iBiz Virtual Keyboard for $99 USD

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobileplanet.com/private/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?dept_id=3715&pf_id=MP250277&listing=1' target='_blank'>http://www.mobileplanet.com/private...50277&listing=1</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/MP250277.gif" /><br /><br />"The Virtual Laser Keyboard leverages the power of laser and infrared technology and projects a full-size keyboard onto any flat surface. Compatible with Palm handhelds, Pocket PCs and Laptop PCs. As you type on the laser projection; it analyzes what you're typing by the coordinates of that location. Unlike many small snap-on keyboards for PDAs, the Virtual Laser Keyboard provides a full-size QWERTY keyboard. It is also smaller and more convenient to use than the folding-type keyboards made by some manufacturers and similar to them in functionality. There are no mechanical moving parts whatsoever in the Virtual Laser Keyboard. It provides a projected image that is the perfect portable input device for PDAs. It's similar in responsiveness to regular keyboards, but extremely futuristic looking." [Affiliate, US only]

[Boxster S]

They're actually making this thing? WOW!!! I remember seeing this like a year and a half ago.

Any more info on it? Does it work by IR or Bluetooth? If its IR, seems us iPAQ 4150 users would be SOL.

[prototype]

They're actually making this thing? WOW!!! I remember seeing this like a year and a half ago.

Any more info on it? Does it work by IR or Bluetooth? If its IR, seems us iPAQ 4150 users would be SOL.


Why would 4150 users be out of luck? We have both Bluetooth and IR??

-Drew

[Boxster S]

They're actually making this thing? WOW!!! I remember seeing this like a year and a half ago.

Any more info on it? Does it work by IR or Bluetooth? If its IR, seems us iPAQ 4150 users would be SOL.


Why would 4150 users be out of luck? We have both Bluetooth and IR??

-Drew

B/C the IR port for the 4150 is facing downward and is at the bottom of the device. Not exactly the best place for a line-of-sight peripheral.

[Mike Temporale]

Why would 4150 users be out of luck? We have both Bluetooth and IR??

-Drew

The IR is in a bad location on the device, lower left corner. Where as most other devices have it at the top or high up on the side. having it on the bottom would make it hard to align the IR ports. You won't be SOL, but it could be very difficult to get working.

[entropy1980]

Why would 4150 users be out of luck? We have both Bluetooth and IR??

-Drew

I think he was referring to the crappy location of the IR port...

[Mike Temporale]

Here's the specs on this device:

Light-weight, small-size, Li-Ion rechargable battery
Power-save mode, audible click feature
Connectivity: USB/Serial Connector
Power: Lithium-ion rechargable battery w/ac adapter
Compatible with Pocket PCs (PPC 2002 & Windows Mobile 2003 operating systems)
Compatible with Palm Handhelds (operating system 4.x and higher)
Compatible with Laptops running Windows 98/2000/XP
Popular compatible PDA models (not limited to the following): iPAQ 19xx, 22xx, 38xx, 39xx, 41xx, 43xx, 54xx, 55xx series / Palm m130, m500, m515, i705, Zire71, Tungsten C, W, T, T2, T3
Included in box: Virtual Keyboard, cable, manual & software
Warrany: 1 year parts & labor.


So they seem to connect thing by USB/Serial and they support the 4000 series.

[Boxster S]

Here's the specs on this device:

Light-weight, small-size, Li-Ion rechargable battery
Power-save mode, audible click feature
Connectivity: USB/Serial Connector
Power: Lithium-ion rechargable battery w/ac adapter
Compatible with Pocket PCs (PPC 2002 & Windows Mobile 2003 operating systems)
Compatible with Palm Handhelds (operating system 4.x and higher)
Compatible with Laptops running Windows 98/2000/XP
Popular compatible PDA models (not limited to the following): iPAQ 19xx, 22xx, 38xx, 39xx, 41xx, 43xx, 54xx, 55xx series / Palm m130, m500, m515, i705, Zire71, Tungsten C, W, T, T2, T3
Included in box: Virtual Keyboard, cable, manual & software
Warrany: 1 year parts & labor.


So they seem to connect thing by USB/Serial and they support the 4000 series.

Cool. I already have a thumb keyboard for my iPAQ 4150, so I don't know how much more useful this would be. I would need a flat surface to type which makes it less useful (to me at least).

[Perry Reed]

Neat! While it would, for me, certainly be better than a thumb keyboard (I've never been a fan of those), I'm not sure it'd beat a Stowaway keyboard. I think typing on a flat surface, with no tactile feedback, would be extremely difficult.

[Christian]

The lack of tactile feedback is what I'm concerned with as well. This keyboard does look pretty cool though :)

[acronym]

the picture is misleading, they have a video on the ibiz site - you can't use it for touch-typing. You have to poke at the letters and move your fingers away so the laser can see you move. Looks like they're typing awfully slow as well.

anyway, it is the first generation - so I expect a lot of improvements in the future.

[spacerace]

I like the look of it (no mention of Dell, but the "not limited to" gives me hope...)

I imagine that it will feel quite different from a standard keyboard, but 'practice typing' on my desk makes me think that it wouldn't be too hard to get used to.

[gohtor]

They're actually making this thing? WOW!!! I remember seeing this like a year and a half ago.

Any more info on it? Does it work by IR or Bluetooth? If its IR, seems us iPAQ 4150 users would be SOL.

the location shouldn't matter much because someone will probably come up with a posible mirror to make the IR within line of sight.

I don't know how accurate this thing is and the fact that you don't get tactile feedback is probably a big minus for normal users.

I remember still being in my Human Interface Device class when they first announced they were working on something like this. Bluetooth would rock.

[Christian]

The next step will be to integrate this hardware into the PocketPC itself. Imagine just pushing a button and having a laser keyboard appear... :wink:

[David Prahl]

I still prefer a foldable, full-size non-IR keyboard.

Anyone want a review? :lol:

[foldedspace]

Tactile feedback? I think it comes bundled with little spring-loaded rubber bumpers that you wear on the end of your fingers....so no problem!

:wink:

[GoldKey]

It mentions that it will work with a laptop, I assume it would work with a desktop.

Why would I want to do this you might ask?

I have a PC that is only used for minimal surfing and mostly only the mouse is used. Rather than having a keyboard taking up space for the few times it is needed, this would be idea.

For someone with a pc in the kitchen or garage, the unit could project on an easy clean surface and you would not have to worry about a mess, or the keyboard being in the way.

Finally, W?BIC!

[Venturello]

Cool! Now we need someone to buy one and do a review for us... please??? :oops: :lol:

[Jason Dunn]

Cool! Now we need someone to buy one and do a review for us... please??? :oops: :lol:

We actually contacted the company to request a review unit, but they seem to be ignoring us. :? I'm sure they have pratically every media outlet in the world asking for review hardware, so it might be a while...

[powder2000]

Cool! Now we need someone to buy one and do a review for us... please??? :oops: :lol:

We actually contacted the company to request a review unit, but they seem to be ignoring us. :? I'm sure they have pratically every media outlet in the world asking for review hardware, so it might be a while...

Ya, but if I was to try and get a product out for review and publicity, this would be the first place I would look. It would be like ford advertising on ABC rather than WB, why would they waste their money on WB? Pocket pc thoughs is the best ppc site on the net. Hopefully they get their act in gear. :?

[adamz]

the location shouldn't matter much because someone will probably come up with a posible mirror to make the IR within line of sight.


Yeah! An infrared periscope! :)

[miterb]

1. You have to carry a cable to hook up to the PPC. An infrared keyboard you don't. That means the PPC will likely be flat on a table when on the road (unless you rotate the screen).
2. You have to carry a power supply cord with you to recharge the battery. My infrared keyboard uses one AAA battery.
3. Sounds like it will be a slow device if you have to make exaggerated motions to record a keystroke.
Brad

[Duncan]

Hmmm... bad, bad idea. No easier to carry than a folding keyboard BUT your fingers will ache after only a little typing, no tactile feedback, still need to carry bits with you, possibility of major light interference...

Nope.

[eric linsley]

The lack of tactile feedback is what I'm concerned with as well. This keyboard does look pretty cool though :)

same here. i have to feel the touch. i tried the rollable keybaords and they just werent the same. imagine having no touch... argh.. and what about the f and j key for touch typers.... no touch... argh.....

so now im going to have to put pennies were the f and j keys are, glue them down wait 5 min and then start typing. thats just now convent.

next ill have to take a saw to the desk. cut it into small tile like peices and put springs under those peices. so they will bounce up and down when i type.

[Blue Zero]

....so now im going to have to put pennies were the f and j keys are, glue them down wait 5 min and then start typing. thats just now convent.

next ill have to take a saw to the desk. cut it into small tile like peices and put springs under those peices. so they will bounce up and down when i type.

...haha funniest quote of the day...

pennies... too good :D

[Jonathon Watkins]

Hmmm, very cool, but I feel Duncan has the way of it - this needs a solid flat surface, so forget typing on public transport, on the move etc.

I imagine it would be hard on the hands too. :? Nice, but.......

[lanwarrior]

Hmm... imagine you're typing on a wooden desk and it'll make this sound as if you're listening to music and tapping your finger. :D

[rabbit]

:lol:

Thanks for nearly making me choke on my lunch, guys.

I'm a touch typist. However, I don't use the F and J keys to find my way - just my hand position in relation to the kbd. (no split or wee tiny kbds for me).

So, yeah, I'm SOL as far as this product goes. :?

[jimski]

Don't think I could ever get myself to use this, but what about using it with a PC in an industrial environment, like on a production floor. No dust or coffee spills to muck up the keyboard and most of the typing out there is two finger hen pecking (like me) anyway.

[bjornkeizers]

I'm a touch typist too, and a pretty fast one at that - I don't see this working out. If I have to "type" one letter at a time, and slowly at that, what good is this over a on-screen keyboard?

Unless I can type at nearly full speed with it, I'm not buying it. Besides, without tactile feedback I can't type on it anyway. At least, not without a lot of practice.

I'll stick to regular keyboards for now. Definite points for style, but the East German judge gives it a 4 for execution.

[Phoenix]

It's a cool concept, but I'd like to see it with blue lasers - this would make it brighter and produce a sharper image. But we'll be waiting a while for blue (and who's to say that would ever be an option even with an availability of blue lasers).

I don't particularly care for no tactile feedback, either. I think it's clear that this isn't meant for extended periods of typing - the tips of your fingers would get sore after awhile.

Not to mention, without a perfectly flat surface this product won't work, but a Stowaway XT, for instance, could work on a less than perfectly flat surface.

Having to poke around rather than touch-type, to me, is worthless. Not to mention all the potential light interference. (Imagine trying to type with this outdoors on a sunny day!).

Cool-futuristic-showoff-"look at me!"-piece, but not practical (if ever), and at least for now, not ready for primetime. Although, it's possible there could be some military application of this technology in the near future as it improves.

[tomora]

The Keyboard has some great applications, e.g., my doctor's office has about 10 doctors in it. Each doctor carries his own keyboard when they see patients in the examining room. The Virtual Keyboard significantly reduces that bulky problem and virtually eliminates the germs associated with all keyboards. Progressive schools with PC's at every desk would save a lot of space and stop the spread of germs. My understanding is that there is an audible click on each keystroke. I have not tested the keyboard myself but read a report from a person who types 120wpm and had no problem. The battery only last 3-4 hours so, it would not be good for novels.

[Brad Adrian]

I see that this is now offered by MobilePlanet, but I'm wondering if anybody's actually seen or used one yet. I'll believe that it really works when I see it.

[Johnathan]

I hope it can be used for ASUS620+ 8O

[Sven Johannsen]

This actually interests me more for my Tablet PC. I have a pure slate. a Motion, that has no integrated keyboard. It comes with a USB keyboard/touch pad, and you can get a keyboard/cover, but both add to the bulk. This would seem to be a great alternative fo when I want to sit down and type. Being a slightly better than a hunt and peck'r, the tactile feel and such shouldn't be a great problem. I can stil type faster than I can get text into a tablet via HWR.

[lkawamot]

Has anyone received/ordered the unit yet? I'm curious how it performs. I'd like to have a portable keyboard to use with my iPAQ and think this would be a great solution.

Either this or HP's microkeyboard is going to be my next purchase for my iPAQ.