loonyblog.

Now this is clever.

The biggest problem with portable devices these days, whether it's a PDA or cell phone (or both), is squeezing in a keyboard without making the product too large. With a cell phone this is a much bigger concern, and while I think the Treo 600 is a step in the right direction, it still seems a bit on the clumsy side. Ultimately, I do want to get a combined PDA and cell phone. Right now I have my t68i, and am quite happy with it, although sending e-mails with its keypad is a serious pain in the neck. For a PDA I'm still using my Clie N760C, which has served me well for the past two years, and even though it doesn't have Bluetooth or an integrated keyboard like Sony's more recent models (this one in particular looks awesome) I'm in no rush to replace it. What I imagine I'll do is wait for someone to really get the PDA/cell phone thing right before replacing either, and then replace them both with a single unit. But I'll definitely wait for someone to get that combo-device thing down pat first.

And it may be coming sooner than I had expected. This article at Mobile Burn looks at the Fastap keyboard from Digit Wireless. Check out their web site to get a demonstration of the technology, as this is really some clever stuff. Basically what they've done is put the number keys on top of the letter keys, with one being raised and the other depressed. It's not going to be as effective as a QWERTY keyboard, but it looks great, and I could definitely see myself using this over the thumb keyboards that those BlackBerry devices made so popular.

Most exciting however, is the fact that since the keyboard can be so compressed, it's possible to use this technology to create much smaller, and elegantly designed devices. If someone manages to create a phone that looks just like those great old StarTACs, with a full keyboard and integrated Bluetooth, I'll be first in line to buy one.

Posted by jason at June 30, 2003 01:07 PM | TrackBack | Read more: