Editing Chorded keyboard (section)

==Commercial devices==

One minimal chordic keyboard example is Edgar Matias' [[half-keyboard|Half-Qwerty keyboard]] described in patent {{patent|US|5288158}} circa 1992 that produces the letters of the missing half when the user simultaneously presses the space bar along with the mirror key. INTERCHI '93 published a study by Matias, MacKenzie and Buxton showing that people who have already learned to touch-type can quickly recover 50 to 70% of their two-handed typing speed.<ref>{{cite journal | url=http://edgarmatias.com/papers/ic93/index.html | title=Half-QWERTY: A One-handed Keyboard Facilitating Skill Transfer From QWERTY |author1=Matias, Edgar |author2=MacKenzie, I. Scott |author3=Buxton, William | journal=INTERCHI '93 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems | year=1994 | pages=88–94 }}</ref> The loss contributes to the speed discussion above. It is implemented on two popular mobile phones, each provided with software disambiguation, which allows users to avoid using the space-bar.

[[Keyer|"Multiambic" keyers]] for use with wearable computers were invented in Canada in the 1970s. Multiambic keyers are similar to chording keyboards but without the board, in that the keys are grouped in a cluster for being handheld, rather than for sitting on a flat surface.

Chording keyboards are also used as portable but two handed input devices for the [[visual impairment|visually impaired]] (either combined with a [[refreshable braille display]] or vocal synthesis). Such keyboards use a minimum of seven keys, where each key corresponds to an individual [[braille]] point, except one key which is used as a spacebar. In some applications, the spacebar is used to produce additional chords which enable the user to issue editing commands, such as moving the [[cursor (user interface)|cursor]], or deleting words. Note that the number of points used in braille computing is not 6, but 8, as this allows the user, among other things, to distinguish between small and capital letters, as well as identify the position of the cursor. As a result, most newer chorded keyboards for braille input include at least nine keys.

Touch screen chordic keyboards are available to [[smartphone]] users as an optional way of entering text. As the number of keys is low, the button areas can be made bigger and easier to hit on the small screen. The most common letters do not necessarily require chording as is the case with the GKOS keyboard optimised layouts (Android app) where the twelve most frequent characters only require single keys.   

The DecaTxt one-handed Bluetooth Chord keyboard, by IN10DID, Inc. has ten keys, two at each finger and is able to replace all standard keystrokes with chords of four keys or less. It is small at 3.25"x 2.25" and weighs about 2 ounces, making it quite wearable strapped to either hand for use while walking. DecaTxt is generally considered as assistive technology since it works with a variety of issues such as limited vision, limb loss, shaking and poor motor skills. <ref>www.in10did.com</ref> 
 
[[File:CC1membraneTouchUpDesktop 1800x1800.webp|thumb|The CharaChorder One Keyboard]]

The company [[CharaChorder]] commercially sells chorded entry devices. Their first commercially available device is the CharaChorder One, which features a split design with each having access to 9 switches that can be moved in five directions (up, down, left, right, and pressed) in contrast to typical keyboards. This device allows for both chorded entry as well as traditional character entry. The set of words that can be chorded can be dynamically changed by the user in real time, but by default includes the 300 most common words in the English language. This chorded entry feature allows for potentially extremely fast typing speeds, so much so the founder of the company has been banned from online typing competitions.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lytton |first1=Charlotte |title=This could help you type at 500 words per minute |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education-and-careers/2022/01/11/could-help-type-500-words-per-minute/ |access-date=21 November 2022 |date=11 January 2022}}</ref> Additionally, they create the Charachorder Lite with a more traditional keyboard design. The manufacturer claimed that users of the Charachorder One can reach speeds of 300 words per minute, while users of the Charachorder Lite can reach 250 words per minute.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tyson |first1=Mark |title=250 WPM CharaChorder Lite Chording Keyboard Now Available for Anyone |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/charachorder-lite-chording-keyboard-now-available-for-anyone |access-date=21 November 2022 |date=10 May 2022}}</ref>

===Historical===
The WriteHander, a 12-key chord keyboard from NewO Company, appeared in 1978 issues of ROM Magazine, an early microcomputer applications magazine.

Another early commercial model was the six-button [[Microwriter]], designed by [[Cy Endfield]] and Chris Rainey, and first sold in 1980. Microwriting is the system of chord keying and is based on a set of mnemonics. It was designed only for right-handed use.

In 1982 the Octima 8 keys cord keyboard was presented by Ergoplic Kebords Ltd an Israeli Startup that was founded by Israeli researcher with intensive experience in Man Machine Interface design. The keyboard had 8 keys one for each finger and additional 3 keys that enabled the production of numbers, punctuations and control functions.  The keyboard was fully compatible with the [[IBM Personal Computer|IBM PC]] and [[IBM Personal Computer AT|AT]] keyboards and had an [[Apple IIe]] version as well.  Its key combinations were based on a mnemonic system that enabled fast and easy touch type learning.  Within a few hours the user could achieve a typing speed similar to hand writing speed. The unique design also gave a relief from hand stress (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and allowed longer typing sessions than traditional keyboards.  It was multi-lingual supporting English, German, French and Hebrew.

The [[BAT keyboard|BAT]] is a 7-key hand-sized device from Infogrip, and has been sold since 1985. It provides one key for each finger and three for the thumb.  It is proposed for the hand which does not hold the mouse, in an exact continuation of Engelbart's vision.