Orbitouch Keyless Keyboard Reviews

I've been reading up on the Orbitouch Keyless Keyboard, an ergonomic device that allows you to "type" without keys. It's supposed to be a significant improvement over typical ergonomic keyboards as far as reducing wrist/hand strain. You place your hands on two domes that move into different positions to signal various keystrokes. There's no pressure involved. The mouse is built right into the Orbitouch. According to the site, it's designed with traditional keyboard layouts in mind and should be fairly intuitive to learn (yeah, like they're going to tell you it's a pain in the butt). It looks intriguing, and I'd like to give one a try, but at $700 it's not going to be a whim purchase.

They have information and a short video up you can check out at the Orbitouch website (Be warned--the narrator in the video sounds like that science teacher from the Wonder Years... read: dry and monotone).

Here are a few reviews from folks who have tried it:

Keybowl orbiTouch keyless keyboard review by PC Magazine

OrbiTouch Review: A Keyless Keyboard by ExtremeTech

Comments

[Casey Allen Shobe]

Now, that's an innovative design. It's nice to see some completely out of the box thinking like this... A few concerns though:

* Cost - That's really some serious money for a keyboard.

* Speed - it says in their FAQ that you can type 30-40wpm. That's not a terrible lot, and it makes sense considering that you have to use both hands to type a single character (versus the usual one hand per letter on a normal keyboard - one of the principles behind the design of the dvorak layout was to have as much alternation between the hands as reasonably possible, because this it is faster).

* Layout - I suspected from their GIF animation on the site, but it was confirmed in the video - the orb positions are based on the QWERTY layout. But as I was typing this I realized that it would change relative to the keymap setting on the computer, so this isn't an issue at all. One could theoretically easily choose dvorak or any other layout they happened to prefer and it would work.

* Exertion - For the same reason as the speed issue, having to use both hands for a single letter means that you're using at least twice as many muscles. It appears that these are the "better" muscles to be using, the arms can certainly take more exercise than the wrists...but I'm skeptical.

I would like to try it before condemning it, and at that price, I would most certainly want to try it before buying it. For this one, I think renting is a good option (their site also mentions a 2-week trial that they offer).

Nice information here, keep up the good blogging!

[John Ford]

I will have to say I was very skeptical. Since I live down the road from their offices, I stopped by to try it out. To my dismay, it is pretty easy to pick up. There is some muscle control issues that you need to work on, for instance the mouse is a little hard to work at first, but with practice it becomes nothing. The biggest thing to overcome when learning a new piece of ergo equipment, is lack of self discipline and stick-to-it-edness. With practice and hardwork it becomes worth it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I think this is pretty beneficial!