Bill Buxton's Notes

This is one of those things that was just too strange not to try. It is a full QWERTY keyboard constructed out of flexible all silicone rubber. So, if you want a keyboard that you can roll up, this will do it. If you want one that won’t care if you spill cola on it, no problem. And, if you want one that you can carry around in your bag or briefcase without breaking, this will fit the bill. You can even get it in all kinds of colours.

On the other hand, if you want a keyboard on which you can type, you might want to look elsewhere.

The challenge is, the flexibility applies to everything, including the keys, which are elevated as you would expect. The consequence is that the keys feel more like joysticks than keys. Yes you can depress them. But on the way down, they tend to bend in one direction or another. Touch typing is kind of a disaster, and without the tactile snap of that accompanies a key depression, one is never sure if or when the key is actually fully depressed.

I can imagine places where this is a reasonable solution; for example, where it is very wet. But other than as a novelty, there are likely relatively few people for whom this is a good choice for keyboard entry.

An even more extreme expression of my impressions can be found in this closing line from a review in PC Pro by Tim Danton:

"I beg of you, please don’t buy me this keyboard. Turns out that I would rather type on jelly.

Bill Buxton
April 2011

Ref: www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2010/01/09/roll-up-keyboard-first-look-review/

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