Apps: ResizeMe, Mac Shutdown X, ScreenSharingMenulet
06/04, 12:20pm
Presto, Notes
KeyRight has introduced a keyboard that is designed to improve typing skills, the Look & Learn. The keys on the QWERTY keyboard have been color-coded to differentiate eight different "finger zones." Each color represents the keys that are used by a particular finger. For example, the set of red keys to the far left are colored red, which gives the user a visual reference for the proper keys for the left-hand pinky finger.
Stairways Software has announced Keyboard Maestro 3.4, the latest version of its 'productivity enhancer' for Mac OS X. This release includes a 'typed string' trigger, allowing the user to fire off macros when typing a matching string. Triggers can be created with easily remembered mnemonics. Appearance has been enhanced to look more like the default system program switcher. Import/export of the named clipboards has been improved for better sharing of macros.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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