GENERATION CHANGE
IN KEYBOARDS
Your computer keyboard is probably a magnet for spilled soda, crumbs, dust, and other unsavory debris. Dump enough junk between the keys and the circuit board below--a "mini-computer" equipped with hundreds of pulsing electric circuit switches--will eventually bonk..






WANNA GET RID OF THEM

Now such messes may soon be history, thanks to inventors at the Israeli company VKB. Their stroke of genius: a neon red full-size virtual keyboard that projects onto any flat surface. The device consists of a mini-projector that fires infrared laser beams (fast-moving energy waves) in the shape of a real keyboard, and a sensor that detects when the beams are broken by hand movement






Now, however, we get a little glimpse with promise that we're not that far off of schedule. You can now get the Laser Virtual Keyboard for quite a reasonable price. Powered by Bluetooth, the matchbox-sized device uses a laser to project a 63 key QWERTY keyboard onto any flat surface. Designed to work with Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile operating systems, it was originally meant for your PDA. Fortunately, it is supported by Windows XP, and has some OS X support as well.

This is a great idea, even if it is plagued by two gaping holes: two hours of battery life and a 63 key keyboard. According to Think Geek, it comes with an AC adapter, so for desktop use it'll do fine (if you actually have a spare power outlet). I think the biggest hurdle is the tiny keyboard. Sure, 63 keys is fine for your PDA, but for your PC, 102 is the only way to go. After all, those function keys are pretty handy.

Despite these limitations, this is a brilliant idea. This virtual keyboard has the amazing ability to be immune from spills, crumbs, dirt and cat hair (I know that one way too well.). And of course, the high-tech wow factor. This thing just looks cool, and would impress just about anyone. When the 102 key models come out, I think my current keyboard will have to be retired.

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This is a projector concept by designer Sunman Kwon uses similar technology to that of the Virtual Keyboard . Each of your finger segments on the inside of your hand are turned into keys, representing three letters for each segment or joint. What you end up with, is a keyboard literally in the palm of your hand. This would make for a remarkably portable input device that could just dangle on your wrist waiting for the next time you needed it, then with a little Bluetooth handshake, you're ready to type up a storm.


More and more people are relying on portable media devices for everyday instead of desktop PCs, meaning that they have to rely on the tiny keyboards that are part of the interface of their PDA or cell phone. A standard computer keyboard would not be a practical accessory, no matter how much faster correspondence would become, but the Projector Keyboard can solve that problem. The keyboard is about the size of a small cell phone itself and projects a standard keyboard onto any flat surface, from the table.