What a missed opportunity.
A switch at the bottom to switch between the GBoad and a numerical keyboard would have trebled their sales.
Someone at Google wasn't thinking properly. There would have been plenty of room for numbers on the keyboard!
Google Gmail keyboard - the Gboard
Summary
Google debuts the Gboard, a specialized mini-keyboard loaded with shortcuts for Google's Gmail service. It has an asking price of $19.99.
Topics
Gmail has long had keyboard shortcuts, though learning them can be difficult. Enter the Gboard, a specialized mini-keyboard for Google's e-mail service. It debuts this Friday at an asking price of $19.99.
The Gboard consists of 19 colored keys set in a standard size numpad-only keyboard. Clicking on any one of these performs that particular keyboard shortcut. Included are Gmail-specific features such as starring messages, starting a search, and jumping between message threads. Outside of Gmail they simply act as normal keyboard buttons, and will type in whatever letter or number corresponds with that shortcut.
The device is powered by USB and requires no special software or drivers, however users need to first enable keyboard shortcuts within Gmail's settings before using it. Also worth noting is that it was created not by Google, but by Charlie Mason, a film producer from Venice, Calif. This is his first foray into the computer hardware business.
The good:
• No setup required
• Color coding is logical and makes it easy to learn the keys
• Good build quality and feel; keys are flat like on a laptop
• At $19.99 it's not that expensive. Most numeric-only keyboards cost about the same.
The bad:
• Does not come close to including all of Gmail's shortcuts
• Could be rendered less useful if Gmail's shortcuts change
• Only comes in one color (black)
For more, read "Hardware for Gmail: The 'Gboard' keyboard" on CNET News
Talkback Most Recent of 7 Talkback(s)
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ampers@...4th Dec 2009 -
RE: Google Gmail keyboard - the Gboard
Good idea and reasonably priced. I can never remember
the shortcuts
suffolksilver4th Dec 2009 -
RE: Google Gmail keyboard - the Gboard
good idea and reasonably priced. I can never remember th
shortcuts. I will put a note on my site at
www.silverhairs.co.uk what's new pagesuffolksilver4th Dec 2009 -
RE: Google Gmail keyboard - the Gboard
the reviewer thinks that having it in only one color is a bad feature. either the reviewer needs an education or we need a new reviewer.
erglazier5th Dec 2009 -
This seems a bit much.
A separate keyboard just for Gmail shortcuts? Okay, I have two questions:
1) How much of your computing time do you actually spend in Gmail?
2) How many keyboard shortcuts do you use regularly that you can't remember?
This seems to me a solution in search of a problem, really.
bhartman366th Dec 2009 -
Unless...
...Google plans to incorporate support for this product
into its other web apps which seem to be taking off. If
that were the case it seems like another move on their
part to increase the integration of hardware devices into
your cloud computing experience.
edwards.wb6th Dec 2009 -
I prefer the Mouse
Have a Mouse, why waste money ?
tester.arslan@...8th Dec 2009
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