Shocker: Virtual Keyboard NOT Going to be Made!

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/entry/7289743530896164/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/entry/7289743530896164/</a><br /><br /></div>Coming as a surprise to virtually no one, iBiz has given up on their virtual keyboard "in its current form". <b>But wait!</b> Not content to let their virtual keyboard escape back into the vapor from whence it came, iBiz has signed an agreement with <i>another</i> company, called, and I am dead serious: <a href="http://www.virtualdevices.net/">Virtual Devices Inc. </a> You may visit their site, but be warned - looking at their homepage wallpaper may lead to blindness or some sort of seizure.<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040723_vkey.jpg" /> <br /><br />Quality of the website aside, I am greatly comforted by the fact that their latest press release is from May of 2002, and that the PDA in the photo on their front page is a cutting edge Handspring Visor. But why should we trust Virtual Devices? In their own words (emphasis theirs): <i>"VDI has <b>the patent</b> on this technology, giving us a sustainable competitive advantage,"</i> and even better: <i>"VDI has a <b>functioning prototype</b> that demonstrates the concept."</i> Somehow, I think there might be some argument over that whole patent thing. :rolleyes:

[Duncan]

Be fair now - this new virtual keyboard is completely different. The old one was red - this one is green.

[ctmagnus]

be warned - looking at their homepage wallpaper may lead to blindness or some sort of seizure.

I saw carpeting like that once, and I've had an inner-ear disorder ever since.

[Kati Compton]

8O Ouch!

I wonder if using their products will be as fun as looking at their website. :silly:

[dean_shan]

Somebody, fire their webmaster. Fast!

[mrkablooey]

I saw carpeting like that once, and I've had an inner-ear disorder ever since.

:rotfl:

[Jonathan1]

Hmm must be the next generation Visor. Not only does it have the virtual keyboard built in it also has a built in gravitational distortion field to keep that PDA upright. Very impressive. :wink:

[mrkablooey]

Hmm must be the next generation Visor. Not only does it have the virtual keyboard built in it also has a built in gravitational distortion field to keep that PDA upright. Very impressive. :wink:

that and it can beam the keyboard right to the desk. must be a special LED on there... :robot:

[mara6]

All your comments are hilarious! :rotfl:
The movie demo is just as bad as the website itself. The computer (not PDA) that they use looks like is runs on MS-DOS, :roll:

[corphack]

Virtual Devices Inc.?

According to the dictionary:

virtual = "being such in essence or effect though not in actual fact"

so "Virtual Devices Inc." implies that they make or sell vaporware... must be expensive?

and if they never deliver their product, will they have in fact delivered their product?

Can they also make virtual weapons of mass destruction? The Republican Party may be interested. :wink:

[Steven Cedrone]

That web site is evil! I stared at it for about a minute, then had an uncontrolable urge to send them money and log in here to tell you all that I believed every word I read there!!! 8O :wink:

Steve

[dazz]

Well, I'm not too surprised about this one. I must say this is looking like even more of a sham. Really, wouldn't iBiz have been better off not making ANY announcement over saying these guys will supply them??? 8O :roll:

Well, a couple people wanted to argue with RobertS from our site (Smart Mobile Assets) about his investigation into this and thought he was jumping to too many conclusions.

Obviously, he wasn't.

[Zab]

Nice Concept, id pay a pretty penny for something like this. but after looking at the website and watching the movies that seemed to be made in the 80's ( i mean cmon, that was like an old school apple they were using to demonstrate ) i have to agree with everybody else here.

[timmy]

Doesn't that little guy in the picture look alot like Mr Bean? That would explain some things

:lol:

[bjornkeizers]

Jesus, that website is harmful to your health. I should sue for damages due to severe emotional damage caused by looking at it.

WTF are they thinking? That must be the worst photoshop job I've seen. And a f'ing handspring visor??? Floating? With a laser keyboard? Whatever they're smoking, I'll take two bags.

[Howard2k]

I wonder how long till we see any real world test reviews (if ever)

[gohtor]

It probably works but not like what we'd expect from a keyboard. That's probably why the company sold it =)

[Fitch]

Used one of these at Siggraph last year. I think the inherent problem is that there is no tactile feedback. If you accidentally tap two, three, or four keys at once by tapping on a corner/edge of a key, it has a really hard time discerning what you typed, and you have no way of making sure your fingers land dead center on the key-area, since you don't have anywhere to rest your fingers on the rest of the 'keyboard'.
What I don't get is all the video clips about a "prototype." What I saw was the real deal, the tiny version. http://fmc.animecity.nu/emoticons/shrug03.gif

[nootrak4]

If this Device is really real it would be cool because it saves alot of space. but thre site looks like a scam. anyway that my .02.

[Jonathon Watkins]

You may visit their site, but be warned - looking at their homepage wallpaper may lead to blindness or some sort of seizure.

It is white at the moment. Did they change it?

[Pat Logsdon]

You may visit their site, but be warned - looking at their homepage wallpaper may lead to blindness or some sort of seizure.
It is white at the moment. Did they change it?
Yes, it looks like they've redesigned their page. Fortunately for us, I managed to get a screenshot of the old page:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif logsdon_20040727_vd_bg.jpg (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/logsdon_20040727_vd_bg.jpg) (Size: 88.7 KB)

That's a static shot - now picture it all of its full-motion glory:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/virtual_devices_bg.gif

:mrgreen:

[Jonathon Watkins]

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif logsdon_20040727_vd_bg.jpg (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/logsdon_20040727_vd_bg.jpg) (Size: 88.7 KB)

That's a static shot - now picture it all of its full-motion glory:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/virtual_devices_bg.gif

:mrgreen:

:jawdrop: What *were* they thinking???????