Strange Google products in Japan

Unique dial pad. Photo: Google Japan .

Since the April Fools' Day prank of 2021, Google Japan has been consistently coming up with unique and interesting keyboard ideas year after year. Their latest product combines touch-sensitive keyboard technology with the old rotary phone from the past.

The Gboard Dial Version keyboard has alphanumeric characters and various functions arranged under nine different sized dials instead of regular keys. To type a specific character, users just need to place their finger in the corresponding hole, rotate the dial until it reaches the corresponding box, and then release. The dial will automatically rotate back to its original position.

Buttons on Gboard Dial Version. Photo: Google Japan.

The smooth curved movement and nostalgic keyboard sound will bring a new typing experience. The design team solved the problem of many keys causing slow typing speed by arranging the main dial into three layers, which greatly reduced the size, typing speed is 3 times faster, and can enter multiple characters in parallel at the same time.

Rotary telephones used a technique called “pulse dialing.” In it, a spring-loaded dial would generate a series of electrical pulses as it returned to its starting position. The switchboard would decode these signals to determine the number the user was dialing.

The keyboard comes with a convenient mouse rest. Photo: Google Japan.

Google’s Japanese version of the Gboard Dial has replaced this dial mechanism with modern sensors that convert the rotation of each dial into a USB signal. The designers of the dial pad also created an accompanying stand that, when you place your mouse on it, automatically turns off the webcam during a video call, similar to how old-fashioned telephones end calls when you hang up.

Like its predecessors, the Gboard Dial Version is not for sale. However, users can absolutely build their own. Google has open-sourced the design on GitHub, where you can download all the necessary files, including the 3D printer model, PCB design, and parts list.

Google Japan is famous for its series of quirky but fun keyboards released every year, such as the teacup keyboard, the scroll bar keyboard, and the 360-degree keyboard. This year's design takes inspiration from the rotation feature that was not present in previous years' products.

“This keyboard offers a completely new way of input, combining traditional typing, tapping, tapping and rotating to enter text,” Google Japan posted on its blog. Unique ideas have contributed to making Google one of the best places to work in the world .

Source: https://znews.vn/san-pham-la-cua-google-o-nhat-ban-post1591532.html