abKey Keyboard

Juniper Foo | Oct 13, 2004

Remember Dr August Dvorak and his keyboard? We don't, either. The poor man apparently died bitter, fighting to sell his improved design to an industry that just wasn't interested. Now 72 years later, Singapore inventor Bob Teo aims to do what Dr Dvorak was unable to--displace the QWERTY keyboard. His abKey Keyboard rearranges the letters alphabetically as well as logically, drawing inspiration from TV game show Wheel of Fortune which he caught as a grad student in the US. Teo claims his keyboard lets users type more accurately, up to twice as fast, is lots more comfortable, and can be learned in 1 hour. Ergonomically, the abKey cracks into two halves and can be angled at an elevation, thanks to its German-designed hinge. However, just as most Singaporeans are unlikely to give up their durians and chillies, the cultural inertia of QWERTY remains an Everest that Teo has to scale.

Click to see key arrangement | keyboard base

Price: US$90
Availability: Asia, from March; will be showcased at CES 2005 in January in Las Vegas
Device: Ergonomic USB keyboard
Basic specs: USB hub, onboard multimedia buttons

Filed under: PC & Peripherals
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