Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

I guess somebody with sufficient will power could actually make something like this happen pretty soon.

I guess the unfortunate question of how much this would cost to create, how much space it would take from inside the device and how much more consumers would be willing to pay for their Maemo device because of this keyboard are rather unclear. The about 500 euro price point for the N900 is already such that... Well, I'm sure many people would not mind the device being a bit cheaper. :)

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

Conisidering the push towards more touch-enabled interfaces, a sliding OLED or eInk screen that has haptics for keyboard functionality would essentially answer a lot of issues. The harder part is the issue of multi-touch for things such as alternate character selection. But as a whole, this is something that should be done for Maemo devices as a differentator.

Yes, there's an issue of power and physics also that needs to be overcome, and that oh-so nice research about folks not liking keyboards that change with their context. But hey, take a chance and you might find a maket with open arms.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

I don't really know how much OLED adds, Samsung has a bunch of phones out that use OLED screen already. As for the eink, the phone it's used in, the Alias, is actually a low end phone, $49 I think.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

WOW the Alias 2 with e-ink keyboard looks like a pretty awsome idea... :-D
No more problems with qwerty,qwertz, azerty, missing direction arrows, all the different accents, umlauts, doubble s signs, Å, Æ Ø or Ø Æ problems. It would all be a thing of the past :-D

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

only thing to note is that it appears to use one large sheet of eink, with raised edges to seperate the "buttons".

while more expensive, i would love to see individual screens on a keyboard much like whats today on n810 or n900.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

Frankly, the ultimate pocketable keyboard has already been designed and produced in quantity and the intellectual property is currently available for sale.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:t...o_keyboard.jpg

It's the OQO 02/e2 (and, basically, 2+) keyboard. It would add at least a millimeter to the depth of the unit because the keys are raised and have a noticeable travel. Instead of a d-pad it uses a trackstick which is much more usable for browsing or running many advanced apps while a d-pad doesn't add significantly to the capabilities you get from touch. You also get two "mouse" buttons as opposed to the single "click" button on the d-pad but if you are really tied to a d-pad, there are arrow keys. Rather than a additional row, there is a dedicated numeric keyboard and sticky Function, Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys (with LEDs to indicate they are active.

Plus, it would require making the N1000 a bit larger which means I might be able to read the screen. :D

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

I think this is code for: Nokia's next Maemo device will not have a physical keyboard and it will cost half the price. Thanks for the info; I'm very excited.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

LMAO, wishful thinking. Honestly, I'm with you on that on. Though that may be because all of the tablet's I've got (the 770 and the n800) are keyboard-less, so I never experienced the added value. I went on a trip recently, only took my e51, n800 and an Apple bluetooth keyboard. I wish there was a keyboardless version of the n900, I'd be all over it.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

It's funny how people believe that they design a better keyboard in five hobby minutes when a team of paid engineers with education and experience spends months on the same taks :-)

Disclaimer: I like the N900 keyboard very much and think it fits nicely with the overall phone. Of course, more keys would have been nice.

Re: Idea for a better keyboard for the next Maemo device
 

Undaunted by the general putdown by a believer in Nokia's paid engineers with education and experience I'm going to throw this into the idea blender.

From Slashdot:

"Researchers at Carnegie Mellon demonstrate 'popping out' touch screen buttons to become physical buttons using pneumatics. The idea is to combine the dynamic reconfigurability of touch screen buttons with the tactile feedback of real buttons. The technology could be applied where tactile feedback is currently lacking, such as in car navigation systems, ATMs, or cell phones."