One has to love the Japanese, they know when to take themselves seriously and when not to. This means that they are really great at having fun and being serious but this week, Google Japan is having a bit of fun with Gboard Bar; a physical keyboard that is constructed entirely in a single line with all the keys. Why? Let's find out.
Google's Gboard Bar is the Keyboard You Did Not Know You Would Want
Google Japan has stated that the Gboard Bar lets users find the keys that they are looking for a lot faster. The company even has an explanation for the inspiration that brought this product into the market.
For years, the primary focus has been on the word "key" in "keyboard" and that is as far as the focus went. However, in Japanese, the word translates to キーボード (kii-bou-do), so with キー (kii (key) getting all the attention, Google has decided to focus on the ボー (bou) part, which, on its own translates to bow (staff/bar). Using this, Google managed to come up with a new design that allowed for improved navigation when you compare it to a traditional keyboard by putting all the keys on a traditional keyboard.
Google Japan has said that Gboard Bar allows the user to minimize the need to look in all directions as they have to do on a traditional keyboard. They can just start at the beginning and go through each key until they find what they are looking for.
Google Japan has also talked about how there are ergonomic and health benefits associated with the new keyboard as well. For starters, it allows the user to stretch their arms and legs naturally when they are typing. The Gboard Bar also comes with some added features like becoming a physical extension of your limbs, ultimately keeping it easier for you to press buttons that might be out of arms reach.
Users can also go ahead and use it on hiking excursions as a trekking pole or a ruler to measure objects, and the best thing is that it is super-easy to clean as you will only need to go for just a single wipe. For now, Google only has plans for a standard layout but is looking into a version with emojis and also a gaming model with LEDs.
If the rest of the post wasn't obvious enough, one must understand that this is more or less a joke. Google Japan has no plans of mass producing the new keyboard, but you do have a Github page where Google has uploaded all the data that will allow you to make your own Gboard Bar should you wish to.
Alternatively, you can just use the perfectly capable and one of the best keyboard apps known as Gboard, available on both Google Play Store and App Store.
