Turkish university develops new Turkish keyboard

Istanbul-based Bo?aziçi University has developed a new keyboard with Turkish letters, the university announced on Feb. 24.

The new keyboard is called the "E keyboard," and will compete with the previous F and Q keyboards for Turkish writers.

A group of researchers under the leadership of Mahmut Ek?io?lu had worked for three years to develop the new keyboard, Bo?aziçi University said in a statement.

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜB?TAK) supported the project, for which they will also take the patent.

Ek?io?lu said the new keyboard was developed and made more optimal by studying the ergonomic layout of letters. He said in the new E Keyboard, letters were laid out taking into consideration the capacity of fingers and their moving space.

Turkish writers mostly use the QWERTY or Q keyboard, which is nearly the same as the English version but with different keys for the Turkish letters ç, ?, ?, ö, ?, ü.

However, the Turkish alphabet is different from its English counterpart, and is thus concentrated on the right side of the keyboard.

The FG?IOD or F keyboard is another type of keyboard developed by Turks which has nothing in common with the Q keyboard, which is the most internationalized keyboard. The F keyboard is rarely used by Turks.

With the new E keyboard, Ek?io?lu said performance in writing rises, and it provides a more healthy and comfortable usage.

In the framework of the project, Ek?io?lu said they conducted research with participants of different ages, and the ergonomic criterion was determined by experimental studies. The speed capacity for each finger was also determined according to the speed with which each finger types a single button.
Ek...