All right, gotta admit that I’m freaking out just a little right now. I’m a fairly speedy touch typist, so my QWERTY keyboard and I are pals. But let me introduce you to a new kind of keyboard that will work with pretty much any Bluetooth connected device. It’s called TAP and this device puts the keyboard on your fingers instead of at your fingertips.
It can turn anything you touch into a keyboard and touchpad. Just tap on the table or your arm or the wall to use it.
It can be used with a phone, tablet, smartwatch, VR headset, smart TV or your computer.
Each time you tap your fingers or glide your thumb, a character, command, or cursor position is sent to the device.
You can use it for typing or for playing games. If you’re a two-handed typist like me, you can order two devices and use them together.
You don’t need a hard surface to use. Tap on a table, tap on your arm, or tap on your mattress. It also requires a fairly light touch.
The device comes with two apps to help you learn how use it better. Tap Genius and Tap Aloud (designed for visually impaired users.)
You can pre-order a tab keyboard now for $129.99. It comes in small or large sizes and is available in black or white. They’re expected to ship in late December or early January.
Click here to learn more about TAP and watch a video of it in action.
Other than cost, this is a novelty that could come in handy. I’d give it a try however, the device would have to work very well for me to completely adopt it because I am a speedy typist. The question for me is how often I would actually use it, where and when? It’s not clear how is the keyboard reproduced with just one hand.
You can buy one for each hand if you like. Myself I could actually see using it in bed, because I do like to use my laptop and tablet there, but it’s hard to balance a keyboard for steady typing. I’m a touch typist as well and I wonder how fast I could get with one hand. I also wonder about the lack of keyboard feedback to my fingers. 30 plus years ago I went on a tour of IBM in Lexington with my high school class and I remember the gent who led us on tour telling us that they could do touchpad keyboards, but that people didn’t respond well to them because they liked the response from the keyboard.