Grippity

Alright, I meant to post about Grippity when I first read about the device's prototype back in November.

When I saw the picture, I was initially intrigued. Then I read the article:

"We don't have a ton of detail about the apparently patented design, other than the fact that it's not yet in production, but the makers expect it to cost about $1,000 once available."

I was immediately repulsed, scared, and a little hurt. The concept is interesting, but $1000 for a keyboard, no matter what it does, is just silly.

So, I was going to post about it, but time got away from me, and I didn't get to rant about it. Earlier this month, however, I got some good news:

"The final unit is expected in about six months, and should retail for $100."

Somewhere between the first report and this one they found a way to shave $900 off the price tag. That, or perhaps they really just didn't know how much things cost and decided to throw a number out there.

Now, this negates my initial impressions a bit... I have mixed feelings about this thing. It's a keyboard, but, it really doesn't look like it's laid out intuitively... you use it with only 4 fingers, and while I know sheer math doesn't pan out this way, it seems like losing the use of 2 digits in the typing process would make it less efficient, even if you add the mouse to the unit. Finally, wouldn't holding the keyboard all day make cause you to exert a lot more effort than just laying your hand on your desk?

If the price tag pans out, and it becomes available to me, I might have to give it a try. Perhaps.