Ask HN: Are there any speedy handheld keyboards that exist? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Are there any speedy handheld keyboards that exist?

8 pointsl2silver7 comments

I've always wanted to type at the same speed as a full sized keyboard on my phone while maintaining the flexibility of phone typing (like being able to type while walking or in bed). Is there any portable keyboard like that?

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You might consider a chorded keyboard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorded_keyboard

Speed is a learning curve, and while I have considered chorded keyboards, I have not used one.

Commercial Products

https://twiddler.tekgear.com/

https://decatxt.com/

DIY versions

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31716382

https://wiki.xxiivv.com/site/juni.html

https://www.instructables.com/Chording-Keyboard-BLE-and-USB/

One could also find a standalone T9 keyboard:

https://hackaday.com/2021/06/03/miss-the-predictive-text-fro...

Or get one on an existing device:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/type-nine-t9-keyboard/id926008...

Yeah these are pretty interesting! I wish there was a 2 handed chorded keyboard, but these might actually work. The Tap also looks pretty interesting, although I don't think it's all that practical

The closest I've come to that recently is an old Casio BOSS SF-4900C digital organizer that I used while out hiking and walking. It worked great (I was getting really annoyed at the lack of products for this application) but I used shorthand and didn't intend to transfer the data out at all.

It was definitely easier to solve the problem as a whole using dictation or writing breaks every 20m or so. Some of the portable keyboards out there are looking really fun to play with, but they don't seem like they'd work well while walking.

In the case of laying in bed, the best solution I've found is a lumbar support pillow for office chairs, a pillow with a flat back which I use as a table. It is comfortable, plush but firm, and makes a really awesome device platform, with friction to keep things from sliding around and also a mousepad-style texture. I use it more than my regular bed table and even took it on vacation...

This is your man: https://mgsloan.com/posts/tree-based-computing/

Tree, hammock, airplane computing. Next level!

I miss the days of T9

I could type and ride a bike at bike at the same time, without looking at the screen.

I also did pretty well with the blackberry physical keyboards

There are also these [1]. Though I hear typing speed is still slower than a normal keyboard. Plus you’ve got a learning curve.

[1] https://www.tapwithus.com/

Pretty cool!

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