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Comment by barriteau | Hacker News Reader

I'm an early adopter and long time user of the Tap Strap [1] and the TapXR [2], they solved for me the same OP's aspirations ;)

There is some room for improvement, but it really works, flawlessly [3].

[1] https://www.tapwithus.com/how-tapxr-works/

[2] https://www.tapwithus.com/product/tap-xr/

[3] https://www.tapwithus.com/how-tapxr-works/

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Learning about this for the first time, do you use the TapXR or the Tap Strap? Are there any tasks you do/not use it for, or environments where it functions better or worse? Can it work single hand or with both hands (and a second device)?

I have both, they work pretty well, TapXR looks nicer but has one drawback: doesn't do very well in low light conditions and doesn't work at all in the dark; the old Strap doesn't have this problem, its only drawbacks are the extra seconds it takes to wear it and the weirder aesthetics.

I've only used them as keyboards, so I'm not very familiar with the media controller options, but as far as I can see it's a very easy mode to use.

You can use two of them at the same time, one in each hand, but it probably won't be necessary, you can get to type very fast with one hand.

They are very well supported on iOS. I once plugged one into Windows and it seemed to work fine, but I have not tested it extensively.

That’s interesting, thanks. I a word and meant to ask which you use more, oops. The strap says that it works better on hard surfaces which makes me wonder about how it fares on say, a leg, stiff cushion, or things like that. Also if it’s not using an optical sensor, I wonder what happens when you try playing an instrument with it on. Might have to give it a try.

The TapXR I use the most ;)

Those require a surface to type, right?

In "keyboard" mode, you need something to tap on, but it can be the mousepad on your desk, your opposite arm, the underside of your dining room table, the side of your thigh while walking, the handlebars of your bike, etc.

There are also "air gestures" (Smart TV control, air mouse, and media control modes) that don't require a surface. (By the way, there are recent updates in this department that leave out the Tap Strap).

I'm not into gaming, VR sets or the like at all, so I can't say how good or bad these are for that sort of thing, but that market seems to be the main focus and direction the company is taking these days.

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