Keyboard improves typing with miniature screen

The smartype Keyboard includes an extra screen located above the keys to enable people to better see what they're typing.

Researchers at Stanford University have already aimed to make a keyboard for blind people with its touchscreen typing for the visually impaired, but could writing on the computer be made easier for all users? The makers of the smartype Keyboard seem to think so, adding an extra screen onto the standard keyboard to enable people to better see what they’re writing. KeyView – the Israel-based company behind the smartype – believes that computer users currently split their focus between the keys and the screen. This results in slower typing speeds, eye and neck strain and an increased number of typing errors. In order to tackle this problem, the smartype Keyboard is fitted with a miniature screen above the keys which shows the typist what they are writing as they go. The company hopes to add an app functionality to the device in the future, allowing the keyboard screen to display Facebook and Twitter updates when the user isn’t typing. The video below gives a demonstration of the keyboard: The smartype is currently available to buy for Israeli customers only, but those interested outside of the country can place a pre-order now. Could other computer peripherals be updated to increase productivity? Spotted by: Murtaza Patel