ON HP'S "GESTURE" KEYBOARD FOR GLOBAL MARKETS

A DIFFERENT TAKE

The MercuryNews has an interesting piece (via Engadget), on an innovative product from HP, developed in their Indian Lab in Bangalore.  Titled "Keyboard Pad Frees User from Western Model", the article explains:

"Hewlett-Packard has unveiled a computer keyboard pad that should make typing tasks like Web browsing easier for millions of people in India who read and write languages that don't translate well into a Western alphabet..."

HP's ``gesture keyboard'' -- a digitized pen and pad packaged with handwriting-recognition software -- allows people to quickly jot down words in Hindi script on the digitized pad that transmits them to a desktop computer screen. Indians can use it to type a report, chat on instant messengers or search the Web.

The new system could prove more convenient than tediously typing combinations of characters from the Indian script-based languages that, if assigned their own computer keys, would require a keyboard with close to 1,000 buttons.

The technology, developed by HP's research unit in Bangalore, India, may offer an answer to the Palo Alto-based computer and printer giant's soul-searching slogan of ``Where's our next billion customers going to come from?''

This is cool, especially given the price-point HP has been able to put on the product:

"The gesture keyboard, which is being manufactured and distributed by another company HP would not name and is available to all PC vendors, was launched three weeks ago. So far, about 100 units have been sold for between $45 and $50, said Shekhar Borgaonkar, department director at HP Labs India."

It's good to see US companies innovating beyond the user-interface framework that's so familiar in the west, that we take it for granted. 

I'm going to try and get one of these keyboard to try out.  Will post more on this as available.

Comments

[Harsha KV]

Hello Michael

HP has licensed this technology to us and we have rebranded the product calling it uRekha.

You could contact me at harsha@urekha.com if you need any assistance.

Thanks/Harsha