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Looky at this so-called "future tech"


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Looky at this so-called "future tech"
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-02-13, 17:06

I got an email that tries to tell me how what wonderful tech is coming around the corner, but doesn't give out any relevent info (who made this, where, how, etc), and only gave me a link to, you guess it, spam.

However, the pics below rings somehow of plausiblity, so my curiousity has been piqued; do you who know about this more than I do can tell whether this is in foreseeable future, or whether someone has been photoshopping and smoking crack too much?

Future Tech

edit= pic changed to a link due to size.
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pmazer
Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Atlanta, GA
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2006-02-13, 17:18

As far as I know, these do exist, but they're quite expensive and require the correct surface to work.
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GWARREN
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Glasgow
 
2006-02-13, 17:19

I have a feeling I have seen stuff about this kind of keyboard before. Hmmm
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2006-02-13, 17:32

Yeah, it's not new. There was a PDA in the works about a year ago that projected a keyboard like that. I don't remember what brand it was, though.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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Wickers
is not a kind of basket
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-02-13, 17:34

I wonder if any of them actually work as pens...
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-02-13, 17:37

It's just a bit annoying that they spread this chain to everyone, but doesn't give any means to back it up or even make money (Let's say it was Verizon's- they could just use it to direct traffic to their site), but the email was full of barker's comments ("ZOMG! Future is h3r3! say g00dby3 to p@$t!!! LOLLERSKATES!") and a spam link that I can only assume didn't even have any resemblance to what they're presenting.

It's just a cool toy.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-02-13, 18:56

I believe Siemens demonstrated something similar for mobile phones. I think it's not going to be possible any time soon, simply because of the power requirements. If you want to project something onto a surface, even if it's small, you have to use a certain minimal amount of power to be able to see that. And even if your projection system doesn't lose any energy, that's still a tall order for a battery that would fit into a pen. So it's a nice idea, but I think for the next couple of years we'll be stuck with lugging large projectors around and having to plug them into main power - and with old-fashioned mechanical keyboards.
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Reid
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Minneapolis, MN
 
2006-02-13, 18:59

Heh... they had one of those laser keyboards on CSI Miami a week or two ago. Dusted for prints on a desk and figured out somebody's password or something.
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2006-02-13, 19:28

There's no way that's new.



That's an m505/515, a PDA from at least 2 years ago.
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atomicbartbeans
reticulating your mom
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
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2006-02-13, 20:30

Yeah... looks like a bunch of crappy mockups to me.
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2006-02-13, 20:59

Quote:
Originally Posted by atomicbartbeans
Yeah... looks like a bunch of crappy mockups to me.
Crappy mockups or not, there have been real demonstrations of this technology. It's not all fiction.
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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2006-02-13, 21:12

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad
Yeah, it's not new. There was a PDA in the works about a year ago that projected a keyboard like that. I don't remember what brand it was, though.
I remember that too...but Google wasn't very forthcoming with any info. I did find teh Virtual Laser Keyboard!, though.
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ThunderPoit
Making sawdust
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2006-02-13, 21:48

ya, the keyboards biggest problem was that your fingers would block the light so you couldnt really see if you were touching in the right spot
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-02-13, 22:23

Dang! I bet they didn't think of that!
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-02-13, 22:33



If you're a touch typist, this shouldn't be a problem, right?

Though, typing on flat surface may be bit more disorienting than typing on regular keyboard because there's no "transition" between rows.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-02-13, 22:39

The tactile feedback also sucks. But this keyboard isn't supposed to be used to write a book, it's for quickly typing in a few sentences where you don't want to lug around a normal keyboard. It was developed for PDAs and smartphones.

And as for not seeing the keys: The light comes from the "top", so there's little blocking out. You don't see where your fingers hit the keys on your keyboard either, because your fingers block your sight. But since you can see where your fingers are going, you can still hit the keys.

I just don't get why everybody's trying to find a fault here or wants to call it a fake, just because it's a bit out of the ordinary. It has its niche, just like Apple
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bspears@mac.com
New Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
 
2006-02-15, 18:03

That thing was on an episode of CSI Miami. The bad guy, in the case the bad girl, used it to secretly type corporate secrets to her blog while at work.
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ThunderPoit
Making sawdust
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2006-02-15, 18:25

the problem is that if your fingers are where the home row should be, you are blocking the light that is supposed to show you the lower row of keys.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-02-15, 18:36

I still don't see how that's different from those old-fashioned horse-drawn keyboards:

If you don't know what keys are under your hands, you have to lift your fingers either way. There may be a bit more occlusion here, but it's really not too bad. And having such a thing built into a cell phone definitely beats lugging around any kind of physical keyboard.
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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2006-02-15, 18:40

In short, laser keyboard isn't for "hunt and peck" typists.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-02-15, 18:43

Yes, it is! It's perfect for them! They have to lift their hands from the keyboard to hunt for the next key to peck at anyways ...
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Mikester
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: London, UK
 
2006-02-16, 04:02

The lazer keyboard is real, but expensive:

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/searc...uctCode=PROKEY

It's only a matter of time before the other stuff in the pics becomes mainstream - they don't look that unbelieveable.

"Tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further" - The Great Gatsby
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fisha
New Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
 
2006-02-16, 04:35

Yup, the laser keyboard is real, and my brother is seriously looking at getting some for his practice.

He's a dentist and often has to update patient details on the computer. With the laser keyboard, he can project the keys onto the bench, and when he's done he simply has to wipe the bench clean with dis-infectant.

That way sterilisation is kept a top priority and there is no possible transfer through a dirty keyboard.
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