Aloha from Hawaii

[Rqyteqto]

Aloha all, yep, I am logging in from paradise.

Quite surprised at the news of Fingerworks shutting down production of the TouchStream and other related products, find it hard to believe nobody would want to keep this technology alive and active. Then again, its not cheap and the marketing effort was minimal, at best. Hopefully someone with the appropriate vision and resources will obtain the rights and begin production again.

But I am very pleased to find there is an active user's group looking to maintain the community. Hopefully we can keep the technology alive until our white knight appears. Wish I had the resources to do it myself.

Anyway, a bit about me, I am an architect working entirely in 3D through the use of solid models in AutoCAD, now 2006. I've worked out protocols using vanilla Acad to allow me to work in 3D through the design and documentation processes, including production of construction documents. The advantages are primarily results of working with a single database throughout. No misaligned columns, no unrealizedninterference between elements. The downside is the process puts the weight of the work upfront, it the creation of the models, that's offset by a significant reduction of work at the back end, ie - once the model is complete, so are the elevations, sections, and all those little details, at least the graphics are done. Still have to notate all the various views, but those generally use similar language so its possible to rely heavily on templates already created. Each one is new, but can be saved and reused, editted and reused again.

I use the modeling procedures in many other fields as well, just about any category benefits from working in 3D.

Good luck to us all. Anybody know if there are any spare parts, boards, casings, etc. available? Will anybody be working on improving the software? I am ready and willing to help, though I am not much of a coder.

[Rqyteqto]

I've had my TS since last October and frankly, I don't know how I got by without it during the 15 years I worked on computers before that. I find it almost impossble to go back to even my notebook keyboard and touch pad. I had, for the last 10 years, worked exclusively on notebooks with touchpads. I've never really used a mouse, having started out with a graphics tablet and its puck. A mouse simply can't compete with a graphics tablet, especially the larger ones that allow you to reserve large areas for various commands. And a puck's 16 buttons, 15 of which are programable, is in an entirely different world than mice. When I moved to Hawaii, my work took on a mobile style and I switched to notebooks. I tried hauling my tablet about but eventually gave it up and learned to utilize the touch pad to its absolute limits. That gave me a big head start with the TS.

I was typing at about 40 WPM on my notebooks with about 98% accuracy, on the TS its still about 25 WPM with about 75% accuracy, but since most of work is graphical anyway, its not been a great problem. My biggest problems lie with Capitalization of letters on the left pad, typing 'h' when I want an 'n', 'i' instead of 'o' and getting an 'n' instead of a space or in the case of AutoCAD, a return/enter. I am hoping I can increase the size of the SHIFT on the right pad, decrease the size of the 'N' and 'H' as well as move those slightly and increase the size of the Space and Enter areas. Any help with those efforts would be much appreciated. Unfortunately, my work has been overwhelming since I got my TS (though I don't think it had much influence on that) so I haven't been able to get in to the editing/modding fuctions much.

I believe this is one of the best input devices ever conceived. Hopefully somebody with the resources needed will take it on. Any chance of buying the rights? i certainly couldn't do it myself, but if enough of us threw in together, we might be able to accomplish that.

[nomaded]

My biggest problems lie with Capitalization of letters on the left pad, typing 'h' when I want an 'n', 'i' instead of 'o' and getting an 'n' instead of a space or in the case of AutoCAD, a return/enter. I am hoping I can increase the size of the SHIFT on the right pad, decrease the size of the 'N' and 'H' as well as move those slightly and increase the size of the Space and Enter areas.

1) Don't use the <shift> keys that are silkscreened on the keyboard. You really should be using the <shift> chords, preferably the extended modifier chords (http://www.fingerworks.com/modifiers.html).

2) As for your 'n'->'h'/'o'->'i'/'<space>'->'n' problems, I would suggest firing up the MyGesture Editor and try moving some keys around. I would also suggest looking at how you place your hands and arms and try readjusting your positioning - the <space>->'n' screams to me that your hands are slightly out of position.