If you are one of the many people who bash away slowly at the keyboard with two fingers, your life could be about to change.
Developers have come up with a new keyboard design that they believe fits in better with modern life and technology.
The story was reported this week in the BBC and tells how the traditional “Qwerty” keyboard layout – designed for typewriters in the 19th Century – could soon be replaced by a keyboard for thumb-typing.
The new design aims to allow people to type faster on today’s tablets and large smartphones using two sets of keys. The layout has been named KALQ because of the order of the letters.
The researchers believe they have increased the average two-thumb typing speed from 20 words a minute to up to 37 words a minute.
Dr Kristensson, lecturer in human computer interaction in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews, told the BBC: “We believe KALQ provides a large enough performance improvement to incentivise users to switch and benefit from faster and more comfortable typing.”
It does sound like a good idea and I would love to try using it. I actually learnt to touch type using a big old-fashioned typewriter, the kind only to be found in a museum these days. My early typing days frequently found me painfully jamming my fingers in the huge gaps between the keys.
However, I do find my touch-typing skills aren’t much use when I am trying to use phone or tablet keyboards.
I wonder how many hours this new invention will save in people’s lives?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22283117