Every October 1, the Japanese subsidiary of Google presents a new absurd accessory, the fruit of limitless imagination. This year, engineers have imagined a keyboard without keys, but with nine dials of all sizes. To write a letter, the user must slide a finger into the correct hole, turn the dial until it stops, then release it: the character is displayed on the screen, like a number dialed on a landline telephone of yesteryear.
A wacky homage to the telephones of yesteryear
The system is reminiscent of the pulse dialing of old handsets, where each rotation produced a series of electrical signals interpreted by the telephone exchange. Here, these pulses are replaced by modern sensors translating the movements of the dial into USB signals. And because Google always pushes the joke to the end, the keyboard comes with a base: placing your mouse on it during a video call automatically cuts off the webcam, a nod to the days when you “hung up” to end the conversation.
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The Gboard Dial Version is part of a series of experiments, each more fun than the last, carried out since 2021 by Google Japan. It all started with an April Fool’s joke, which has since become an annual ritual. The Gboard, which is originally a virtual keyboard for smartphones, has inspired a whole collection of absurd physical objects: a 65-inch keyboard in a single line, a cylindrical version imitating a Japanese teacup (Yunomi), or even an infinite keyboard in the shape of a Möbius strip.
This new circular variation was unveiled on October 1, in reference to the number of keys (101) on a standard keyboard. Each dial is dedicated to a set of letters, numbers or symbols, while a huge “return” sits in the center, also requiring a complete rotation to validate an entry. Enough to slow down typing considerably: typing a simple message becomes a real exercise in patience… And it’s better to avoid making typing mistakes!
Like its predecessors, the Gboard Dial Version is not marketed. Google prefers to make it an open source project, accessible to all the curious. The plans, 3D models, electronic diagrams and list of components are available on GitHub, which will allow anyone to make their own rotary keyboard.
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