Are UMPC Dialkeys Too Small And Fiddly?

It really does not get too much cooler than the Ultra Mobile PC. They provide you with many of the features that you would expect from a laptop such as internet connectivity and the ability to watch movies or connect with your peers from anywhere as long as there is a WiFi connection. These tiny computers are useful in the extreme. However, their small size leads to some exclusive problems.

One of the problems inherent to UMPCs is the issue of being unable to hit the keyboard keys. The touch screen makes it easy to tap out your emails with your fingers or with the provided stylus. However, we will certainly find some negatives. The screens are only seven inches on a typical UMPC, and this means that there is very limited space if one wants a keyboard.

The space limitations will be an Achilles' heel. The software designers could either come up with a keyboard utility that covers up the screen underneath, making it hard to see what you are actually doing, or can design a keyboard utility that does not hide the screen but which can be hard to use because the key sizes shall be rather tiny.

Since the brilliant designers at Microsoft know that no one really likes to have to use a stylus as they key in messages (even their tiny computer), DialKeys is a standard installation on UMPCs. This program was created by a company called Fortune Fountain Ltd. It is an overlay program with a split keyboard that is designed to allow the UMPC user to make use of the thumbs to type.

Using thumbs only to type on a standard QWERTY keyboard layout is odd enough. However, the DialKeys application takes it one step farther by revamping the keyboard shape. The application displays as two quarter-circles, one in each lower corner of the screen, allowing you to type with your thumbs without having to make strange contortions with one's hands. This allows you to type without changing the way that you hold the device. Older methods of typing might soon become redundant given this.

Unfortunately for many, especially many men, the DialKey application could be difficult for large-fingered people, just like many typing solutions. The unique layout of the keyboard on the screen also makes it a little bit harder to use a stylus, which can be bothersome if you are in a tearing hurry. If your fingers hit the keys well, however, the DialKeys program has plenty of options and features to help make it a very useful program for you.

One of the great things about DialKeys is that it is, to some extent, customizable. For example, you can change the color of the DialKeys application from black to white and back again. Interestingly, this is not just to have an image change. Switch back and forth to help alleviate the twin troubles of dark screens at night and glare from the sun during the day. Switching back and forth means that you are protected from either problem.

Yet another way to tailor DialKeys for your UMPC is to change the opacity of the keyboard in the way that it tends to be displayed. This allows you to see what is going on under the keyboard, and while it can be distracting for some people, it the feature is great for others.

One interesting thing about DialKeys is that there are no multi-function keys for which you would normally use the Shift key to change the meaning. Instead there are three different sets of keys, including the normal letters keypad, the numbers keypad, and a special punctuation keypad with lots of extra symbols and bits of punctuation to make sure that you are understood properly.

It might take some time to get used to the keyboard layout for DialKeys, but when you get habituated, you realize that it is one of the quicker and better onscreen keyboards available as long as you do not need to use the number, punctuation, or command features too often. For those who need more than the basics to hand when typing, however, it can be a pain to switch between the screens in order to come across the necessary symbols.

Getting the DialKeys set up to your standards is vital when you want the maximum gains. If the color or opacity are not working for you, then you will not be gaining too much out of your UMPC and will find the DialKeys application harder to use and harder to appreciate. The DialKeys application may be a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but it is much quicker than learning how to type in the first place, and worth learning. Quite a few users are able to touch-type with the DialKeys application, meaning that the opacity can be turned way down. Despite the obvious problems, the DialKeys application is a functional one.

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