Hand Computer

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Well, the qwerty was designed to place the most-used keys under or near fingers, so as to minimize movement... thus maximizing typing speed.

How does Dvorak do for efficiency?

Actually, that's backwards. The Dvorak was designed for ergonomic efficiency. I honestly don't know how well it actually works though, since I touch-type QWERTY pretty fast as it is, and I don't want to mess up my mechanics by introducing another way of "riding my bike" into my cranium.

The QWERTY was designed with the efficiency of the 19th-century mechanical typewriter in mind. The intention was to have the keys alternate as much as possible between left and right handed keystrokes, thus minimizing (it was hoped) the possibility of jamming.

The end result is not necessarily the most efficient keyboard arrangement from a human standpoint -- at least where it comes to writing anything in English.

 

[chshrkt]

There is a good writeup about QWERTY on Wikipedia.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

The Dvorak was designed for optimal speed and ergonomic comfort. My buddy had a crazy keyboard that looked like two soupbowls with keys arranged along the concave parts back when I was a cubicle dweller and he typed like a Tazmanian Devil on speed... like 70WPM, plus he had some chorded macros for common phrases he used in coding.

I remember back in the '70s, when my dad had a subscription to the old Interface Age magazine, one of them had a cover article on a really cool looking one-handed keyboard (well, at least it looked cool back in 1978). It was sort of a black, palm-sized dome with little round buttons placed at ergonomically-correct points all along its surface. I bet your ol' buddy could make like a maniac on that little mushroom.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Is the keyboard part of that from one of the devices out there that does desktop keyboard projection? If so, which one? I like the design!

Actually, it's a screen-grab of the Windows on-screen kb!

 

[jfetters]

Actually, it's a screen-grab of the Windows on-screen kb!

Hah! I guess that tells you how often I open the Accessibility folder!

I thought it was something along these lines.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Like this?

Actually, it's a screen-grab of the Windows on-screen kb!

That explains the Windows key! :rofl: You just know the Vilani would keep something like the QWERTY arrangement, though.... :smirk:

 

[mbrinkhues]

Actually quite a bit of the "Hand computer" could be done with todays technology. Units like the HTC Shift/Advantage, the latest Nokia Tablet or a modern UMPC can provide quite some computing horsepower in a 500g package, complete with a direct link to the "base" computer via UMTS and/or Bluetooth

Add a virtual keyboard like the Laserkey for the keyboard and add a head-mounted display like the LE750(1)

Link them either with cables or a Personal Area Network (Extrem Short-Range Radio Net).

Total cost would be around 2000€ (250 for the Keyboard, around 1000 for the base computer, estiate 750 for the display) and it would easily have the horsepower of a 1998 desktop system (PII-400 or similar).
(1) Or another from here

 

[coliver988]

how about:
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscel...8/01/gallery_CES_roundup1?slide=2&slideView=2

 

[BlackBat242]

How big is that... and what is it mounted on?

 

[Icosahedron]

Looks like a left arm, wrist and part of a hand to me.

Can't be a finger - you'd never operate it.

I see the near future computer as something you wear - separate parts linked by the Personal Area Network mentioned above - a HUD, earphone/mike, a trackball ring or VR glove or wink-control, all connected to a belt-mounted base unit.

Sorry, no drawings - I have Drawing-0, Computer-0.

I think the 'hand' will go out of 'hand computer' before the end of TL8. By TL 11 the things might even be implanted microdots!

Another of CT's anachronisms, I fear.

 

[Thunderbolt]

I think I saw a fairly serious suggestion that the skin itself could be used as a connection medium between components as this article on Microsoft mentions:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/jul/06/sciencenews.microsoft

While I wonder if the rate of obsolescence and medical risks would stop you embedding computers directly into your body routinely, I think we can be sure that computing will become pervasive and invisible. How many people think of their smart phone as a computer?

Form factor is still a limiting though, check out these Seiko computer watches:

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/nerdwatch/fun2.html

Perhaps electronic paper / OLED surfaces will give us a whole new set of form factors quite soon!

 

[coliver988]

here are some interesting keyboards to go with our hand computer:
http://www.computersight.com/Hardware/Accessories/10-Strange-Keyboards.70082

the doily keyboard is...interesting. I suppose a noble's yacht may have these handy:

 

[coliver988]

hand computers available now

Some more from the CES:

WiBrain: http://www.dynamism.com/wibrain-b1/main.shtml

Everun: http://www.dynamism.com/everun/main.shtml

These are actual real computers now. And there's a company that makes 'docking stations' for your Smartphones, giving you a real keyboard & bigger screen.

(I need to stop reading tech news - I get gear envy!)

 

[coliver988]

cyberpunk hand computer, err, arm computer

ok, actually a cell phone tattoo

http://www.core77.com/competitions/greenergadgets/projects/4673/

 

[Icosahedron]

Bit of a bummer if you're wearing a Combat Environment Suit when your tattoo rings... :nonono:

 

[Gadrin]

I think I saw a fairly serious suggestion that the skin itself could be used as a connection medium between components as this article on Microsoft mentions:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/jul/06/sciencenews.microsoft

While I wonder if the rate of obsolescence and medical risks would stop you embedding computers directly into your body routinely, I think we can be sure that computing will become pervasive and invisible. How many people think of their smart phone as a computer?

Form factor is still a limiting though, check out these Seiko computer watches:

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/nerdwatch/fun2.html

Perhaps electronic paper / OLED surfaces will give us a whole new set of form factors quite soon!

Isn't that the principle behind Induction in games like Cyberpunk ? The Chrome book I have offers Induction Mag spots to transmit data to/from your smartgun link "without spoiling your natural appearance".

 

[Jetrock]

Back in high school (mid-1980s) I assumed that a wrist-mounted hand computer would require one-handed typing on a small surface, and proposed a one-handed keyboard that would be operated by "chording" multiple-finger combinations onto a pressure-sensitive pad. One of my players was inspired by this, and later studied electronic engineering in college. For his senior project, he designed a data-glove device that would allow exactly that sort of data input! He built a prototype based on a BASIC Stamp that would translate various chorded inputs as ASCII text. I felt kinda flattered by that.

 

[coliver988]

And here's a glove for user input being developed for the US Army: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20680/page1/

"...a sensor-embedded glove that allows the soldier to easily view and navigate digital maps, activate radio communications, and send commands without having to take his hand off his weapon."

Could be a link to the hand computer (why I added it here rather than a new thread)

 

[far-trader]

And here's a glove for user input being developed for the US Army...

Been there, done that, over 20 years ago...

http://ca.askmen.com/gaming/top_10/2_top_10.html

And now the Wii is adding a power glove...

http://technabob.com/blog/2007/06/10/the-wii-power-glove/

Incredible how much they look the same

How much you want to bet the Wii glove is better in all ways (and 100x cheaper) than the mil spec developed version and soldiers in the field will replace the GI model with the Wii one? It's happened with other (granted low tech) items before.

 

[G. Fieendish]

Considering that some U.S Army units use X-Box 360 controllers to operate Micro UAV's, it's not "What If" but when...
(Also instructions & scripts to use the Wii remote with a PC, are readily available if you know where to look....).