Samsung smartphone keyboard takes wing Samsung has filed a patent for a handheld device that trumps both the Palm Pre's too-tiny keyboard and the screen-hogging soft keyboard of Apple's iPhone. The Korean company's solution is a two-piece keyboard that folds out from either side of the device. The application, entitled Mobile Terminal Having Rear Keypad, envisions …
I hate those tiny and clumsy keyboards as well as the slowness of the virtual keyboard and its equally small size. Anyone over 40 will begin to appreciate the larger keyboard.
My concern:
If you use this on your lap and the smartphone is between your legs, it will fall to a bad angle as well as skew the keyboard seating.
My suggestion:
Why don't you add extending rods at the top of the phone or some other kind of "top of phone" extension to keep the phone flat and parallel to the keyboard. I would love to buy one if it had that kind of feature.
Having to put it down on a flat surface is a major drawback. If the 'wings' swing upward, the keys could be thumb-operated. Less efficient than full-fingered input, but better than tiny on-screen keys. For touch-typists, you could put the keys on the back of the device - easy to use, easy to hold, thumbs can manipulate the screen.
We've all managed to use a keyboard and mouse on our regular PC's for years with 2 hands, I don't see why we suddenly need 3 hands for this then.
If the Good Lord had intended us to interact efficiently with these devices we would have been Intelligently Designed with Bluetooth, ot at least a USB port...
I have a Samsung tv and dvd player/HD recorder.
Quite nice hardware in itself, for the price, but both have dismally designed remote controls. The button which turns on teletext is miles away from the button which turns it off, for example, which is a pain. (Yes, some of us still use teletext) The 'play' button on the DVD remote sometimes does the right thing, other times you have to use the centre of the 5-way button constellation, all depending on context.
There are other horrors, too. Frankly, I have very low expectations about Samsung's usability drive, but live in hope. At least people will see this gadget before they buy it, unlike remote controls, which rarely become part of the sales talk at (e.g.) Dixons.
Contributors so far have missed the point.
The 'wings' are to facilitate inter-office memos. You enter the co-ordinates on the large screen then launch the device into the air. The wings deploy and cruise between colleagues/offices delivering the missives before you can say 'Bob's yer Uncle".
".. well, you see, I always carry the phone in my trouser pocket and the keyboard flipped open.."
"And nobody told you just how strong that spring was?"
"No, owww. Can you stitch it back on, doc?"
"Hmm. We'll try. Nurse, NURSE, prep for another Samsung user. And stop laughing!"
Quality. I love designers with a sense of humour, I really do. They nearly got away with it too..
JMiles is bang on above. How can it be that in the many years since the demise of the Series 5 and Revo no one, but no one, has advanced on Psion's keyboard technology? Even more baffling is why Psion have licenced the tech to anyone (other than Amstrad for that p¡ss poor Emailer thing).
The thought of an iPhone with a Revo keyboard has me salivating.
(Paris, because opening up a Psion was always a joy.)
I had a Psion Series 5 and it was without doubt the best compact keyboard I ever typed on. Nothing has come close to it in terms of phone/pdas. I also have a wireless mini Logitech keyboard (for my media center pc) that fails because its just that little bit too small.
The Psion 3G would get my vote!!!
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