Google Japan has seemingly become the internet search giant’s outlet for wacky, April Fool’s-esque ideas. We’ve previously seen the 5.5-foot long Gboard Bar, as well as the Möbius strip-shaped Gboard Double-sided. Now, it’s the turn of the Gboard Dial Version. And as the name suggests, it replaces keys with the rotary dial of phones from decades past.
On the face of it, pun not intended, you get the usual three rows of QWERTY keys. The numbers are on a separate dial, located where you’d expect the usual numpad to be. The enter key, or return key if you’re so inclined, is its own dial, with the remaining function and math-centric keys also getting their own dials. With a design like this, two-handed typing seems a tad ridiculous, but Google Japan says you can do it.
Of course, despite the retro design, the way it works on the inside is modern enough. The amount of rotation done is translated to your key input via USB signals, while still keeping the mechanical tactile feedback of a rotary dial. There’s even a complementary accessory that looks like a retro phone stand. Place your mouse on here – rather than the handset – and it turns off your webcam during a video call. You even get a music box melody playing in lieu of your average hold music.
The video showcasing the Gboard Dial Version itself is pretty funny, filled with round or circle puns versus the linear keys or edges. Half the presenters are also spinning slowly as if they are sitting or standing on a display stand themselves. They even talk about future versions like a DJ edition or a pet edition. Which obviously won’t bode well for precision. But if you’d like the rotary keyboard as is, you can 3D-print it for yourself by getting its design off of GitHub.
(Source: Google / YouTube, GitHub)
