ITE 221 - Fall 2012 - Chapter 7

PURPOSE:

The chapter describes the basics of text and image representation and display including digital representation of grayscale and color, bitmaps, and image description language; describes the characteristics and implementation technology of video display devices; understands printer characteristics and technology; describes main manual input technologies; describes various types of optical input devices, identifies the characteristics of audio I/O devices, and explains how they operate.

Tapping out: The future of keyboards

http://www.kidela.com/technology/tapping-out-the-future-of-keyboards/

 

What is the future of keyboards?  It seems like they have been around forever! I’ve used so many over the years, even the ergonomic ones!  But are they on there way out?  This article looks into that question.

 

Most people still use keyboards in their every day lives.  Mobile touch screens are becoming more popular with the use of smartphones and tablets.  One of the defining features of the iPhone when it was first released was the lack of a physical keyboard. It seems as if Blackberry is the only cellphone manufacture who makes QWERTY physical keyboards and they seem to be cutting back on them too.

 

Tablets like the iPad have also had a role in the decline of the physical keyboard.  Tablets are designed without physical keyboards.  A common complaint about tablet keyboards is the lack of a touch-based feedback, commonly known as a “haptic” response.   Manufactures have tried to deal with this by adding sounds when keys are pressed.

 

One company, Tactus Technology has developed a technology that allows for the creation of on-demand buttons on the surface of a touch-screen that raise when they are needed and fade away when they are not. 

 

Other companies have developed projection keyboards for cellphones and computers that allow the user to enter alphanumeric data much as they would if they were on a full-sized keyboard.

 

I prefer a physical keyboard.  The keyboards on smartphones and tablets are too small for people who have big hands and/or fingers like me.  I hope keyboards don’t go away anytime soon!