Gabrielor Shows Off New Concept in Mobile Keyboards

Gabrielor has come up with a whole new idea for a portable keyboard. Rather than simply reducing the size of a standard QWERTY keyboard, the Gabrielor Rounded Keypad arranges the keys in a circle.

This design leverages the tendency of the human eye to focus on the center of objects.

The most frequently used letters and numbers are placed on the inside circle for quickest access by the thumb, while less used keys and additional function keys are placed in the outside circles. This circular design allows for all keys to be used with a single touch of one finger.

Some mock-ups of devices with this keyboard were at this week's CTIA tradeshow, where IGN tested it and said, "Typing with one hand wasn't as easy as with two, but it did seem to work much better than with practically any other handheld keyboard."

Gabrielor isn't going to be making any devices with the Rounded Keypad itself. Instead, it is hoping to licence the design to hardware manufacturers. This company believes its design is appropriate for smartphones, handhelds, vehicle navigation systems, industrial equipment, military machinery, and medical equipment.

More information is available on the Gabrielor web site.

Photo courtesy of eWeek.

Related Links

• Microsoft Shows off Concept Pocket PCs