keyboard

Unlike classic keyboards where characters were small decals stuck on generic keys, many modern keyboards, such as those in Apple's laptops, have keys built for the specific characters. The keys are made of translucent plastic with a black coating so the character can be illuminated with a backlight.

This approach to keys offers great advantage in low-light situations, but it also can be a bit of a burden if the key begins to wear out. While the keys ought to last, after extensive use you may look down to see some of the characters fading away.

When key wear … Read more

You've got plenty of options when it comes to virtual keyboard apps for your Android device, including some far-out concepts, but we always come back to those layouts with the most familiar look and feel. Big Buttons Keyboard Standard is a free Android app by Chicago Logics based on their Delta II mobile keyboard technology. With a modified QWERTY layout (and other choices) as well as options like click sound, vibrate on tap, and a resizable keypad, it kicks other keyboards' buttons. We tried it on a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.4.1.

When you install and … Read more

It's hard to type fast and not make any spellibg msitakes, but scientists reckon they've solved that with a new keyboard for Android tablets. Kalq is a keyboard calculated to have you typing 34 percent faster.

Developed by keyboard heroes at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the University of Montana, and the University of St. Andrews, Kalq -- named, like the standard Qwerty keyboard, for one of the rows of letters -- splits the keyboard in two so you can quickly type with your thumbs. … Read more

Learning to type is one thing, but typing well is another. Typing Trainer by TypingMaster helps you brush up on your typing skills with quick exercises and games, but it also studies your typing techniques to make specific recommendations to help you improve them. With games, tests, and reviews, Typing Trainer has plenty of features to offer even as your speed and skills improve. You can configure Typing Trainer for a huge range of languages and different keyboard styles, too. Typing Trainer 8.0 is freeware that is ready for Windows 8.

Typing Trainer opens with a full-screen user interface. … Read more

We had to smile when we read about Keyboard and Mouse Cleaner and the one thing it does because it's such a simple and neat answer to a universal problem. Namely, how to clean your keyboard and mouse without either shutting down your PC or clicking and typing a lot of random keys (never a good idea).

This free app from Gromicho AF Systems turns off your keyboard and mouse for 60 seconds when you click its broom icon. That's enough time to blow out that crumb catcher you call a keyboard or clean the dust from your … Read more

Windows Task Manager is a useful tool to monitor your system and quit applications that are not responding. If you are using the tried-and-true Ctrl-Alt-Delete to access the Windows Task Manager, you are taking the long way there. Instead, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-Esc to access the Task Manager directly.

In Windows 8, Ctrl-Alt-Delete calls up a menu, of which the Task Manager is one option. This means it's a two-step process to get to the Task Manager. With the Ctrl-Shift-Esc shortcut, you call up the Task Manager directly, giving you quicker access. It may seem like a trivial … Read more

Google first introduced the new Gmail compose window last October. Users were encouraged to try out the new "compose experience," with the option to revert to the old compose method. Just a couple of weeks ago, Google announced that the new compose would now be the default and that it'd be rolled out to all users.

If the new compose window feels a bit cramped to you, we've got a tip that'll let you stretch it out a little while composing your e-mails. Instead of being stuck to the inside of your browser, you can … Read more

Finding the perfect keyboard for your smartphone can be a challenge. Easy Keyboard offers a whole new way to look at texting on your phone. The only problem is that it's not one of the most convenient ways to text.

As with any other keyboard app on Android, your gadget tells you that the app can track what you type and more. During testing, there was no indication that Easy Keyboard was actually doing that, though. Once you get it up, it takes up almost half of your screen. To type anything, you need to touch the key you … Read more

If you are a longtime Mac user who simply could not bring yourself to throw away your old systems, then you may still have an old Apple Desktop Bus (ADB) keyboard such as the Apple Extended Keyboard II lying around. Despite being an older style, many of these keyboards were quite well-made and if only they had USB connectors instead of their ADB connections they could be put to good use on modern systems. It turns out, this is quite doable.

Recently tech hobbyist Scott Vanderlind found that by adding a small USB controller to the keyboard, he could tap … Read more