The technology is also offered as a reference design.
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Keyboard pouch
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The lightweight (2.4 oz.), flexible smart fabric keyboard is water repellent and "super durable," according to Eleksen. The standard design includes a charcoal gray fabric keyboard, and the electronics' plastic housing has embedded LEDs that show keyboard and Bluetooth connectivity status. It comes with a mobile phone / PDA stand. When not in use, the keyboard can be rolled up to fit easily in a pocket or handbag, the company says.
Eleksen product manager Andrew Newman described the smart fabric keyboard as "the perfect companion product for the highly mobile worker who wants to use a lightweight computer like a PDA or smartphone to stay in contact with their office and their customers."
"[Whereas] existing key pads on many smartphones and PDAs make typing anything longer than a short message impractical and uncomfortable, we've designed the laptop-sized ElekTex fabric keyboard to allow consumers to easily and more comfortably type longer documents on their phones and handheld devices," Newman added.
AvailabilityThe keyboard is available now in the US. It can be customized to meet specific branding or corporate identity requirements, according to Eleksen.
Additionally, the sensor, electronics, and Bluetooth interface designs are available as reference designs for companies interested in creating custom smart fabric keyboards. The reference design can be scaled to support different keypad sizes and covering materials, Eleksen says.
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