Attn DEVs: Fat Finger Keyboard adjustment app??

[928Droid]

Hi,

During a discussion on another thread about the new Crocodile Keyboard I came up with an idea to help with fatfingering. Not sure if is a good one or even possible but thought I would pass it on just in case someone wants to try making it. All I ask is to please PM me if you ever make it, AND if it already exists please let me know about it.

To make it easier I am just posting my posts in the thread conversation, pay close attention to the bold part.

and how is this supposed to be any better? a triangle is smaller than a square. I don't see this working well.

I concur. Wouldn't this, theoretically, make typing HARDER? Isn't less surface space a bad thing, especially with fat-fingered folk?

Think of your finger as a "circle", with fat fingers you have a larger "circle". When typing the center of the finger (circle) may be centered on the key, but the outer part of the "circle" is overlapping in the middle (widest part of finger) on the adjoining key(s) causing a mistype.

With a triangular key like this system the fatest (widest) part of the finger(center cross section of circle) doesn't over lap to the adjoining keys (there is nothing there), YET the smallest diameter part of the finger(circle) is at the very top on the widest part of the key in this cause and therefore doesn't overlap on the adjoining keys.

Make sense? Probably not, but it is hard to explain without drawing it out for you with a picture.

I think it is a smart idea, BUT I would want to know if the keyboard keys change "function" like the original keyboard. For, example when doing a search does the "seach" icon key show up on the lower right, or the "done key" etc.

AH. This makes total sense, actually. I guess if you think of your finger like a foot, where a small portion makes contact before the whole thing, this restricts only that point from making contact with a key. The "spread out" part of your finger makes contact with black space, which prevents you from hitting another key.

Thanks for clearing that up!

WOW, somebody actually understood my description!! You made my day :-)

The easier way to acomplish this is if a dev made an app that added a "fatfinger" adjustment for the native keyboard. It could be a simple slider or numerical entry that reduced the "hotspot" around the perimeter of the keys by a certain percentage. The keys would look the same but the actual "activation area" would be reduced around the perimeter by the percentage you select. Simple and should be easy to impliment and would give you more room between the keys without looking like it.

You could then adjust the setting until you find the perfect compromise for your fingers.