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If you want to take advantage of all the handy gesture shortcuts in Windows 8, but would rather skip the tablet or touchscreen display, Elecom’s got a new space-saving keyboard that’s right up your alley. It’s a full-sized wireless keyboard complete with a dedicated number pad that does double-duty as a gesture-compatible touchpad.
When it drops in December for around £65, the Elecom TK-FDP055BK will also be able to be used like a laptop’s trackpad for controlling the cursor and performing more common gestures like scrolling. But at the push of a button it will revert back to functioning like a typical number pad. Accountant-types who work with numbers all day might not appreciate the lack of physical keys, but the average PC user should find the added functionality more useful, particularly if they’ve already updated to the latest version of Windows.
[Elecom via Akihabara News]
I’d be very interested to know if this will work on Mac osx. Planning to get a mac mini soon, and would love something like this which would work with all gestures intact.
With a Mac, there really isn’t a substitute for the magic trackpad. I use it as my primary mouse on my mini, and it destroys any other mouse for anything except for gaming, which I have a wireless gaming mouse for. If you have the cash to spend, there’s no alternatives.
Thanks Captain, that is really what I needed to hear!
If you do decide to go for it, download the free bettertouchtool, it makes the trackpad go from useful, to mega-awesome-behemoth-of-incredibleness.
Only caveat is that it works, but not very well under windows 7 with bootcamp. I have yet to try to install windows 8 and seeing if any of the gestures work there!
holy shit, I’ve been looking for exactly this for almost a year…… ;-;
Love it! Where can I pre-order?
Hmmmmm, I’ve had a keyboard very similar to this (number trackpad included) for about 18 months now. I’ll admit mine isn’t as shiny looking though =P
if its cheaper than this one then I’d like to know which one you have.
2.4GHz RF Wireless Keyboard with Smart Touchpad Mouse for MCE Media Center Edition
Type that into amazon and the forst result is the one i have. Like i said, not as nice looking, but it does the job.
A numpad that I can’t rest my fingers on? As someone who actually uses the numpad on a regular basis (network administrator), I’d have to say no.
Oh for heaven’s sake.
Gesturing is rubbish. It is a system existing for the sole purpose of making things simpler and more intuitive which demands that you learn a load of new shit in order to do the same damn things.
Why do people continue to buy things that do not work as the thing.
I understand your sentiments for older computer users, but there are lots of people on the planet who are still learning to use them
Should everything stay the same just because the aging users don’t want to learn new things?
Well no, not when you put it like that, no. But I’m 22, and I just don’t really understand why things seem to be going backwards.
We have tablets replacing laptops despite offering a lower range of functionality – my Dell Pentium 3 from 2006 has literally twice the processing power of my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Yes, they may be smaller, but my understanding was that the point was to create the same functionality in a smaller package rather than halve the package.
We have phones – which were once big and cumbersome but then became increasingly smaller and more compact, now are becoming too large to fit in a pocket.
And now we have gesturing controls, which, provided you memorize the multi-step processes involved, will do things for you which could have been done with one – maybe two – key presses in the days of yore.
As someone from the school of thought where “if it aint broke, don’t fix it”, you’ll understand my confusion as to what the hell is going on.
you sound crazy, what are you on about ?
1)who said that tablets were meant to have the same functionality as a desktop computer? most people browse the web, tap a few emails and play a few games on their tablet. it works for that.
2)they are big because most people want big screens. they want big screens so they can browse the internet and watch videos. watch videos on your phone i said.
3)i don’t know what ‘multi-step processes’ you are on about but surely it all depends on the application? e.g. it might be a ball-ache trying to fly a 747 on a tablet but it’s just about ok controlling angry birds.
Wake me up when we actually get touch screen computers that can take advantage of gestures properly.