Folding Keyboard Liberates Laptop Users

Matias' USB Folding Keyboard would be nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary desktop keyboard when sitting on a table, except for the discrete center hinge that allows it fold down into an easily portable package.

Travelers may be accustomed to the shrunken, boxed-in excuses for keyboards that come with most notebook computers by now, but one company has found a way to open up the possibilities of a full keyboard to them: Make it fold in half. Canadian manufacturer Matias unveiled its USB Folding Keyboard on Wednesday, which does exactly what its name describes.

The Folding Keyboard spans a full 18 inches in its open state, making it just as large as any conventional keyboard you might use with a desktop. Fold it over on itself, though, and it shrinks to just 10 inches long, and only 1.18 inches thick, allowing it to fit into a backpack or notebook bag without issues.

Besides its shrinking act, the Folding Keyboard has a number of other features that put it on par with its full-size equivalents. Dome switches were used in the keys to give the keyboard the deep key presses and tactile response that are sometimes missing in shallow notebook keyboards. It also includes a number pad – which usually goes missing on notebooks – with its own tab key for easy form entry. A function key and full music controls are also present.

Matias takes pre-orders for the Folding Keyboard now for through its Web site, for $59.95 USD. The actual product is expected to ship in mid-December at the same price.