Darfon Maglev Keyboard - Because Our Computers Gotta Be Thinner
The Maglev technology is almost synonymous with the bullet trains in Japan; but the it's now making its way to the keyboards! Darfon has prototyped a new keyboard that replaces the regular rubber cushions with magnetic forces to form a cushion that restores the keys in place after the pressure is released. Because of the absence of rubber, the overall thickness of the keyboard can be reduced to a greater extent.
Aloysius Low of C|Net got a chance to test out the demo laptop. Low observed that because the keys were so close to the body of the laptop that typing was harder than with regular keyboards. The overall resistance and the clickiness factor of the buttons, Low says, was just about right. Since the cushion is created by electro-magnets, the resistance of the keys can be controlled and personalised.
It's expected that these keyboards will make it to the production machines by the end of this year. We do not know if we really need thinner laptops than what we already have in the markets; but our fellow engineers seem to be obsessed by making things even thinner. It's just a matter of time that we'll have to teach ourselves to type on plain surfaces. Perhaps, time has come that the regular physical keyboards on laptops are totally replaced by virtual ones.
We look forward to receiving views and opinions of CEans. Tell us what do you think about maglev keyboards.
Source: #-Link-Snipped-#
