March 10 - 11:20am EDT   Ergonis Software today unveiled PopChar X 3.4, an update to its special character finding and typing utility, offering several new features such as an enhanced search feature. The search function can now locate characters by name, Unicode number, or example. Users also have access to a new contextual menu which allows then to copy characters to the clipboard. Ergonis Software is currently selling PopChar X 3.4 for €30 (~$50) [full story]

February 28 - 11:10am EST   In an effort to make typing on the iPhone more familiar, the University of Glasgow has unveiled a hack that provides vibration feedback when a virtual key is pressed, simulating the effect of typing on a real keyboard. The patch enables what the University calls haptic feedback, which researchers say can help improve typing speeds, while simultaneously reducing errors. The hack is available from the University's Google Code page, requiring a jailbroken 1.1.3 iPhone. [full story]

February 21 - 11:00am EST   The US Patent and Trademark office today published five of Apple's patents, describing versatile multi-touch input device and control methods in a wide array of fields. The device appears to be an ergonomic multi-touch keyboard-style device that can accept a wide array of touch commands, including typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting. The patents involve actions that are simple for the user to know and remember, while the system has little difficulty differentiating between the actions. [full story]

February 19 - 5:55pm EST   Apple today unveiled a firmware fix for MacBook and MacBook Pro owners, remedying some long-standing keyboard issues. The update says it addresses a problem where the computer would ignore the first key pressed after a period of inactivity, also addressing "some other issues", according to the supplied literature. Some users were having similar issues, but related to typing in a text field, regardless of whether or not the computer had been sitting idle. [full story]

February 6 - 7:45pm EST   Anyone who uses a computer should learn to type, but not everyone has the time to learn. To teach typing, Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor offers a self-paced program that guides users from learning proper finger placement to measuring typing speed and accuracy. While designed for beginners, the program can also help intermediate typists improve their skills as well. Multiple users can create their own accounts and the program tracks the progress of each person. Ten Thumbs Typing tutor can even adapt to different keyboard layouts (such as the Dvorak layout), as well as foreign language keyboards. [full story]

January 28 - 6:05pm EST   Runtime Revolution has announced the release of version 4.7 of Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor, its keyboard learning program for Mac OS X. This major upgrade includes the following enhancements: separate single user and network user editions, printable reports at the end of lessons, collated reports for teacher/administrators in the network edition, a complete overhaul of the French language edition, improved Leopard compatibility, enhanced support for iTunes and numerous other minor enhancements [full story]