No more boring keyboards

Computer mice have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. They have advanced from the basic device that remotely resembles a mouse to objects that look as though they fell out of Obi Ones’ pocket. From trackballs to optical to cordless, the mouse is the input device that garners the lions' share of attention. As many of my students can tell you, you do not need a mouse to operate a computer. So this week we are exploring some of the quiet advances of the keyboard.
Keyboards can be upgraded to address medical concerns or just to accessorize your system. Contrary to popular belief, computing is a contact sport. The most notable injury is the product of prolonged and repeated typing. If you ever spent a night in front of a computer and pumped a paper that was due twenty minutes after you finished it, then you know what I am talking about. The aching in your wrist is product of the design of standard keyboards. The aching in your wrists spawned a whole new market of ergonomic equipment. This market entails everything from the rubber wrist supports that are placed in the front of standard keyboards, to specially designed keyboards that are separated into to halves. If you spend a lot of time on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing some ergonomic products.
Virtual devices have carved a niche in the technology market and they seem to have recently turned there attention to input devices. More especially keyboards. Virtual keyboards were initially designed to compensate for the problematic keyboards of portable computing devices. The Virtual keyboards projects a keyboard layout onto any surface using light beams. You then type in the same manner that you would with a standard keyboard. Another virtual keyboard utilizes ergonomic hand devices to type on any surface. These devices are definitely space savers and a little piece of the George Jetson type of technologies that we were expecting. Several different companies produce virtual keyboards. Some of the industry leaders can be found at senseboard.com and siemens.com. The price for these new tech toys is between $100 and $150 dollars. I expect the price to fall when their popularity rises.
Another keyboard option that is a little more gimmicky and less of a technological wonder is the rubber or flexible keyboard. As you can easily ascertain from its’ name, it is constructed from rubber. This makes it extremely pliable and portable. If nothing else, it would make a good conversation piece. I have seen these around town for about $40 bucks, but I have also seen them online up to about $150.
I hope that this article will lead to an equality of the input devices, and help the keyboard rise the shadow cast by its’ demur companion the mouse. For all those that may be concerned about my apparent anti-mouse tendencies, no mice were injured during the writing of this article. O.k., maybe one. As always, feel free to email me with your questions.