My new Apple Keyboard... running on Windows XP.

So on Friday I decided to go to the Apple store on Regent Street in London. I finally wanted to try the new keyboard Apple released a couple of months ago (when the new iMac came out). My goal was to see if it felt as good as it looked. Now before I go on... I just want to say that keyboards are like mice... almost impossible to decide if it's any good unless you try it for yourself. I've read quite a few reviews on the Internet about the new keyboard and quite frankly it just made me want to try it for myself more. This keyboard is NOT for everyone... but you know, no keyboard is for everyone. Different people have different tastes, this is true for cars, fashion, and keyboards.

So I went to the Mac store and after standing in line to try one of the new iMacs (which had the keyboard connected to it) I finally got a chance to experience it (both the 24" iMac as well as the keyboard).

So my first impression for me was.... this was a very well made keyboard. It is aluminum with buttons that stick out very much like the iBook laptops Apple sells. The next thing you'll notice is how incredibly thin it is... I mean it is REALLY thin. Yet, it is very sturdy and balanced. This is a USB2 keyboard (not because the keyboard itself needs USB2 but because it has 2 USB2 ports built-in on the sides so you can easily connect MP3 players, cameras, phones, etc).

After typing on it for a bit (the people behind me were not very happy to wait but owe well) I must say.... well... here is what it looks like at home. :-)

It works very well with Windows XP though a couple keys are mislabeled but really only 2 I think so not a big deal. It really looks nice and I am enjoying how the keys work (I've always loved laptop keys). I can only say good things about it, though I STRONGLY suggest you go into your local Mac store to try one out before you buy. But I would give that advice to anyone who was interested in getting a new keyboard or mouse.

My next test will to try my favourite FPS (first person shooters) such as Unreal Tournament 2004, Half-Life, and Bio Hazard.

Mobile Camp London 2007 Day 2 - great people make for a great event

The show was a huge success, so many different products and services were shown. The only complaint I had was that I wanted to be in 2 or even 3 places at once. The show was very well organized and even though a lot of the presentations were last-minute it never seemed that way. There were always refreshments on hand (including breakfast and lunch) and even beers at the end of the day.

The hosts like Victor Szilagyi (pictured above) as well as Imran Ali and Christian Lindholm (pictured below) really knew what they were doing and I must give them a big thank you. (BTW on the right that is Petro Soininen, who showed me the latest Nokia handsets that are not on the market yet)

In fact even some very familiar faces were there as well... such as the very lovely Sarah Blow, founder of the London Girl Geek Dinners as well as GirlyGeekdom Blog. She even went as far as to fashion the Mobile Camp London shirts to show us just how good they can really look! :-)

The conferences were always full of interesting attendees and it was never boring.

Towards the end we even had a competition, where a group of developers showed off their latest offerings.\

Each one was unique and different dealing with many areas within Web 2.0

everyone listened closely because at the end we had to vote for our favourite solution. It wasn't an easy choice...

Once the presentations were over the developers all got into a line (looked like a police lineup) and everyone was reminded what each person (persons) presented.

 Victor made sure everyone got a fair shot as the prices were really good (iPhone and Nokia n95 as the top prices) it make me wish I had tried it. (that Nokia N95 will be mine one day)

and some more....

and the winner is.....

... ahhh the kids these days... :-) he put together a very cool application that made it easy to check TV shows online (schedules and such). Now that's a good way of showing everyone what the TV guys need to figure out... their audience. He is the proud new owner of an iPhone.

Another update to Mobile Camp London 2007 Day 2

Let me introduce you, to Monsieur Laurent Guyot-Sionnest, CEO of Tiki'labs based out of Paris France. I actually stumbled upon Laurent's invention by accident... and to be honest I thought it was something else entirely. He notice me poking around his stuff and quickly came over (probably a bit concerned I might break something). He comes over and starts explaining that I'm not, in fact, looking at his invention. I wasn't sure if I could take him seriously after all his heavy French accent was a bit suspicious, but I let him talk, and what he explained to me... I cannot stop thinking about. I was looking at something... that can change the world.

The first thing Laurent gets out is a piece of paper with 6 squares on it... 3x2 configuration. So he asks me to place my hand on it and starts to explain... how his new keyboard will work. 6 keys???!!! Yes, 6 keys to replace the QWERTY keyboards we use on mobile devices... Surely you mock me sir... mock me not sir... no... he was serious.

As the presentation progressed he explained how the 6 keys were split up into quadrants (or squares), and how each quadrant had 2 rows inside it. This is VERY intuitive and surprisingly easy system to learn.

The basic layout of the keyboard is this picture:

Each quadrant has carefully picked letters/symbols in it. It has been especially configured for maximum speed and ease. So imagine 6 keys lined up like the 6 squares above (for this example I'm going to use QWE and ASD). Let's say you want to write the letter "a", just hit "q" once, which then switches the program to show this...

So the program is told which quadrant you want and then that switches the same 6 keys so you are now asked which row you would like... hitting the "q" again tells the program to input the letter "a". Of course if you wanted to input the letter "b" same logic would work except you would hit "q" once and "w" for the second input.

That's it, you now know the basics. It takes minutes to learn, and a couple of days (at most) to feel comfy with it. The goal is... you can go as fast as 40+WPM once you really use this thing. The other obstacle is the keyboard itself, as you will need one that has much less travel on the keys. Your fingers don't have time to wait for the keys to go all the way down and back up, they want to press the keys much faster than that. (here is the TikiLabs official presentation)

I am very excited about this product, even saw a version of it running on Symbian OS. Larry plans on a Windows Mobile version as well as releasing a separate USB keyboard attachment (like the number key attachments you can get today).

The idea is, you will be able to type as fast or faster than today, using only one hand. And with fewer keys and more logical layout, you should make far fewer mistakes as well... and truly be able to type without looking at the keyboard (yes I know some can do that now, but most can't). I was really impressed by the simplicity of this solution, and hope to be able to help make it a reality. I mock you not sir... it's THAT good. :-)

Mobile Camp London Day 2 (continued)

So as the sessions continued everyone was busy taking notes and overall staying connected...

Some even showed off the wonderful prizes that were won! How cool...

Others were getting ready for their presentations (these guys were getting ready for the app showdown)...

While others took the time to get private demos of products...

 This would be a demo of the OpenHand Neo 1973 GTA 01 I discussed earlier. The "open" iPhone device (fully touch screen while running Linux).

There was  even the new HTC Touch (running Windows Mobile) probably just to compare with the OpenHand.

 

and even some "multimedia" devices like this "opened" Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) allowing it to run homebrew software as well as movies in true divx format (typically Sony makes you convert to their special format if you want to watch)

"So what about that sleeping guy's incredible product?" you ask... ooohhhh, that's next... for now, let him sleep, he's about to change the world! :-) 

Mobile Camp London Day 2

Well today I must admit I was not there all day. I had some things to take care of in the morning and did not arrive until about 2PM. This means I missed the RFID discussion (too bad as I have RFID experience) but I'm sure you can get all the latest updates from other blogs like thatcadiangirl who was also there taking great pics and attending as many of the sessions as possible. In fact as I arrived on Sunday, she was leaving... (some of us have quite a trip home via trains and busses).

So on Day 2 I saw as many cool things as Day 1, here is a recap with pics of course!

So I attended a very cool presentation about wearable technology... no, your mobile phone is not wearable it's portable... big difference (now I know that). The company CuteCircuit was on hand to explain and show (with pictures) what they offered (or more accurately, were going to offer by the end of the year)

They discussed some history of clothing and where they thought it was going. It was very cool to see their first product the Hug Shirt...

this product is quite interesting as it allows users to send "hugs" via the bluetooth connection to their mobile phones, via the web to other Hug Shirt wearing friends. It's a interesting idea which.. sounds... well interesting...

The idea is that the shirt will actually vibrate, shake, hug... (not sure how to describe it as I did not try it) but you will know when and where a person has hugged you.

Now the fabric is only 1mm thick and the only "large" piece would be the bluetooth antenna which is on the back, in an area that was said to be rarely touched (hmmm, I guess they did a test group). The shirt stays connected to your mobile and you are able to hug yourself then send that command to your friend or loved on (and if they are also wearing a Hug Shirt) they can get this "feeling" anywhere in the world. Hmmmm... so my obvious next question was when were the trousers coming out! They just smiled, guess it's a secret. The company is also developing other things and those projects can be found on their site... but this is the one they are going to push the most for now. When asked about the price they said "It will cost as much as an iPod." I sure hope they talking about the Shuffle and not the new 16GB Touch. We'll have to wait and see, but first audience reaction was mixed, some found it a great idea, others...

...didn't. But this guy... well he has the right not to be impressed, what he had to show, blew me away (and gets my vote for the best product of the show). I just wish he presented it for everyone to see. More on that later!