IR keyboard lets you use touch controls without touching anything

By Jon Martindale June 5, 2015

moky - Indiegogo (excepting Usability)

One of the biggest downsides with a touch interface is that invariably your finger is in the way of the thing you are trying to click on. That is fine for web browsing on your smartphone, but for anything more complicated it can be a pain. The Moky bluetooth keyboard is looking to fix. It features infrared tracker above it, letting you make gesture controlled sweeps and taps.

Designed for users of smartphones, tablets and those with terrible laptop touchpads, the Moky is a product that’s currently being crowd funded via the Indiegogo platform and it’s blown well past its goal. Its a combination of control systems that should allow for a more compact, but versatile, usage experience.

The keyboard itself uses pantograph, scissor style switches with a rubber dome sensor and communicates with your device over Bluetooth 4.0 LTE. While the typing interface is unlikely to woo lovers of mechanical boards, the mid-air gesture and ‘touch’ controls are a little more impressive.

Related: Super Troopers sequel raises almost $2M on Indiegogo in one day

Picked up using the IR laser sensor, your mid-air fingers can drag a mouse pointer around, tap to click, and activate multi-touch scroll or pinch-to-zoom.

Apple smartphone and tablet owners do lose out as there are no plans for an iOS release as this time, but the Moky keyboard will support the Android, Windows and Mac operating systems. When released, it will come in two color variants, Moky Orange and Moky Blue, and the slated release date is October this year.

While there is some risk associated with every crowd funding campaign, the fact that the designers have a working prototype and have filed for a surprisingly long list of patents, suggests that the chance of the product arriving at some point is quite high.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Computing Coordinator

Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…

Computing

Best HP laptop deals: Get a 17-inch workhorse for $370 and more

An open HP Spectre x360 16 sits on a table, angled so that the screen and keyboard can be seen.

HP is one of the best laptop brands on the market, and if you're thinking of picking up a new laptop, then you may want to consider one of its many varieties of laptops. Not only that, but HP usually has some form of deal going on each of its sub-brans, so whether you're looking for an HP Omen gaming laptop or a Spectre X360 2-in-1 convertible, you'll likely find a good deal on it. Of course, it can be hard to navigate the dozens of different types of laptops HP has, which is why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite deals to help save you the trouble. That said, if you can't find quite what you're looking for below, be sure to check out these other great laptop deals and gaming laptop deals as well.
HP Laptop 15z -- $250, was $500

If you need a budget laptop for basic tasks, you can't go wrong with the HP Laptop 15z. With its AMD Athlon Silver 7120U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, and 8GB of RAM, it's going to be a dependable device for doing online research and working with productivity apps. The laptop features a 128GB SSD with Windows 11 Home pre-loaded, and a relatively large 15.6-inch HD screen for its low price.

Computing

Some Intel CPUs are about to take a big performance hit, report says

Intel's 14900K CPU socketed in a motherboard.

High-end Intel CPUs are about to lose some significant performance, according to a new report from BenchLife (via VideoCardz). The outlet claims Intel has sent guidance to motherboard partners to implement the Intel Default Settings on Z790 motherboards, following a wave of reports of instability on recent high-end Intel CPUs.

According to the report, these default settings will enforce a PL2 of 188 watts. Intel maintains power limits (PL) for its processors. PL1 is the base power, or the power that the processor can sustain for long periods of time. PL2 is the maximum boost power, which the processor can hit for brief spurts when under a heavy load.

Computing

Best Buy laptop deals: Cheap laptops starting at $159

Apple M1 MacBook Air open on a desk with plants in the background.

If you’re looking for an affordable laptop, Best Buy is a great outlet to turn to. It carries some of the best laptops on the market, and often you’ll find many of the best laptop deals taking place at Best Buy. And while it’s a great place to land some savings on almost any device, including tablet deals, headphone deals, and smartwatch deals, the Best Buy laptop deals you can shop right now are worth taking a look at. Among them you’ll find many quality laptop options at some of the best prices we’ve seen, so read onward for more details. And if Best Buy doesn’t have what you’re looking for, you can check out some of the best Amazon deals and best Walmart deals, where you’ll also find a discounted laptop or two.
HP 14-inch laptop — $159, was $180

The HP 14-inch laptop is a fast and fun computing device. It's a great option for anyone searching the best laptops for high school students or the best laptops for college. It has an Intel Celeron processor and 4GB of system RAM that combine to push through homework assignments, work presentations, and hours upon hours of binge watching. The 14-inch screen sports HD resolution and makes this HP laptop a great way to enjoy movies, photos, and other digital content. The HP 14-inch laptop is able to reach up to 14 hours of battery life on a single charge, making it a great all-day option for people who like to do their work on the go.