Mobile
Split Keyboard for Thumb Typing Coming to iPad with iOS 5
Apple’s new iOS 5 will bring a dramatic improvement to the typing experience with something they call “Grab Handles” which is a split keyboard. This will be benefit those who need to type with their thumbs while holding their iPad or iPad 2 with two hands.
Previously, one would have to have pretty large hands with very long thumbs to reach the middle of the keyboard. In fact it was practically impossible to do. With this new update there is a handle button on the keyboard that you grab with your thumb and it will split the keyboard making the keys reachable from the average person while they hold the iPad or iPad 2 with both hands.
This will make the iPad easier to use while standing or sitting somewhere other than at a table or desk. It is also something that should have been available far earlier in iOS. There are already similar keyboards available for other operating systems. Until we saw Microsoft’s early previews of Windows 8, we had not seen one built into a mobile OS for quite some time. But this was available in versions of the ultramobile PC years ago.
aergern
06/06/2011 at 7:42 pm
heh. Swiftkey had this on the XOOM months ago. I guess Apple is going to pay them for their idea? ;)
Jlimmf
06/11/2011 at 1:49 am
Radial is the first app in iPad with such concept……is Apple paying them for this?
Kyith
06/06/2011 at 11:34 pm
To be honest I was thinking of switching away on the iOS iPad because I do alot of text input with the thumb and the width of the keyboard just makes it impossible for me to type much on it. This to me is the second biggest excitement
Anonymous
06/07/2011 at 12:54 pm
What we really need is something like swype or tengo :-(
Steven
06/09/2011 at 4:12 am
If you want to see the reall thumb typing experience on a tablet PC check out SNAPKEYS!….
Moos -
06/09/2011 at 6:52 am
adf
Moos -
06/09/2011 at 6:53 am
Glad they finally got around to it…
https://blog.42at.com/thumb-keyboard-concept-for-the-ipad
Daniel
09/13/2011 at 5:41 pm
Lol, I am awesome, I am typing with two thumbs now, in landscape mode. Big hands rule!
Bubblegum79
10/07/2011 at 10:55 pm
I doth care about it!!!! I just want to know how to do it!!!
Akfg
10/14/2011 at 10:24 am
You do realize “doth” is a word.