Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Haha I thought that device was long forgotten!

Actually the HTC S740 was one of the inspirations for my keyboard layout.
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/4...p3ultimate.png

As I said before, this is what I think is the pinnacle of a hardware keyboard for a ~5in device.
Its function over form at its max.
Keeping the important keys, and hiding the rest as Secondary ones (Activated via Ctrl), and do away with the rest. A small light indicates when Ctrl or the Shift (Caps Lock) is active. The circle at the right is actually a Trackball (think Blackberry) which helps control the cursor with awesome tactile feedback.

All in all, keep everything big, bland, easy to see and type away!

PS That Jolla photo is actually just a render.

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

I was recently skimming through this & thought it was quite pertinent to this thread...
http://lifehacker.com/should-i-use-a...rak-1447772004
Should we be considering one of the alternative layouts instead of the standard QWERTY?
Seems the debate's not fully settled on whether alternate layouts truly are better WRT: speed/accuracy/comfort.

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

You can say that again, its so ugly it will probably make my eyes bleed.

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Wow, I dig the idea of the BB trackball! That worked great right? Takes in a lot less space also than the 9 key arrows!

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

If you mean those alternaties which are shown in the 2nd and 3rd picture, yes, at least in theory they could be provided as alternatives. Techically it is easy to add the English variant of the Dvorak layout to the choice of layout options, because it would consist of a single component: a variant of the keymat (+ special keyboard driver which can be installed like any application). Other language variants of the Dvorak layout would hardly be feasible, because AFAIK outside North America and UK, Dvorak layout is not popular.

I believe, however, that the other layout options have a lot higher priority. The German Qwertz keymat, Cyrillic (Russian + English) keymat, French Azerty keymat, Spanish/Portuguese/Catalan/Italian Qwerty keymat, Scandinavian Qwerty keymat, Chinese+English keymat, Arabic+English keymat etc. With all of them also English text can be entered easily, but it may be useful to add also the English layout to these options (so that you could find a couple of characters, such as Apostrophe ' in its standard place of the English layout).
It is possible to combine some of these layout options to use the same keymat. For example, with double labels on five letter keys, a special German Qwertz / Scandinavian Qwerty keymat can be made easily, for 7 or more languages. For details, please see http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...79#post1381479

I guess that the cost (including all logistic expenses) might be around 110 for big market areas (USA, UK, France, Germany, Spain+Portugal´+Latin America, Italy, Poland, Russia, India, China...), if the OH variants are made with keymats. This is extremely difficult to estimate, because the share of logistic and design expenses depends a lot on how many OHs are sold. For the smallest market areas (Czech, Croatia, Greece, etc, if keymats are made for those languages), the expenses can be a lot more, perhaps more than 200. But these expenses are only theoretical. I'd say that if there is only a single keyboard variable (more or less an "English only" or "English mainly" or "Hacker's keyboard"), the expenses can grow very high (> 160), because the OH simply would not sell in large quantities (exept in USA; UK, India, and in the "hackers" market). So, I see that more than 5 language-specific keyboard options (keymats) must be made available.

In mass production the price of the keymat can be very low, perhaps a couple of Euros - but it is the design and logistics (managing all the product variants, delivery etc) which costs a lot more.

Keymat is a flexible plate of plastic, rubber or silicone which is put on the PCB of the keyboard. The rigid key tops are fixed on the keymat, so that they match with the switching dome below the keymat. Keymat is the standard techinique to make the logistics and manuacturing of optional keyboard variants feasible. The domes and backlight LEDs are soldered to the PCB of the keyboard, and the keymat is a "loose" component, which contains no eletronics. To disperse the light from the LEDs, between the keymat and PCB there can be a transparent plastic plate with holes for the moving key cap and the domes. In theory the keymat could be installed by the OH owner, but (at least when integrated in a phone) its installation in practice would be almost as difficult as the installation of a new battery to N9 or N900. In some phone models there is a grid above the keymat, but there is no grid on the keymat of Nokia 9300 and 9500, for example. AFAIK, the keymats are the logistically easiest and most economical way to deliver the language or country specific keyboard options (and also the most user-friendly, if its installation can be made easily, even if you need a screwdriver to make its installation).

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Okay crazy, trackball is totally possible and not complex to integrate in a keyboard! The only thing is that is not a small component e.g. it will make the keyboard thicker..

What do you guys think, is a trackball preferrable to a arrow-pad?
http://www.randomprocess.ca/wp-conte.../trackball.jpg

This sounds like a great idea! Easy customization for different countries is definitely preferrable. Personally I would like a full metal keyboard, bus for rubber versions this would be perfect!

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Trackpad: Definitely! But IMO, from a right-handed person point of view, it would be positioned better on the left. We usually use the left hand as a support hand, while doing stuff with the right. If the trackpad is on the left, this means we can naturally touch the screen, press a button, or even keep on cooking with the right hand, while still being able to scroll or zoom or whatever.

Again, my opinion as a right-handed person. Any left-handed person in the house that cares to comment on this?

Anyway, just an idea! Keep going, this project is awesome! :)

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Yes, the design of keyboard could be made easier by putting the pointing device (5-way or 9-way rocker, trackball or perhaps even the 4 arrow keys) on the LEFT end of the keyboard. Such a solution can also help making the keyboard symmetric. The center line between the left and right-thumb halves is between the T-G.B and Y-H-N key columns. This means that there can be, for example, 2 + 5 key columns on the left and 5 + 1 +1 key columns on the right. Here with 2 + 5 columns I mean the "2 keys wide space for the pointing device + modifier keys" + QWERT keys. "5 + 1 + 1" columns mean the YUIOP + Backspace key + 1-key wide margin (perhaps without any keys). Or, if the Backspace is not put on the right side of the P key, there can be a language-localized key, exactly in the same place as on full-size Qwertty keyboards: Å for Scandinavia, Ü for Germany, ´ for Spain+Latin America, etc. The right-thumb end of the keyboard always tends to be too crowderd (2 .. 4 localizable keys, Backspace key, Enter key, Ctrl key, 4 arrow keys,...). By moving the 4 arrow keys to the left-thumb end, there would be enough space for all the essential keys in the right-thumb end.

On the keyboard OH of Jolla there is one more reason to put the pointing device in the lower left-thumb corner. There may be a hole in the upper left-thumb corner. That hole matches with the camera lens, allowing you to photograph thru the hole without sliding out the keyboard. Because the camera in in the middle of the top (left) end of Jolla phone, the hole will become visible in the left-thumb corner of the keyboard when you slide out the keyboard. Because the hole would be close to the Q key, on the left-thumb side of the Q-A-Z key columns is left an empty area, the middle and lower part of which can be used for the pointing device or arrow keys.

I'm right-handed, but I do not mind using the pointing device with my left thumb. Also for phone use I prefer keeping the phone in my left hand: then my better (right) is free to do other tasks while calling: to open a door lock with a key, for example.

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

How about sticking the trackball on the reverse side, so you use it with your middle right finger, whilst using your thumbs for typing. The placement could be at an equal distance from the bottom as the camera is to the top, and recessed.

Re: Ideal keyboard design and configuration
 

Well, depending on your grip, this could lead to interesting situations on the street :p