Google Japan’s outlandish keyboards is perhaps the perfect operating joke in tech

The TechCrunch newsroom fears just one factor: the approaching of April 1. Because, I’m simply going to say it, the tech trade isn’t very humorous. But Google Japan’s ongoing collection of ridiculous keyboards, the place they fully decide to the joke, suggests we might have discovered the primary identified exception.

The latest is the “Gboard Bar Version,” (or stick model relying on the interpretation), a keyboard about 1.6 meters ft lengthy (down from 2.4 meters within the prototype) with all of the letters and numbers organized from left to proper in a “one-dimensional QWERTY layout.” There are choices for ABC, ASCII codes, and katakana.

No longer will it’s a must to hunt and peck for particular person keys, the creators clarify. “With this keyboard, it is very convenient to know immediately that the 16th letter from the left is G.” So easy!

It additionally has ergonomic benefits:

“When you use this keyboard, your arms will naturally spread out, so you can stretch your arms secretly even at work. When you press the rightmost and leftmost keys at the same time, you may stretch your legs unintentionally,” the staff writes.

Of course it additionally doubles as a reaching implement for hitting far-off mild switches, and triples as a strolling stick for when that you must contact grass. Watch the video beneath for a lot of extra little light-hearted and genuinely chuckle-worthy makes use of and advantages:

It was posted on September 1, I feel as a result of it has 101 keys. The joke not showing on the standard day for such issues makes it all of the funnier.

But this isn’t the primary “new input proposal from the Gboard team.” The posts have been happening for ten years now, beginning with a Morse Code input method and getting reasonably extra concerned from there. Some are extra profitable than others, however even when the spoon-bending one is a bit a lot, the origin video remains to be wonderful. I really like send-ups of self-serious product journeys and that is no exception:

The Tegaki “physical handwriting” keyboard, basically a real-world model of the swiping used on the precise Gboard and others, is shut sufficient to actuality that you just would possibly simply assume it’s an precise product. In reality I really feel certain I’ve seen one thing like this earlier than, as a approach of controlling the cursor.

Some of the designs are genuinely fascinating and noteworthy little items of engineering, like this tilting-key keyboard:

And this built-in teacup merchandise is delightfully absurd:

Image Credits: Google Japan

In case you’re questioning how you employ it (translated by Google from the Japanese): “The kanji for fish are arranged in the syllabary on the 50 keys. Instead of [an] alphabet, it uses a sushi arrangement of horse mackerel, sardine, eel, ei, and okoze, and characters are input by fish-kanji conversion.” Very finny.

But the staff clearly enjoyable with it, and amazingly they’ve really constructed these designs — you can find the code and blueprints here.

This is certifiably historic information for our Japanese readers, however I hadn’t seen it get any play over right here within the States. And I determine the other finish of the yr from April Fool’s is the perfect time to spotlight this pleasant bit of labor by a staff that appears to be humorous and devoted in equal measure.