Combimouse merges keyboard and mouse [Video]

It may look odd, but this ergonomic keyboard promises to free up your desk from the tyranny of your mouse. Well, from the tyranny of a separate mouse, anyway; the handiwork of an Australian inventor, the Combimouse turns the right-side of the keyboard into the mouse itself, using cleverly placed contacts to figure out when you’re trying to use it to to control your cursor.

Video demos after the cut

In mouse mode, the I, O, J, K, L and <>

According to the inventor, the Combimouse makes spreadsheet data entry, FPS gaming and general computing more straightforward; you can also use just the right-hand mouse portion with a laptop keyboard, as shown in this photo. Unfortunately they’re still looking for hardware and manufacturing partners, so right now the Combimouse isn’t available to buy.

Braille e-reader concept can't be far from reality

Braille e-reader concept can't be far from reality

by Darren Murph

The technology's already here, we just need a venture capital firm and a determined entrepreneur to make it happen. A foursome of designers -- Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, Sun-Hye Woo and Jin-Sun Park -- have banded together to create the above pictured concept, an e-reader for those with limited or no vision. Their Braille E-Book concept theoretically relies on electroactive polymers in order to change the surface's shape as pages are turned, and while we fully expect the battery life to suffer due to all the necessary commotion, it's definitely a start that needs to happen.

$199 Sign Language Translator...OK, Video Dictionary

By Mark Wilson,

The Sign Language Translator's name may be a tad misleading (it doesn't actually translate anything), but as a pocket ASL video dictionary, it's a neat enough idea.

Featuring a 3,500 word dictionary (more words will be downloadable, we're promised), this seemingly retrofitted PMP is navigated via stylus. You type in the word that you'd like to sign and a video pops up of a guy signing it. Easy enough.

The Sign Language Translator runs for 6 hours before needing a recharge via USB. Slated for a mid-May, the device will be priced at $199. Adam Frucci was quick to point out that an iPhone app could undercut its marketshare pretty quickly. I'd love to see such a world, Adam. I really would.

iSign - Animated ASL dictionary for iPhone and iPod Touch

iSign is a tutorial and reference program for American Sign Languane (ASL) designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The program contains an animated phrase book of 800 signs.

Each of the gestures is modeled with a 3D character and completely animated. The vantage point for each sign was chosen so that the user can see the details of the hand positions. These are the ASL signs, not finger spellings.

The program allows users to organise signs by category or alphabetically, and to mark favourites. There is also a quiz mode which tests recall either of all signs or of signs marked as favourites.

A program like this won’t replace classes with a live instructor. It can teach you individual words but not the grammar and syntax of ASL, which is very different from English grammar and syntax. And, of course, it can’t teach you about Deaf culture and history - which is very important to understand when learning any language. But for those who are taking classes, or wish to augment existing knowledge of ASL, it’s a fantastic resource. I wish there were a program like this for Australian Sign Language (Auslan)!

The program may also be of use to supporters and educators of people who use Makaton, Signed English/Signed Exact English (SEE), Pigeon Signed English (PSE)/Contact sign, Simultaneous Communication (SinCom), and all other communication methods which utilise ASL signs but not other aspects of the ASL language. These modified communication methods are often used by children with developmental delays, people with autism, and those with intellectual impairments as well as deaf and hearing impaired people. Parents teaching approximate ASL gestures for Baby Sign may also be interested in the program.

The iDev2 company also has an app which teaches ASL fingerspeling, ABCSign, and a “lite” version of iSign which is free and contains 25 of iSign’s 800 signs. You can try out iSign Lite before purchasing iSign to make sure it fits your requirements.

At the time of writing, iSign was retailing for US$9.99 in the iTunes Store.

Website: iSign

- Ricky Buchanan

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White Stick for the Blind Gets Sensor Upgrade with "Tactile Wand"

Designer Jin Woo Han has created the "Tactile Wand" as a 21st-century conceptual white stick for the blind. The rechargeable gadget uses some sort of distance sensor and communicates by buzzing, letting the user know of upcoming obstacles: the stronger the buzz, the nearer the object. Neat design, Jin, but can it detect doggy doo like the old-fashioned stick could? What happens if the batteries die when you're mid-street crossing? We reckon it would take some re-education of cops too: pointing a strange looking stick at people in public these days is probably a big no-no.

B&D Messenger Helps the Blind Read SMS

The B&D messenger, designed by Okada Noriaki, bills itself as a way for both blind and deaf people to communicate via text message. Though there are several Braille phone products already in the market, Noriaki device is much smaller in size and pretty inexpensive. On one side of the gadget is twelve points that rise and fall in braille lettering; on the other side is a small LCD screen and a regular numerical touch pad. Users must connect the B&D messenger to a computer for it to receive and translate texts.

Noriaki lowered the B&D's cost by building it's chassis out of cardboard (the entire thing can be put together yourself), and by running its braille lettering program off an open source platform. I'm not completely sure how this technology helps deaf people any more regular phones, but it's a cool concept for helping out the visually impaired.