Tag: Keyboards

Google Said To Be Readying iOS Keyboard To Boost Searches

Google is reportedly working on a virtual keyboard interface for iOS in an effort to increases searches from the operating system.

In January, Bloomberg Business reported that Google paid Apple $1 billion to keep its search bar on the iPhone. Now, the company appears to be going even further to ensure people keep using Google to search from Apple’s devices.

The keyboard news comes from The Verge, which says it has been in development for months, has been in use internally, and incorporates a variety of search options:

The Google keyboard incorporates a number of features meant to distinguish it from the stock iOS keyboard. Like its Android counterpart, the Google keyboard for iOS employs gesture-based typing, so you can slide your finger from one letter to the next and let Google guess your intended word. Tap the Google logo and you can access traditional web search. It also appears to have distinct buttons for pictures and GIF searches, both presumably powered by Google image search. The keyboard is visually distinct from the standard Android keyboard, which incorporates voice search but no text or image-based searching.

In recent years, Apple has distanced itself from Google where possible – most notably the use of Google Maps with the introduction of the initially flawed Apple Maps, which has been said to be greatly improved these days.

If Google can convince iOS users they need its keyboard it could help, though I can’t honestly imagine it would make a huge difference.

As The Verge notes, it’s unclear if Google actually plans to release this or not.

Image via Google

March 23, 2016
Google Launches Google Keyboard For Android Devices

Google announced late on Wednesday the launch of Google Keyboard, an app available in Google Play that gives Android devices the keyboard experience that is available on Google’s Nexus devices running stock Android.

Google announced this in a Google+ post, in which it said, “Google Keyboard has Gesture Typing (which lets you glide through letters to form a word, just lift your finger to enter a space), automatic error correction, and word predictions. You can also tap the microphone to compose messages with Voice Typing when you’re on-the-go. Together with dictionaries for 26 languages (plus keyboard layouts for a dozen more), it provides a fast, accurate, and reliable typing experience.”

“Android is an open platform, so you can customize your device to your liking; choosing your own keyboard is just one example of what’s possible – and there are a lot of great keyboards to choose from on Google Play,” Google added.

There’s a full list of keyboard apps here.

Google Keyboard is available for devices running Android 4.0 and up. It’s only available for English-speaking locales for now, but Google says it will be adding more countries.

Find the app in Google Play here.

June 6, 2013
Objet 3D Printers Create A Functioning Keyboard In One Print Job

We’ve already seen what Objet’s multi-material 3D printers can do, but it’s always nice to see Objet pushing the boundaries of what its Connex printers can accomplish.

In today’s demonstration, the Objet Connex 3D printer has created a keyboard replica. The amazing part about this particular print job is that the keys didn’t have to be printed separately and inserted into the keyboard. Everything was created in a single print, further demonstrating the power of Objet’s Connex line of 3D printers.

Of course, these keyboards can’t actually connect to a PC as they are only plastic prototypes. Real keyboards will have to be produced via traditional means until 3D printers can start creating circuitry. Until then, we’re left with a promising, but currently useless, tech demo of what’s to come in the world of 3D printing.

March 6, 2013
iPhone Keyboard Concept Lets You Text with Vibrations

What if you could pull out your iPhone, sit in on a table and just start using the space in front of the device as an invisible keyboard? Well, now you can, at least in theory.

Meet “Vibrative,” a new processing solution for smartphones.

This interesting concept design comes from Florian Kraeutli a student at Goldsmiths, University of London. It works by measuring and then assigning vibration levels to a virtual keyboard setup – each key sends a different signal, so the program is able to decipher which letters the users is trying to say. According to Kraeutli, it gets it right about 80% of the time, and number which could be improved with the addition of a better accelerometer.

It’s unlikely that you’ll see his virtual keyboard program in use any time soon, as it’s just a proof of concept. But who knows, maybe something like this could find a way on the market some time in the future. People are always looking for easy typing solutions for their mobile devices.

[The Telegraph via BGR]

November 12, 2012
New Logitech Keyboard is Washable, Spillproof

This week Logitech began taking preorders for its new washable keyboard. And when Logitech says “washable” they mean the entire keyboard can be submerged in water and survive.

The keyboard, branded the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310, has been designed to be nearly waterproof. One of the images on the product’s web page shows the keyboard being washed in a kitchen sink. Logitech stops short of calling the device completely waterproof, but they suggest that customers can use mild soap and a soft cloth to clean it in water no more than 11 inches deep. Oh, and the USB cable attached to the keyboard is not waterproof, so keep it out of the water.

“We’ve all experienced that moment of distraction – followed by panic, when a cup of coffee or a soda spills all over your keyboard,” said Sophie Le Guen, senior director of mice and keyboards at Logitech. “Because life and its messes will happen, regardless of how careful you are, Logitech designed the Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 to look and function like new, even over time.”

Drainage holes on the back of the keyboard allow the device to be dried quickly. Since Logitech expects customers to wash the K310 frequently, the keys have been laser etched and have a UV coating. The company claims that the keys can last up to five million keystrokes.

The Logitech Washable Keyboard K310 is already available for preorder at the price of $40 through the Logitech website and will be released in the U.S. sometime in August. Europeans will have to wait a little longer for the keyboard, which will ship overseas sometime in October.

August 23, 2012
Microsoft Surface Tablet Photos Revealed

Microsoft’s surprise announcement of its new Surface tablets was met with a mixed, but mostly positive, reaction. The new form factor brings Microsoft into direct hardware competition with Apple and other tablet manufacturers. The higher-end version of the tablet actually might compete with the MacBook Air and other ultrabooks. Most interesting of all, Microsoft has managed to create a hybrid of a tablet and PC that looks as if it could possibly work well as both. It’s the device that finally makes Windows 8 make some sort of sense – no doubt what the company has been planning for all along.

The most surprising aspect of the Surface tablets is the design. Manufacturers have been trying to emulate Apple’s brilliant design and attention to detail for years now. Most have come up short, but the Surface looks to be a solidly-designed tablet. Kickstands are normally laughable when placed on mobile devices, but Microsoft has somehow managed to make the Surface’s kickstand seem to fit with the device.The magnetic keyboard/cover for the tablet is incredibly thin and suitably stylish.

Speaking of the keyboard, Microsoft is showing some flair by displaying their new device with different colored keyboards. Already the company has shown black, white, red, pink, and blue versions. Check out all of the pictures Microsoft has officially revealed:

June 19, 2012
A Self-Sanitizing Keyboard?

Do dirty keyboards make your skin crawl? Does the idea of using a keyboard after someone else has touched it leave you clammy? If so, Vioguard may have something you’d be interested, provided the idea of a self-sanitizing keyboard appeals to you.

The Vioguard keyboard was developed by two previous Microsoft employees, and it has just received approval from the FDA, and can now be used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, meaning it’s not just for mysophobia sufferers. The device itself is pretty ingenious. It features a keyboard and an attached enclosure, and when the keyboard is not in use, it retracts inside of the enclosure, and is then bathed “with germicidal ultraviolet light,” removing the offending germs and other microbial nasties.

The site offers a full description of the keyboard’s functions:

The Vioguard keyboard is stored in a mechanized enclosure (which doubles as a monitor stand) when not in use. It safely floods the keyboard and track pad with germicidal ultraviolet light. When a user sits down at the workstation and activates the infrared motion sensor with the wave of a hand, the keyboard automatically extends into working position. When the user is finished, the keyboard automatically retracts back inside the enclosure and activates the germicidal ultraviolet lights.

LED indicators are used to let the user know when the keyboard has been sanitized and is ready for use. The sanitization cycle can be interrupted anytime to ensure the keyboard is available as needed.

Naturally, there isn’t much in the way of price information for Vioguard’s keyboard, but there are a number of contacts available for those who are interested in acquiring the peripheral.

In GeekWire’s post, however, it is revealed that Vioguard’s keyboard was previously offered to consumers on Amazon, for the feel-good price of $900. While the item is no longer available on Amazon, it does give you a good idea of how much you’ll need to spend to acquire one of these keyboards.

January 3, 2012