A company called Whirlscape has a number of keyboard options available for various devices and gadgets. It also just released a keyboard option for Google Glass users who previously had to rely purely on voice dictation for commands and text.
The keyboard is called Minuum Keyboard and it is already available for download (no it isn't a physical peripheral, but a virtual one). It is a virtual keyboard where users either tap the Google Glass headset's touchpad or tilt their heads to go through different letter commands. It may sound cumbersome, but it should beat having to constantly talk to yourself in public.
"We've worked with Google Glass for a few months now, and have built versions that let you type either using the touchpad, or by detecting subtle head movement. This is shown in the first part of the video, and we actually prefer the head-tracking technique, which lets you feel like you're looking at the letters that you want to type," the company says on its blog.
Text prediction is a big part of this keyboard so users don't have to move their heads too much or spend too much time tapping the device. To get the keyboard to run on a Google Glass headset, users will have to install the software themselves. The app is available for free (30-day trial) on Google Play.
This is a good time to release apps or even peripherals for the device before it hits the mass market in the U.S. and while explorers are out there testing features and giving feedback on what works and what doesn't. There are still a lot of quirks that need to be ironed out before it can really be accepted by the mass public as evidence by the recent fiascos we reported on. A Google Glass wearer was even assaulted at a bar while wearing a pair of the Explorer glasses.
However, as more people get used to seeing Google Glass wearers and the technology becomes accepted things like the virtual keyboard app should continue to be released. Check out a video demonstration of how the keyboard works here:
