Half-keyboard
A half-keyboard is a specially designed and programmed keyboard used in limited space situations or when the typist needs a hand free to answer the phone, hold documents, etc.[1]
The "Half-QWERTY" keyboard, invented by Edgar Matias,[2][3] consists of only the left-hand half of a normal QWERTY keyboard, but when the space bar is held down, it switches to the right half of the keyboard, allowing a person to type with only one hand.
It is said to be quick to learn, because human bodies can easily replicate one motion on one side to the other side, and almost as fast as a normal keyboard.[4]
Also a standard keyboard can be used with a special keyboard driver software as half-keyboard for temporary or testing use, as the physical layout does not differ.
References
- ^ Morley, Deborah; Parker, Charles (2013). Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow (14th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning. p. 665. ISBN 9781133190240. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ Matias, Edgar; MacKenzie, I. Scott; Buxton, William (1993). "Half-QWERTY: a one-handed keyboard facilitating skill transfer from QWERTY". Proceedings of the INTERCHI '93 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems: 88–94. ISBN 90-5199-133-9.
- ^ Patent claim (filed 1991-03-21, expired 2011)
- ^ Lawrence, Elaine; Pernici, Barbara; Krogstie, John (30 August 2004). Mobile Information Systems. New York: Springer Science+Business Media. p. 332. ISBN 9780387228518. Retrieved 24 November 2014.