From typewriters and clumsy Cherry keyboards we mid-30s still remember, we have seen low profile keyboards, OLED programmable key keyboards and touchscreen keyboards. But essentially, keyboards are still the same they were 20, 30 or 50 years ago.
Keyview Tech, a company based in Israel and launched by M-Systems founder Dov Moran, says it can reinvent the keyboard. The Smartype still has a QWERTY keyboard, but adds on a configurable screen. Users can configure the screen with apps to show information such as email inbox, weather and time. However, the screen also display the text currently being typed by the user, which Keyview claims helps reduce neck and eye pain.
Rather than moving your eyes between the screen and the keyboard, which some of us may do frequently, you can now keep your eyes on the keyboard only while typing. Keyview says that the display also helps to increase the typing speed, and reduce the error rate.
So far the Smartype is simply advertised as a teaser on a website with very limited information. You can preorder the device, but there is no shipping date or price.