Inventor Jason Giddings believes it’s time for computers peripherals to grow to the next level, and he hopes to achieve this with his new multi-touch keyboard and mouse, made from tempered glass suspended over a metal base.
The problem with current computer peripherals, according to Giddings, is they “really serve to slow down the progress of creativity by only allowing every person the same tools to communicate their intent.”
Some people add pen tablets and other tools to their inventory, but “That takes up a lot of desktop and all could be done with one tool,” Giddings said via e-mail.
Giddings is president and CEO of Giddings Product Development. His team is in the process of developing the first batch of his new Multi-Touch Keyboard and Mouse, amid an ongoing and highly successful campaign through fundraising website Kickstarter.
The keyboard and mouse setup is unique. They both have multi-touch features the user can customize to fit their own way of working. Although they come with plastic sheets marked for different keys and functions, users can also create their own by printing them out or ordering them online.
“Gamers will be able to set up buttons or sliders that are specific to their game. Artists can manipulate images much like the way you manipulate images on an iPad. Gestures can be recognized so you are no longer limited to just keystrokes,” Giddings said.
They keyboard keys are illuminated internally by a light that can be turned on or off, or customized. Users can even assign custom sounds so their tapping on the glass can sound like a traditional keyboard, a typewriter, or anything they'd like.
