Reprinted from ...

>an 9$&e iHerturijSunday, February 23, 1992

Serving Northern California Since 1851

Computing Software Review • Calendar

Striking A Chord

"/ can teach

little kids how

to do it in three

or four hours"

Doug Engelbart,SRI International

New chordic keypadsfor portable computersgive users a free hand

BYTOMSCHMITZMercury News Staff Writer

Fishermen love to tell stories about theone that got away. Inventors talk aboutthe ones that almost did.

Their great catches are ideas — revo-lutionary, world-beating discoveries ig-nored for years until someone finally re-alized their true potential. Penicillin, forinstance, which languished in laborato-ries for more than a decade before anAustralian pathologist demonstrated itspower to treat infection. Or the fax ma-chine, invented in 1902 but not refinedfor general use until the 1980s.

Now, some gadgeteers are pushing thecomputer industry to take a fresh look atanother venerable idea whose time mayfinally have come — chordic keypads.

Intended as an alternative to standardcomputer keyboards, the device usesmultiple key combinations to enter dataand text in much the same way as a courtstenographer's machine. And while theinvention itself is not new, proponentssay it is the ideal input system for ever-

smaller, more porta-ble computers.

"A chord keyboardallows you to dothings you couldn't doany other way," saysDoug Platt, presidentof Select Tech in Jen-kintown, Pa., who hasbeen working on aportable system."You're really goingto see them take off."

The earliest chordickeypads were devel-oped for Morse Codeoperators in the late

The ChordKeypad ™

byInfogrip, Inc.

Infogrip Inc.'s Chord Keypads and Hip PC.

" na

/ think it's a

great idea."

David Nagel,Senior Vice Presidentfor advanced technology/Apple Computer Inc.

119th century as an al-ternative to the tele-graph key. Their firstapplication to com-puters came in 1968,when Doug Engelbartof SRI Internationalbuilt a five-fingerkeyset to use with an-other of his inven-tions — the computermouse.

Since then, chordickeypads of one sortor another havesprung up in isolated

••••••••• electronics labs allover the world, often

created by independent tinkerers un-aware of the others' work. But so faronly two companies are manufacturing achordic keyset: Microwriter Systems ofGreat Britain and Infogrip Inc. of BatonRouge, La., which unveiled a Macintosh-compatible model in January.

"We're from Louisiana, so I guesswe're not smart enough to know itcouldn't be done," says Infogrip Presi-dent C. Ward Bond. "We just did it."

There is ample reason for doubt. Whilechordic keypads are designed to replacestandard computer keyboards, the twohave almost nothing in common. Most aredesigned to be used with a single hand.Infogrip's model has only seven keyscompared with the usual 101-key key-board.

Rather than typing in single key-strokes, the user presses a combinationof unlabeled keys for each character. Forexample, the thumb for 'a,' little fingerfor 'e' and both at once for 'f.' The actionis similar to playing a piano, although thehand never changes position.

The five character keys and two shiftkeys can be combined to duplicate all thefeatures of a standard keyboard, includ-ing functions like delete and copy. Andwhile the chord system may look diffi-cult to a novice, aficionados say it isactually quite easy to learn. "I can teachlittle kids how to do it in threeor four hours," says Engel- 'bait.

Those who examine the de-vices often walk away im-pressed but skeptical. "As atechnologist I think it's a greatidea," says David Nagel, Ap-ple Computer Inc.'s seniorvice president for advancedtechnology. "From a businessperspective, I'm not sure."

Proponents say chordic keyentry has several advantagesover conventional keyboards. ^^^^^"Because the fingers never change posi-tion, looking at the keys doesn't help, sousers need never take their eyes off thescreen. And using only one hand to enterdata or text leaves the other free to per-form other tasks, such as manipulating amouse or paging through a book. Or evendriving a car.

Terry Kepner, editor of the computermagazine Portable 100, has used thechordic keys on his handheld computerto compose fiction on the open road. "Iwrote a short story while driving," hesays. "It's not hard to do at all."

Indeed, it is the advent of portablecomputers that may finally bring "chord-ing" out of the laboratory closet. While itis possible to miniaturize nearly all thecomponents of a desk-top machine, con-ventional keyboards can shrink only sofar before they become unusable.

According to Infogrip's Bond, the prob-

"/ wrote a shortstory while driving.

It's not hardto do at all."

Terry Kepner,editor ofPortable 100 magazine

San Jose Mercury News • Sunday, February 23, 1992 5F

Cover Story

New keypadsstrike a chordwith some users• CHORDfrom Page IFlem is already apparent in themany notebook computers thathave cropped up in recent years.Despite the notebook designation,"I have never seen anyone usingtheir computer to walk aroundand take notes." Sitting downwith a lap-top is too clumsy,while pushing the tiny buttons ofa palm-top is too slow and diffi-cult. But with a one-handed key-set, computing on the go can be-come almost second nature.

That's just what Gary Fried-man was looking for when he de-vised the Data Egg. "My problemis, I've got a brain that insists oncoming up with its best ideas atthe worst possible time," he says.

Plastic Easter eggSo Friedman, an engineer at

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laborato-ry in Pasadena, built a chordickeyset for his palm-top by attach-ing buttons to a plastic Easteregg. He has since come up withseveral other palm-sized models,including one built into a Motoro-la beeper. "If you have an idea,you can pull it off your belt, typewhat you want and not draw at-tention to yourself."

Backers say the speed and pri-vacy of chordic keypads makethem far more practical than theother commonly cited interfacealternatives for portables, elec-tronic pens and voice recognition.

Pen tablets require two handsto operate and demand visual at-tention. And when it comes rightdown to it, "pens are slow," saysPlatt. "That's why we inventedthe typewriter." And even fullyperfected voice systems will beimpractical in many situations."If you're in a meeting or takingnotes on a phone call, voice

doesn't make sense. A chord key-board is silent and private."

Infogrip already markets Mi-crowriter's British palm-top inthe U.S. as the Mini-BAT. Thecompany has combined the devicewith a belt-mounted 286 proces-sor, disk drive and headset dis-play to create the Hip PC, whichit bills as the world's first trulywearable computer. The keyset isattached to the shirt with a Vel-cro strip.

The Napoleon pose"I'm in a kind of Napoleon pose

when I use it, but it's quite com-fortable," says developer DougPlatt. " I've been using this thingfull time since September, and itfeels like an extra brain. I miss itwhen it's not on."

All of which raises the ques-tion: If chordic keysets are such agreat idea, why haven't they

Chordingproponents say thesystem is so simplethat a novice canenter text at a rateof 30 to 35 wordsper minute with 20hours training.

caught on before?The biggest reason, chording

enthusiasts say, is fear."People are scared of it," Kep-

ner says. "Most people look at acomputer as an electric typewrit-er. They say, 'Where are the let-ters? Where are the numbers? Ican't do this!' Those aren't accu-rate reactions, but they are theone's people have. Once you showthem how it works, they say, 'MyGod! How easy!' But you have toovercome that obstacle."

Even computer designers anddevelopers can be put off. "Scien-tists and engineers like to workon sexy, glamorous problems,"says Platt. "Five buttons is notsexy or glamorous. You can'tshow off your amazing brainpow-er by working on a chord key-board."

What's more, "engineers areafraid to look stupid. So you finda (hesitancy) to learn the sys-tem."

20 hours trainingIn fact, chording proponents

say the system is so simple that anovice can enter text at a rate of30 to 35 words per minute with20 hours training. And they arguethat transmitting thoughts withcombinations of fingers ratherthan single keystrokes is a farmore natural way to communi-cate with a computer.

Like human sign language,"chording is a gesture," says In-fogrip's Bond. "It is the creationof a physical symbol." Unlike themechanical act of typing, chordsequences eventually become em-bedded in the language centers ofthe brain. And as a physical skill,chording tends to have more stay-ing power.

To encourage people to experi-ment with chord entry, Infogripis developing software that willallow users to try the system on astandard keyboard first.

But despite all the advantagesthey claim for chord devices,even some of the faithful concedethe technology may just end upback on the shelf.

"I'm still not sure people aregoing to accept it," says Kepner."There are plenty of examples ofthings that should have been asuccess and never made it off theground floor. You can build thebest thing in the world, and ifpeople don't like it, they won'tbuy it — no matter how efficientit is."

The Chord Keypad™was previously

marketed asThe Bat.

THECHORDKEYPAD TMfor fast, accuratedata entry.

What is theChord Keypad?The Chord Keypad is arevolutionary man-computerinterface. It comprises two iden-tical keyboards, one for the lefthand and the other for the righthand.

The Chord Keypads are separateand independent from eachother, i.e., you can enter all thecharacters and commands onthe standard computer key-board through either hand. Toincrease efficiency, you canenter data using both hands.

How does theChord Keypad work?Each Chord Keypad has sevenkeys, five of which are positioneddirectly under your fingers andthumb. The remaining two"shift" keys are positioned sothat your thumb can easilyreach them by moving a little tothe left or right. Data is enteredby pressing combinations ofkeys, much like the mannerchords are played on a piano.

The layout of keys on today's keyboards was originallydesigned to minimize jamming of the mechanical parts ofearly typewriters.This basic format has remained unchanged since the 19thcentury.The Chord Keypad now brings keyboard technology out ofthe dark and into the 20th century. Its sensitivity tohuman thought/response patterns and body mechanicsallows users to work more efficiently and comfortably.

The Chord Keypad is available for Macintosh,IBM PCs, Compatibles, and other platforms,including UNIX.

Is the Chord Keypadeasy to learn?You can learn the basic chordsfor the alphabet and numeralsin less than an hour. Most othercharacters and commands usesimple mnemonics that arebased upon your knowledge ofthese basic chords. A computerizedtutorial and quick referenceguide are also provided.

Why should I use theChord Keypad?The Chord Keypad has severalfeatures and advantages thatwill increase your productivity:• You do not have to look down

at the keyboard (no more"hunt and peck").

• You need only use one hand(left or right). The other handcan be dedicated to otheruseful activities, like using amouse or flipping documents.

• The Chord Keypad eliminatesthe need to learn standardtouch-typing skills. (TheChord Keypad is easier tolearn.)

• You can enter numbers athigh speed.

• You can enter a word or phrasewith a single chord using simplemacros.

Some other important features:• The Chord Keypad is user

programmable. You can addadditional chords to suit yourspecial needs.

• The Chord Keypad iseconomically designed tominimize strain, fatigue anddisorders commonly associatedwith prolonged use of thestandard computer keyboard.

• Braille programs (one hand ortwo hand( are available.

The bottom line.The Chord Keypad allows allcomputer users, includingnovices, to become highly effi-cient and productive.

Infogrip, Inc.5800 One Perkins Place, 5F

Baton Rouge, LA 70808Telephone: (504) 766-8082Facsimile: (504) 763-9793