Ipad for Colemak

efron · 16-Mar-2010 10:06:47

I want to use Colemak on the Ipad. What are my options? I hear the apple keyboard that works for the Ipad will be wireless. Is there an easy way to set up Apple's wireless keyboard to convert my Colemak to Qwerty? Or are there any other keyboards that can wirelessly do this?

learncolemak · 16-Mar-2010 10:35:44

Hi, I'm an iPhone developer and I've looked at the iPad Simulator and there is unfortunately not yet any support for Colemak at all. This may change by the time the device ships, but I highly doubt it. There isn't even virtual keyboard support for Dvorak, although you can tell it to use Dvorak if you are using the iPad keyboard dock accessory. I imagine before too long there will be a way to jailbreak it and then there will be a jailbroken keyboard available like for the iPhone. Maybe we could petition Apple to provide Colemak support for the iPad. I'm already in a group that wants to petition Apple for Esperanto characters, so maybe I could ask for both in the same request. :)

Chuck

Last edited by learncolemak (16-Mar-2010 10:36:07)

efron · 20-Mar-2010 12:51:54

What do you mean we tell tell it to use Dvorak? With the keyboard dock accessory, could I tell it to use Colemak? I don't care so much about the onscreen keyboard, but I'd like to be able to plug a keyboard into it and type.

efron · 20-Mar-2010 13:03:53

I've started a petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/colemak4ipad/

phrmer · 02-Apr-2012 19:14:37

Somebody did something right. I've just discovered that the Colmak layout is now an option on the iPad (iOS 5.1). This is a godsend. I spent a year becoming completely fluent as a touch typist on my laptop using the Colmak layout. In the process I lost the ability to type on QWERTY layouts. I have a bluetooth keyboard for the iPad, but it's always been a struggle with the 'wrong' format.

The iPad is now perfect!

boli · 03-Apr-2012 08:36:31

The Colemak option in IOS 5 is only for external keyboards, but not the on-screen keyboard, right?

pinkyache · 05-Apr-2012 10:36:59

Not wanting to detract from the topic, but is there any advantage to having Colemak on a touch screen?

I'm not sure how people key on tablets. Do they hold the tablet in one hand and type with the other, use thumbs, or some other method? I use one hand and my fingers on T9 (mobile phone) with some success, but it's pretty tedious.

I could see that Dvorak might help if you were using both thumbs. The hand alternation could prove helpful.

Not surprised you resorted to a wireless keyboard.

DreymaR · 05-Apr-2012 11:00:40

The main advantage is that of having characters where you expect them to be. As you suspect, touch typing doesn't quite work on touch screens - I'm wondering whether something better will surface anytime soon!

I've envisioned having a set of buttons for each finger around the edge of the device for the hand that holds it!, probably including one extra button for the index finger and pinky and 1–2 extra thumb buttons. With those, you could implement all sorts of nice functionality to make your browsing and whatnot way more advanced (akin to keyboard shortcuts alleviating the problems of overmuch mousing), such as forwards/backwards buttons and scrolling with the thumb buttons as accelerators/precision enhancers. And you could type chorded!

For a simple and intuitive chording scheme, imagine the finger buttons corresponding to the buttons on a normal keyboard, and touch screen presses choosing row and mirroring!

boli · 07-Apr-2012 09:46:52

I use the split keyboard with thumbs on the iPad. For me it's OK that it's QWERTY, I look at the screen anyway, and touch typing isn't really possible. Also the dictionary based prediction may not work as well with Colemak (if it were available) because all the important keys are grouped up (the system attempts to make the touch area bigger of the keys it expects to come next, based on a dictionary).

input nirvana · 08-Apr-2012 09:37:09

I use that old fashioned qwerty as well for thumb typing, there are some alternatives through the app store that I haven't gotten around to checking out. I don't think it's much of an issue, the comfort and speed aspects are greatly reduced with touchscreens.

But I'm sure there's a slightly better way :)

yensteel · 28-May-2012 06:13:51

After some renewed interest after the the Absinthe Jailbreak, I did a little searching, and I think there's a little bit of potential with iKeymodwi.

Although it can't edit the alphabets directly, it does solve the problem of the missing semicolon (Like with the 5 row keyboard extension), and does allow editing of the number keys, which highlights it's potential.

Here's the forum that has some screenshots.
http://www.ipadforums.net/jailbreak-app … tweak.html

I think with some plist hack you can change the alphabet, but I'm not sure.

Last edited by yensteel (28-May-2012 06:44:35)

urtitt · 15-Jun-2012 04:27:39

It would really be nice to have it on the iPad but I don't think that it would be supported or even be made available at all. But considering how things are currently working, it would be nice to see how things are going to work that way. I just hope that they are going to be more comfortable and made available in the coming months, years even, as long as they are implemented greatly.

Colemak forum

#1 16-Mar-2010 10:06:47

Ipad for Colemak

#2 16-Mar-2010 10:35:44

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#3 20-Mar-2010 12:51:54

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#4 20-Mar-2010 13:03:53

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#5 02-Apr-2012 19:14:37

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#6 03-Apr-2012 08:36:31

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#7 05-Apr-2012 10:36:59

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#8 05-Apr-2012 11:00:40

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#9 07-Apr-2012 09:46:52

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#10 08-Apr-2012 09:37:09

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#11 28-May-2012 06:13:51

Re: Ipad for Colemak

#12 15-Jun-2012 04:27:39

Re: Ipad for Colemak

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