News - Darfon's Maglev keyboard to help slim future notebooks

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A super-thin keyboard prototype was demonstrated by Darfon at Computex.

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Read more.

Would never buy it, same way I have trouble with low profile keyboards and touch screen keyboards, my fingers need to feel the keys for touch typing.

I would love to see an Android phone with a slide out keyboard with this. :)

Mind you, this tech is probably still far too thick for a sliding keyboard.

I think this will be interesting and I am anxious to see this. Mainly because I have to buy a laptop next year for my schools BYOD

Before I got my first laptop I remember being worried the low-profile/low-travel keys would be hard to type on, but now I find most other keyboards cumbersome and clunky. Hopefully this will be similar, the ability to customise the resistance is definitely interesting. Cost might be a worry, especially as Darfon don't seem to have mentioned that bit...

I wonder if it would be possible to have an ultra-ultra-thin maglev keyboard with keys in the 'down' position when a laptop is shut, which then raises/levitates the keys up to a normal travel height when the lid is lifted and the keyboard powered up...or is that the whole idea of this in the first place?

How much of the batteries would something like this drain ? isn't powering 100+ electromagnets going to chew into the run time from each charge.

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Originally Posted by SUMMONER

I would love to see an Android phone with a slide out keyboard with this. :)

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Check out the Tactus keyboard..IMO, the future of keyboards in a touchscreen world.

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Originally Posted by Corky34

How much of the batteries would something like this drain ? isn't powering 100+ electromagnets going to chew into the run time from each charge.

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I suppose they could use permanent magnets and only use coils to adjust the force or to give tactile feedback only on the key you pressed. I wonder if they plan to use Hall-effect transducers to measure the change in magnetic field strength as each key is pressed?

The keyboard on the MBPr is rubbish, and so are MX Blues. I can't touch type on either. Best keyboard I've used is on a HP G62. Even the older MBP keyboards were better. I'm fine sacrificing a few mm for a better, no, much better typing experience.

I guess you won't be using a spinning rust disk on a superthin laptop anyway, so you might get away with magnets next to your machine

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Originally Posted by Lanky123

I wonder if it would be possible to have an ultra-ultra-thin maglev keyboard with keys in the 'down' position when a laptop is shut, which then raises/levitates the keys up to a normal travel height when the lid is lifted and the keyboard powered up...or is that the whole idea of this in the first place?

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Excellent idea... I love low profile keys - I want a laptop style keyboard for main computer as i can type faster... hopefully they keys will have some 'clickyness' to them.

ooohhh, i love slim keyboards, and fancy new tech.
also if the keys do stop levitating when shut down, than that means they could do fancy power-on keyboard animations :)

This product is stupid because thin keyboards with no travel are stupid.

But the technology has merit. Imagine a keyboard with a custom tactile feedback curve. :)

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Originally Posted by SUMMONER

I would love to see an Android phone with a slide out keyboard with this. :)

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What's wrong with the HTC Desire Z?
I'm stuck using Andy 2.3 because this was the last decent phone with a proper keyboard!!