Joel’s next keyboard: Crayola EZ Type

BBG supremo Joel Johnson is currently away, but I know our rainbow-loving leader would be enchanted by the bright colors of Crayola’s EZ Type keyboard.

A close inspection of the $30 USB model, however, reveals a somewhat cocked-up layout, with the keys arranged in a neat grid instead of the finely-evolved modern standard. Such things are sexy in cellphones, but in a training model for the real thing? Also, is that Comic Sans?

Update: Cory saw it first!

Product Page [Crayola via Red Ferret Journal]

1. [Anonymous]

   I am a teacher in the U.K. and this just makes me sick, at a young age children need to learn the lowercase keys first! we do not type in CAPITALS do we?? so why make a keyboard in CAPS????

   whizzjb

2. [knifie_sp00nie]

   The arrangement of the keys on this kiddie board is actually more ergonomic than the throwback layout of a regular board. It just needs to be split and angled a bit.

   What’s cocked up is that in the 21st century we arrange a digital input device around 19th century mechanical limitations.

3. [Paula Wirth]

   Ack. I have a print job I did that required the use of Comic Sans. Required by the client, that is. What we do for money…

4. [Jake0748]

   I like how the escape key is really big, and in such a prominent location. Seems like it would make one feel reassured that there is always a way out.

5. [slice]

   Encourages poor typeface choices from an early age.

6. [brianary]

   Great. Another generation of slow QWERTY typists.

7. [Clay]

   Use VAG Rounded and then we’ll talk.

8. [zuzu]

   Great. Another generation of slow QWERTY typists.

   This won’t get fixed until we have cloud / grid / autonomic computing ala Xen live migration anywhere on the Internet, so that no matter what particular terminal hardware you’re using, your virtual machine will always be configured for Dvorak (or whatever, maybe Jeff Han’s multi-touch zooming user interface (ZUI) ).

   Until then, it’s always too much of a hassle to invest in learning Dvorak over QWERTY, only to have to switch back to QWERTY with every other computing device on Earth except you and five other Dvorak users. c.f. path dependency

9. [zuzu]

   Besides, the only proper keyboard is the IBM Model M keyboard.

   (The Fujitsu Happy Hacker keyboard is cool though; the Ctrl key is correctly located.)

10. [claud9999]

    Ugh, no right shift key? Kinda hard to touch-type cap Q, A, or Z, although I suppose you could use your ring finger on the key and pinkie on the left shift. (I ran across a tiny keyboard at Central Computer on Sunday that had this same problem, it shocked my touch-typing hands and I knew immediately that it wouldn’t cut it.)

    Zuzu: agreed, I have a Happy Hacker keyboard and enjoy it greatly. I’ve mapped (in s/w) all of my other keyboards so that the caps-lock is a control key. Far more useful.

11. [guy_jin]

    I <3 Comic Sans.

12. [guy_jin]

    I (heart) comic sans.

13. [michaelportent]

    I was gonna say, another stunning use of Comic Sans.

14. [Not a Doktor]

    I’m going to make a Comic Sans stencilized typeface and spray up insults all over your neighborhood.

15. [monstrinho_do_biscoito]

    oh god, the sans!

16. [kaosmonkey]

    I dunno…if Comic Sans belongs anywhere it belongs here. But that begs the question…

    Is there a place in this world for Comic Sans?

17. [Rob Beschizza]

    No.