I would hesitate to call myself a gamer, but there are a few I play when I have the time. I prefer to play in the dark with no light source except the monitor, which allows much better detail definition, but most of the games I like require keyboard actions. Since I'm not much of a typist, either, this necessitates a light source and results in some detail loss no matter how I juggle things.
My use of smartphones, PDAs and even some laptops presents me with small, difficult to use keyboards and complicated handwriting recognition systems.
The solution to both these problems can be found in Virtual Keyboard (VKB). This useful device is compatible with laptops, PCs, and a wide variety of other wireless devices like cellphones and PDAs. It provides a full size QWERTY keyboard projected on any reasonably flat surface. It operates by laser for the projection and uses infra-red to connect to the device of your choice. It's battery powered and roughly smaller than a cellphone, so taking it along is easy. The intensity of the projection and sensitivity of the keys is adjustable. The keyboard can be easily seen even outdoors on a sunny day, and it even has a traditional keyboard tapping sound (which I personally need), but if you wanted to send an email in a movie theatre it can run silently. There is also an adjustable time-out function to conserve battery life.
I've found I can project a usable board onto the passenger seat of my car, and even sideways on my lap if I'm willing to put up with a little fiddling for the keys at the edges. Anything with a keyboard sized flat space and a place to stand the projector, like a tabletop, a briefcase or a picnic cooler, instantly creates a a workstation without even bringing the laptop! I found that, by modifying an old clipboard so it holds the projector in the paper holding clip, I have a great keyboard that's usable almost anywhere.
While I'm gaming, I've got a board that doesn't add to the ambient light, and as a bonus, is immune to the board killing spilled drink or the annoying key clogging stuff that finds it's way into the nooks and crannies of conventional keyboards. The major drawback for me is the battery. For "away" use, it's expected and unavoidable, but I am looking for a power pack so I can run this without battery worries. The minor drawbacks are that it's a laser red, it doesn't support enhanced boards, and unless you prop it securely, your board goes away if your projector is moved or knocked over by the cat. Be prepared to answer lots of questions from people who see you using it and want to borrow it to dash off a quick email from their phone!
The price is a bit steep but considering the functionality and the fact that I won't have to keep replacing water damaged boards, it's worth the expense. The Virtual Keyboard is available at Solutions for Humans (http://www.sforh.com/keyboards/virtual-keyboard.html).
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Solutions for Humans (http://www.sforh.com/keyboards/virtual-keyboard.html).
This article was originally published by CyberArmy.net in the CyberArmy Library.
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