3. Using The Portege M400

• Portege M400-S4032...
• • LAPTOPSOFCOLUMBUS
  • $699.00

Keyboard And Mouse: Gimme A Break

The quality of a notebook computer's keyboard and mouse is central to its success as a mobile computer. If it's difficult to type on the keyboard or to use the mouse, a lot of the computer's other features become almost irrelevant. This can be less of an issue on a Tablet PC, because there are alternate ways to input text, but you still want the keyboard and mouse to be as usable as possible.

I've been struggling with a way to portray the keyboard and mouse on a mobile computer in a way that makes sense intuitively. Here's what I've come up with. I welcome your comments.

The keyboard deck on Toshiba's Portege M400

Keytronics E03601QUS201B-C desktop keyboard

As you can see, because of the perceived need to provide a wrist rest on the keyboard deck, the Portege M400's keyboard has to be shoehorned into about 44 square inches or 44% of the actual keyboard deck space. This leads to an average of only .52 square inches per key. The Keytronics desktop keyboard allows an average of .91 square inches per key. That's over 40% more space.

Some of this space is what some might call "dead space." I'm talking about the space between the letter keys and the function keys or between the columns of keys to the right of the Enter key or between those keys and the numeric keypad. However, though the M400's letter keys are actually larger than the letter keys on the Keytronics, the space between the tops of the Keytronics letter keys is greater. This is the main reason it's so much easier to type without errors on the Keytronics than on the M400 keyboard. Maybe the keys on notebooks should be smaller with more space between the keys.

If I were a mobile computer manufacturer, I'd find some way to get rid of the mouse pad, which would also let me lose the wrist rests. Maybe it's time for some sort of eye motion tracking device; Canon uses them in some of its cameras to determine the auto-focus point. Or how about a little motion sensor strapped to your forehead or on the tip of your nose or tongue. OK, maybe the latter two are a bit loony, but you get my point. The mouse buttons could be moved off the keyboard deck too, though they would be fine on the deck just below the keyboard. With all of this implemented you wouldn't have to take your hands off the keys to mouse. If you have other ideas, let me know. The only thing I ask is that we not return to those horrid little gray or green joysticks in the middle of the keyboard.

Without the mouse and wrist rests, there'd be lots more room for the keyboard on a notebook computer, at least vertically. Sure you'd have to use a separate wrist rest, but it should be no problem in most situations.

Another reason for creating a new mobile computer keyboard deck model is that notebook mice surface areas are absurdly small. Sure I've been in situations where I had maybe a 4 x 6 inch surface for my mouse. But I've never had to work in an area less than 2 x 1.5 inches, which is all the space afforded by the M400's typically small touchpad. Sure manufacturers do a pretty good job scaling things to your roving finger, but I'd rather have the larger amounts of virtual mouse surface that some of the other approaches to mousing I mentioned above would provide.

In fairness to Toshiba, the M400's keyboard is no worse than most of the keyboards on smaller notebooks. Most portable computers are ergonomically challenged when it comes to their keyboards and mice. It's time for a change!