great scott this is harder then I thought!

[Sagi]

man, holing this thing whilst not accidentially hitting a key is a
feat in and of itself. You guys weren't kidding about the mouse. It
seems like the mouse should be a little lower and at an angle slightly
to the 5oclock position. A touch pad tracker with ability to tap on
the pad would be awesome. I can see learning to type on it, but my
initial impressions are that it's a bit hard to use the function keys
and stop from accidentally hitting keys just from holding.

Any tips from the more experienced to the noob?

[Al Wild]

I never just hold it.  I'm either typing with it or the pause button is activated.

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[Starner]

The position feels so foreign my hands shifting a lot trying to find a solid hold.  I'm just gonna have to practice more.

[Mike Willner]

Accidentally hitting keys when you are first starting to use an AlphaGrip is
like falling off a bike when you are first learning to ride it.  It's just part
of the learning process.  After awhile you'll become accustom to holding your
Grip without accidentally hitting keys (and it won't be a long while).  Then
you'll be happy the keys are sensitive because they'll let you type faster.

Learning to type on an AlphaGrip is not as tough as learning to play a musical
instrument, but it's in the same ballpark.  No doubt the first 5-10 hours of use
can be frustrating, but if you get over that hump, you should be good.

--

[ivanwfr]

I agree with what Mike said, as an addict of alien keyboards
exploration, I can tell this happens each and every time you want your
muscle-memory to learn how to dance a new way.

It's not you who is at work here, it's a part of your brain that's not
under your control. I would say, although I did not experienced it
myself, that's somehow like learning how to walk after you broke your
leg (maybe after falling from Mike's f* bike).

The ONLY way to fail here, would be to give up early.... will you do
that ?

(from someone who is going to be a noob at something for the rest of
his life ;o)

[Starner]

can't give up unless I want to quit my job due to muscle tension from using keyboard and mouse for so many years. that trackball leaves much to be desired, but gets the job done. I'll just keep going and use the typing tutors and perhaps try to clean the track ball, if possible.

[Mike Willner]

If cleaning the trackball doesn't solve the problem, it may be a defective
trackball.  Contact me at mi...@alphagrip.com if the cleaning doesn't work.

[Eiríkr]

You might also want to think about getting a Wacom or other tablet as
an alternate mouse, especially if you might see yourself switching
back and forth between a Grip and a regular keyboard. I found the
standard mouse to be a major factor in my own RSI, and using a tablet
solved that completely.

FWIW, switching is what I do -- some work is just plain harder for me
on the Grip (coding, etc.), and switching between keyboards gives my
hands a more rounded workout. :)

[Starner]

understood, thanks. you mean something like the Wacom bamboo that uses gestures? there is a keyboard with a multitouch surface that also functions as a num pad. which tablet do you use?

[Eiríkr]

I've got a Wacom Graphire (old, I think the Bamboo is the newer model
that superseded this) and a Wacom Intuos (bigger and more expensive,
but more precise); both come with a stylus and a mouse. I use the
stylus exclusively, but the mouse is nice if someone needs to use the
system and isn't used to a stylus. I've never tried (nor seen) the
keyboard with built-in multi-touch.

On Oct 19, 5:28 am, Starner <sagiquar...@gmail.com> wrote:
> understood, thanks.  you mean something like the Wacom bamboo that uses gestures?  there is a keyboard with a multitouch surface that also functions as a num pad.  which tablet do you use?
>