Half Keyboard

[ClintReese]

Hello.  I\'ve been reading about wearable computers on the internet for a few years now, and I\'ve made a few attempts at building some.  In my exploration, I came across a device called the \"Half Keyboard.\"

http://halfkeyboard.com/wearable/index.html

It seems to cost about $300 and seems to be mainly built for OS\'s like the palm OS.

Now that I have my Z-SL-5600 running Python, though, I am thinking of a cheaper solution.

Why couldn\'t the Z be configured so that a person could hold it with one hand, and type with one thumb on only _half_ the keyboard?  One might have to type 2 keys for each character, but it should be possible.

This might make the Z _truly_ mobile.  If one must type with both hands and focus on the device, how can one do something which requires true mobility at the same time?

All I need now is a sutable text editor.  I\'ve considered many,  The writer of PyPE was even nice enough to expalin to me why my trying to adapt his editor wasn\'t a very good choice for this application.

Does anyone know how I might make this work?  Any other ideas?

Clint Reese

[doc]

You mean you\'d turn the 300x400 screen into a keyboard?  How would you see any of the text editor then?  The picture on the 1/2 keyboard site shows a keyboard on one wrist and a screen on the other.  I\'m not quite sure what you mean, but I\'m intrigued.  I have found the best way to really type on the zaurus is to network it and use VNC...not the really mobile solution ;p   Most apps that I think are good for the Z are those which don\'t require alot of keybard input, using only the thumb control or the stylus.

[ClintReese]

You mean you\'d turn the 300x400 screen into a keyboard?  How would you see any of the text editor then?  The picture on the 1/2 keyboard site shows a keyboard on one wrist and a screen on the other.  I\'m not quite sure what you mean, but I\'m intrigued.

You are correct that this isn\'t exactly what I meant.  After giving it some thought, I have come to the conclusion that building this application may be simpler than explaining it right now, though.

I have found the best way to really type on the zaurus is to network it and use VNC...not the really mobile solution ;p   Most apps that I think are good for the Z are those which don\'t require alot of keybard input, using only the thumb control or the stylus.

Exactly.  Only thumb conrol, for now.  Since I can\'t reach both halves of the keyboard comfortably while holding the Zaurus in one hand, this means only using half of the keyboard.  It just reminds me of Matias\'s \"halfkeyboard.\"

I know that seems like a very slow and uncomfortable way to input.  I would prefer a one-handed chording keyboard such at the \"Twiddler\" lying over there in the corner, but I don\'t know how to make it work with the Zaurus.  Maybe if I interface the Zaurus with a PIC through the serial port, I can set up my own chording keyboard.  I\'ve already built some prototypes of such input devices.  Of course, they won\'t let me carry that on a plane, but if I build apps which are popular enough, maybe I can convince someone \"sharp\" to mass-produce them.

Clint Reese

[ClintReese]

I would prefer a one-handed chording keyboard such at the \"Twiddler\" lying over there in the corner, but I don\'t know how to make it work with the Zaurus.
Clint Reese

Speaking of the \"Twiddler,\" does anyone know of anyone who has gotten it or another one-handed chording keyboard working for the Z?  I think that shall be one of my goals, as I mention above.

By the way, this isn\'t a school project.  My senior project in C.S. in which I built a glove interface for wearable computing was years ago.  This is mainly passion and purpose now.

Clint Reese

[ClintReese]

Most of this email is random rambling about me having completed this project.

OK.  I finished the basics of this application a couple of days ago.

It just took a few hours to 5 days of planning and coding.  Maybe 20 hours?  Of course, I was learning how to program in Python for the first time while doing it.

It is very hard to use right now, and doesn\'t have all of the features which I want to include before release.  But, it works.  I can modify the text editor with another copy of itself, save it, and run it again with only half of the keyboard, and all with a text editor which I wrote from scratch in Python.

It was a nice little project for learning some Python.

Now I need to get the asii text output to display larger letters.  Something like figlet
http://www.figlet.org/
whould be nice, but I don\'t like FIGlet\'s license
ftp://ftp.figlet.org/pub/figlet/program/u...tic-license.txt
so I may end up doing something substandard from scratch again if I can\'t find some freeware.

I told some people who had helped me here that I would let them know if I developed any interesting apps, so I had to post something like this.

Clint Reese

[DrWowe]

Of course, they won\'t let me carry that on a plane

Why not?  I can\'t possibly imagine hijacking a plane with a one handed chording keyboard.  (just the image makes me roll over laughing)

[ClintReese]

Of course, they won\'t let me carry that on a plane

Why not?  I can\'t possibly imagine hijacking a plane with a one handed chording keyboard.  (just the image makes me roll over laughing)

I haven\'t really tried, but I think it almost goes without saying these days that home made eletronics just aren\'t allowed as carry-on on planes in the U.S.  Dr. Steve Mann had much trouble with his wearable computer on a plane in Canada, as I recall.  I think he said something about security ripping the electrodes out of his skin, causing him to bleed.

I think they gave an international flight an escort because someone was wearing some sort of electric blanket with wires sticking out.  They also claim to have found a gentleman with wires sticking out of his shoes, and who supposedly had explosives in them.

They fear electronics unless they are from a \"trusted\" source, that\'s all.

Clint Reese