Bluetooth Laser Projected Virtual Keyboard
May 15, 2009 by Scott Wharton
Filed under Electronics
This is perhaps one of the coolest thing that I have found on Thinkgeek.com. It’s a Bluetooth laser projected virtual keyboard that you can use with your PDA or mobile device to type. It projects a keyboard on to any flat surface using lasers. As you type it even simulates the clicking of a keyboards keys! This looks like something you would see in a futuristic (or not) movie. Something James Bond pulls out of his pocket and uses to hack the secure network of some bio-terrorist…and then it explodes when he’s finished of course.
Virtual Keyboard
About 15 or 16 years ago everything was going “Virtual” but it turned out to be a giant virtual failure in so many things. They showed all sorts of cool stuff that was supposed to be top of the line and the new cool thing, but it all turned out to be over-priced garbage. This is one of those virtual things that actual has a good, practical use!Yeah, remember those stupid, bulky roll-up keyboards that are still in rotation and sometimes the discount bins of electronic stores because nobody wants to buy them? Yeah, this is your answer. While the price is $149, this is still a great device for the nerd that wants to impress everyone by pulling it out to use it so people can gawk and ask curious questions.
Virtual Keyboard
This 3.5 in device will last 120 minutes on it’s battery with constant typing and is compatible with PalmOS 5, PocketPC 2003, Windows Smartphone, Symbian OS, and Windows 2000/XP. Limited Mac OSX Support. Do you want one yet? If so, head on over to Thinkgeek.com and get your’s!
(Images: Thinkgeek.com)
yea I agree this one is really cool! Who is the manufacturer of this gadget?
Is there a specified distance the units needs to be from the surface? Does the keyboard get larger as the unit moves away?
I’m getting very frustrated with my new VKB. I just picked it up at the shipper. After taxes, duty, shipping and fees, it was close to $200 spent just to play with a gadget and I can’t connect it to anything! My windows mobile 2003 smartphone is pretty well the only OS for PDA it doesn’t work with. My vista computer gets an unknown pairing error. I’m installing a usb bluetooth adapter to an XP laptop in desperation hoping maybe XP can let me at least play with it, however useless it’ll turn out to be. I don’t use the old XP computer anymore!
Warning Warning Warning, don’t buy this even on sale unless you can be dead certain your OS is compatible. I wonder if I can get a refund?