At January’s Macworld San Francisco, the Matias Corporation debuted its original Half Keyboard for the Mac. At this week’s Macworld New York, they’re announcing a new model called the “Half Keyboard x2.”
It’s a standard desktop keyboard with two embedded Half Keyboards (one for each hand), and thus allows both one-handed and two-handed touch typing, Matias President Edgar Matias told MacCentral. Now, users can touch-type with one hand or two, whichever best suits their needs, he added.
“By combining three keyboards into one, the x2 offers users the best of both worlds,” said Vesna Vojnic, marketing manager for Matias. “You still have your standard keyboard, but you also have two embedded Half Keyboards, which are ideal for applications that require you to keep your hand on the mouse at all times. Since each can be operated with just one hand, you don’t need to move a hand back and forth to switch between them. It’s much more flexible and efficient for data entry than a regular desktop keyboard.”
Vojnic said that the advantages include:
The Half Keyboard x2 retails for US$99 and can be purchased from the Matias Web site, on a pre-order basis (it’s due to ship in October). Meanwhile, the original Half Keyboard for Macintosh is still available for $99.