Windows Phone Thoughts: Virtual Keyboard Part 4: A New Hope, or Phantom Menace?

I'll bet you were thinking that the Virtual Keyboard was dead, right? Or at least permanently virtual? Well, unfortunately, the Virtual Keyboard saga just keeps on going. Let me explain. No, that will take too long. Let me sum up. A company called iBiz told everyone about a year ago that they were going to sell a Virtual Keyboard for $99. Huzzah! iBiz allowed pre-orders, and ostensibly rubbed their hands together, twirled their handlebar mustaches, and cackled quietly to themselves. Several people got to play with prototypes, but alas, they forgot to send one to the FCC to play with, lawsuits were flung around like cat piñatas at a dog party, and no one was very happy. The end? Nope.



Now comes word that a Japanese company called Tanomi, or possibly "Nippon Style" is planning on selling their own version of the device. It looks about the same as the iBiz device, except that it's white and has a green LED. Wow! My guess is that the white is from a thin coating of white gold, and the green LED must be from a real emerald, as only that could possibly explain the price of $270. Oh, and if you're in the market for a wood phone jacket, an aluminum rose, or, you know, A CAR, Nippon Style has your hook-up. According to the English bits on the site, you can expect to receive YOUR Virtual Keyboard sometime in October. Forgive me if I don't hold my breath. :mrgreen: