New Devices Support Data Entry in Style

LAS VEGAS -- Keyboards and mice are PC necessities often taken for granted, but a handful of vendors here at Comdex have crafted new styles, designs, and angles for ordinary input tasks that they hope will coax you to upgrade from what came with your PC.

Keyboards With a Twist

Among the most interesting of all the new input products is the Z-board, from Ideazon of Vaughn, Ontario. The Z-board is actually a product line of keyboards customized to provide shortcuts in specific applications.

Available in either silver or black, the $24.95 Z-board base looks like a keyboard with all the keys removed. Users then snap in a custom keyboard that, through an onboard chip, configures the designated shortcut keys to perform programmed application functions.

The keyboard itself will cost as little as $10 for a Microsoft Office/Explorer combination to $20 for one that supports Adobe Photoshop. Other custom keyboards will support CAD and video editing, and the company plans to develop snap-in keyboards that meet a corporation's specific needs.

On the other side of the user sphere, the company will immediately release several keyboards configured for games. The Z-Board is scheduled to be available in early 2003.

Another new keyboard, from Goldtouch, is designed to combat carpal tunnel syndrome, although the company provides no guarantee. The keyboard can be configured either in a standard or split format, so businesses can buy the keyboards in quantity and users can configure them as they wish, without having to choose a style in advance. Versions of the keyboard contain a key lock and a biometric fingerprint pad.

Pen (Training Required)

Logitech of Fremont, California, has put the finishing touches on its Io Personal Digital Pen. The $200 unit docks into a USB connector, from which it transfers data into a PC. The pen appears to write normally, but accurately digitizes handwriting as long as the writer goes through a training process and uses special "data sheet" paper.

When asked if the next-wave digital pen will need special paper, spokesperson Nathan Papadopulos said he expects all paper to become "special" in the future.

The pen has 1MB of memory, allowing you to write approximately 40 pages before you must pause to download the information.

Manageable Mice

Contour Design, of Windham, New Hampshire, has enhanced its Perfit Mouse, which recognizes that one size of mouse decidedly does not fit all needs.

The company offers three left-handed and four right-handed mice in different sizes, all with three buttons on top and two scrolling wheels on the side. While all of the buttons are programmable, the default configuration uses one wheel to scroll and the other to move forward and back between Web pages.

The new optical mice are also designed to fully support the hand rather than force fingers together. This serves to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, according to company director of marketing Kim Adams.

All seven mice are now available, priced ranging from $90 to $140, depending on capabilities and operating system.