5 ms·

Patenting qualms aside, I think this is a brilliant idea. I wonder why this hasn't been implemented. I could definitely see using this format for detection, bu

Patenting qualms aside, I think this is a brilliant idea. I wonder why this hasn't been implemented. I could definitely see using this format for detection, but then visually using square buttons. Best of both worlds?

andrewljohnson 17y ago
Agree.
buugs 17y ago
It's not pretty and round.
amichail 17y ago
It doesn't make any sense to me. On a touch screen, you would have the touch point and you can see which key center it's closest to. Here's my suggestion for improving touch screen keyboards: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=519052 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=519052
DougBTX 17y ago
> I could definitely see using this format for detection Why have any gaps between the keys at all? On a physical keyboard, you want gaps for at least a couple of reasons: so that your fingers can feel the edges, and so that you don't accidently click on two keys at once. Triangular keys might make some sense on a physical keyboard then, since presumably you would be able to press inside the combined area of the key's triangle and the two adjacent triangular gaps, so less chance of pressing two keys at once. On a soft keyboard, you can't feel the edges of the keys, so the first point doesn't apply anymore. The second worry, pressing two keys at once, also doesn't apply, since the software calculates the centre point of the finger press, and activates the key which that point falls over, rather than all the keys under your finger. With a soft key pad then, the only real way to make keys easier to press is to make them bigger. The iPhone for example, will increase the effective size of the keys that you are likely to press next, predicted based on language settings. So, it probably hasn't been implemented for a soft key pad because it would make it harder to press the keys. You would press roughly in the right place, and get no response. As for physical key pads, I notice that the Blackberry has keys with raised diagonals. That probably gets you most of the advantages of triangular keys (easier to feel them apart) without the need to actually make them triangular. http://3466.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/8820-keyboard.jpg?host=vox http://3466.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/8820-keybo...
- lunchbox 17y ago
  Agreed. This is why I found it bizarre that the BlackBerry Storm's on-screen keboard mimics the 2-letters-per-button design of some of its hardware keyboards. Pic: http://www.infoworld.com/infoworld/img/48TC-storm-portrait.gif http://www.infoworld.com/infoworld/img/48TC-storm-portrait.g... The buttons are all virtual, and the only thing that matters is the (x,y) coordinate of the screen press. so why encourage users to press the screen somewhere other than the center of the desired letter?
- derefr 17y ago
  I'm imagining that the real HCI difference here is that which key your finger is determined to be centered on changes. Whereas before, touching the "gap" between a key above and below your finger would have an unpredictable 50/50 chance of activating either key, now the "gradient of precedence" of the keys fade out as they near the triangle point, so, assuming the triangles were pointed downward, you would always activate the key below. Making things predictable makes users happy. You could do this without the triangular display, of course; it's simply an interesting affordance to hint to users that they can use the keys this way.
  - DougBTX 17y ago
    Wouldn't that be the same as shifting the active area of the keys a few pixels upwards?

andrewljohnson 17y ago

Agree.

buugs 17y ago

It's not pretty and round.

amichail 17y ago

It doesn't make any sense to me. On a touch screen, you would have the touch point and you can see which key center it's closest to. Here's my suggestion for improving touch screen keyboards: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=519052 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=519052

DougBTX 17y ago

> I could definitely see using this format for detection Why have any gaps between the keys at all? On a physical keyboard, you want gaps for at least a couple of reasons: so that your fingers can feel the edges, and so that you don't accidently click on two keys at once. Triangular keys might make some sense on a physical keyboard then, since presumably you would be able to press inside the combined area of the key's triangle and the two adjacent triangular gaps, so less chance of pressing two keys at once. On a soft keyboard, you can't feel the edges of the keys, so the first point doesn't apply anymore. The second worry, pressing two keys at once, also doesn't apply, since the software calculates the centre point of the finger press, and activates the key which that point falls over, rather than all the keys under your finger. With a soft key pad then, the only real way to make keys easier to press is to make them bigger. The iPhone for example, will increase the effective size of the keys that you are likely to press next, predicted based on language settings. So, it probably hasn't been implemented for a soft key pad because it would make it harder to press the keys. You would press roughly in the right place, and get no response. As for physical key pads, I notice that the Blackberry has keys with raised diagonals. That probably gets you most of the advantages of triangular keys (easier to feel them apart) without the need to actually make them triangular. http://3466.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/8820-keyboard.jpg?host=vox http://3466.voxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/8820-keybo...

lunchbox 17y ago
Agreed. This is why I found it bizarre that the BlackBerry Storm's on-screen keboard mimics the 2-letters-per-button design of some of its hardware keyboards. Pic: http://www.infoworld.com/infoworld/img/48TC-storm-portrait.gif http://www.infoworld.com/infoworld/img/48TC-storm-portrait.g... The buttons are all virtual, and the only thing that matters is the (x,y) coordinate of the screen press. so why encourage users to press the screen somewhere other than the center of the desired letter?
derefr 17y ago
I'm imagining that the real HCI difference here is that which key your finger is determined to be centered on changes. Whereas before, touching the "gap" between a key above and below your finger would have an unpredictable 50/50 chance of activating either key, now the "gradient of precedence" of the keys fade out as they near the triangle point, so, assuming the triangles were pointed downward, you would always activate the key below. Making things predictable makes users happy. You could do this without the triangular display, of course; it's simply an interesting affordance to hint to users that they can use the keys this way.
- DougBTX 17y ago
  Wouldn't that be the same as shifting the active area of the keys a few pixels upwards?