Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site topaz.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!cbosgd!cbdkc1!desoto!packard!topaz!@RUTGERS.ARPA:BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA From: @RUTGERS.ARPA:BACH@SU-SCORE.ARPA Newsgroups: net.works Subject: MICROWRITER keyboard, request for comments Message-ID: <466@topaz.ARPA> Date: Thu, 31-Jan-85 17:32:31 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.466 Posted: Thu Jan 31 17:32:31 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 2-Feb-85 10:10:01 EST Sender: daemon@topaz.ARPA Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 39 From: Rene Bach I have a request for comment concerning the microwriter. Is there anyone who has used it ? Used it as a terminal keyboard ? I was impressed with the idea and asked for more information : Microwriter 251 E 61 St. NY, NY 10021 (212) 319-8602. I have no connection whatsoever with this company. Here is a summary of the beast : It is a (one) hand held, six keys keyboard. It includes a small display (about 15 letters), a memory 1600 word long, an RS232 port, cassette lead socket, charger socket and an auxilliary socket. cost around $500. How one uses it : one punches in "shapes" of letters using one or more keys, including numbers and special signs. Keys are punched in at the SAME time. (actually the system is smart about this, I should say same time frame). The sixth key is not really a character input key, but a "command" key. The keys location on the board match the finger location of the hand. One doesn't move the hand to type, just select which fingers will go down. Speed : After training, they claim one achieves 1.5 to 2 times the speed of hand writing, which appears to be equivalent to a medium speed typist. (This is my own estimate, please correct me if this is wrong). I see this device with a great potential if one could add a tracking device into it and hook it up to a workstation and use it both as a keyboard and a pointing device. This would free up the other hand to do other useful things (from scratching foreheads to holding the phone, turning pages to smack flies). One will not need to move the hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back !! I would appreciate comments. Rene bach@score -------