb monitor[1] with an ergodex keyboard[2]. [1] http://www.mimomonitors.com/ http://www.mimomonitors.com/ [2] http://www.ergodex.com/mainpage.htm http://www.ergodex.com/mainpage.htm

BornInTheUSSR 16y ago

I hope they get somewhere with this, but it just seems like the wrong direction for tablet interface design. "Perfection is not when nothing more can be added, but nothing more can be taken away." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

WiseWeasel 16y ago

This looks like an awful kludge. The thought of typing for extended periods while holding my arms up at that angle, plus supporting the weight of the iPad seems like an ergonomic nightmare. If you need to do some serious typing with a tablet, pull out a bluetooth keyboard and prop the tablet up, or go for a clamshell keyboard case for the tablet, like this: http://clamcase.com/ http://clamcase.com/

fragmede 16y ago
This is attempting to supplant usage of laptops where there are no desks - http://www.amazon.com/Connect-A-Desk-Mobile-Laptop-Harness-Desk/dp/B001G713NO http://www.amazon.com/Connect-A-Desk-Mobile-Laptop-Harness-D...
- WiseWeasel 16y ago
  For that, you simply hold the tablet with one arm, and peck-type with the other hand; works fine for short text entry. You're not going to write an essay without sitting at a desk first. I don't see any good usage cases for the MS tech being demoed.
  - fragmede 16y ago
    What's with being chained to a desk for essay writing? If you can't admit to a use case somewhere between 'short text entry' and 'an essay', then I can't help you. Snark aside, you've never had an email you're writing ('short text entry') turn into something longer ('an essay')? At what point do you sit down? Or how about a 30-minute long subway commute? No tables, and during rush-hour, no seats either. Or on bus or in a car? You can awkward perch a tablet on your lap in a pinch; no one is saying you can't still do that, but, well, it's awkward.
    - WiseWeasel 16y ago
      The answer is simple ergonomics. If you have any notion of staying free of back, neck, arm and wrist pain for the rest of your life, you'll want to get comfortable to type for extended periods, along with any other repetitive tasks you perform. Bad ergonomics plus extended repetitive tasks equals potential serious and lasting injury. If it's just your personal device, it'll simply not get used and gather dust in a drawer. If we're talking about something you'd be required to use at work, then it's a legal liability.

Shorel 16y ago

I want special gloves and special glasses. That's my dream portable computer.

kenjackson 16y ago

I think they have the right idea, but the wrong implementation. It shouldn't be a physical keyboard, but rather a touchpad on the back. With faux-translucency so you can see where your fingers are resting. By default, when you rest your four fingers to each side of the back... the keyboard home row adjusts to rest under your finger The way it should work is that it detects a keypress when the user presses down and releases a key within half a second. This would allow them to build a thin device, easily support landscape and portrait, and even provide multiple keyboard types.

adolph 16y ago

It reminds me of some Apple patents for back-side input on small devices: http://gizmodo.com/259271/next-gen-ipod-patent-has-touch-surface-on-back http://gizmodo.com/259271/next-gen-ipod-patent-has-touch-sur... I think that both ideas have a snowball-in-hell chance of being in an actual product. A significant power of a touch interface is directness ( http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1453235 http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1453235 ). Fingers on the back of the device break directness.