CharaChorder is a keyboard created by the eponymous startup CharaChorder which has the particularity of allowing you to type words and phrases instead of typing letters, which makes typing much faster. So faster than CharaChorder CEO Riley Keen was not allowed to post his 521 words per minute (WPM – world per minute) score on Monkeytype. For the record, Monkeytype is a platform that allows you to practice entering a text in English on a given time. The crown at the time of this writing is slekap back over 15 and 60 seconds with 277.60 and 254.80 wpm, respectively. By way of comparison, an average user capable of typing with his ten fingers usually tops out at around forty words per minute.
According to a Discord conversation between Keen and the developers of Monkeytype mio, the website only allows users to post their results if they type on a traditional keyboard.
CharaChorder is a somewhat special keyboard, since it allows you to type, no longer letters, but quite whole words and sentences. It must be said that it is rather logical: we think with words, sentences and it is not done letter by letter. The problem is: how to translate it on a keyboard? The team behind CharaChorder is inspired by the piano and offers chords when you want to write words: when you press several keys at the same time, when you make a chord, you write words, or even entire sentences, and you can customize your shortcuts (for example to decide that pressing S, L and C at the same time would produce “Stephane Le Calme”)
Similar to stnography, chord typing allows users to enter multiple letters at the same time and have a computer program to generate a predicted word. Instead of typing for example h, then e, then l, then l and finally o, a chord writing machine allows simultaneous presses on the keys h, e, l and o to produce the word. With practice, typing becomes much faster
CharaChorder does not look like a classic keyboard: it has 18 small joysticks on which the different fingers come to rest. Each joystick can switch in four directions, and therefore encode four characters. Even double, if we take into account the Shift mode. The advantage of this configuration is that the fingers move very little, which saves time. CharaChorder switches detect movement in 3 dimensions so that users have access to over 300 unique entries without their fingers breaking contact with the device, it is explained on the device overview page.
The tool lets you write whole words at once, using hundreds of built-in and customizable shortcuts.
Of course, to use this tool, you need training.
According to mio, this input method (prior to CharaChorder) is strictly prohibited. If you create an account and run 15 (seconds) and 60 (seconds) time tests, the anti-cheat system is very likely to block them, they said on Discord. Due to the minimal spacing between keystrokes / characters this is a different skill, but it is very rare. So when someone makes more than 300 wpm in the leaderboard, it is automatically deleted.
Monkeytpe won’t let Keen climb the leaderboard, but he won another typing contest using the CharaChorder to hit 267 WPM with a 76% accuracy. People accused him of cheating. I understand why they think so, Keen said in a video response. I agree it’s not fair, but I don’t think it’s cheating. This is a total keyboard replacement. I haven’t used a keyboard for over a year and I never need to use one once more.
Keen also claimed that he had won several online gaming competitions using the CharaChorder, which he said raised an interesting ethical dilemma. I don’t know if there are any restrictions on what keyboards you are allowed to use, he said on a video of him playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the Nintendo Switch, using its CharaChorder running through an XIM style adapter.
Most esports tournaments have strict peripheral rules. The EVO Fighting Game Tournament Rules for Controllers are five pages long. Console gamers, in general, think that using a mouse and keyboard in a game designed for a controller is cheating.
In a TikTok specifically on this issue, Keen was ambivalent. I hadn’t thought regarding it, but I think it’s really interesting, Keen said. Because I have a significant advantage over my opponents. He then listed all the other places where using a CharaChorder will speed up your work and give you an advantage, suggesting that Keen is less interested in ethical issues and more interested in proving to the world that CharaChorder accelerates everything. you normally do with a keyboard.
CharaChorder Lite
If this version puts you off, there is a version that is closer to the traditional keyboard and which is called CharaChorder Lite.
The CharaChorder Lite is manufactured with hot swappable smt connectors for use with standard keyboard switches; it comes with mechanical switches and will include LED backlighting. The keyboard has regular USB-C connectivity and, according to the original product team, it is compatible with any computing device you own, including your desktop computer, phone, and tablet.
In addition to the pre-defined chords for the device, CharaChorder Lite users will be able to create their own chord shortcuts for use with the keyboard. The team says that learning the 100 most common keyboard chords and using regular typing for the rest of the words will still allow you to do regarding half of what you usually type.
CharaChorder Lite is a simple but powerful key on your keyboard. Although you can produce individual characters, you can also press multiple keys simultaneously to produce entire words or sentences with a single keystroke. Our patented technology allows you to type faster than is physically possible on any other keyboard! In the example below, the user grants “hello” by touching the h + e + l + o keys, and “there” by touching t + h + e + r.
CharaChorder stands for “character” and “chord”. Our first product was designed with the initial intention of helping people with reduced mobility communicate better. Along the way, we discovered that this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way EVERYONE interacts with computers. CharaChorder is a prime example of the “reduction effect” where helping the marginalized ends up benefiting the rest of us !!
The mission of CharaChorder is to raise the average human text speed (40 wpm) above and beyond the average human text comprehension speed (250 wpm)
The text has a permanence. It is our most important tool for organizing our thoughts individually and collectively. The QWERTY keyboard was designed for something that did not even work on electricity! Don’t you think it’s time for a change?
Sources: TikTok du PDG de CharaChorder (1, 2), KickStarter
And you ?
What do you think ?
What do you think might be the point of typing faster in a company where the speech recognition industry is booming?
are you interested?
For the moment this keyboard is only intended for English speakers. With the presence of accents in a language like French, is there any chance that it can be adapted?
When it comes to typing games and competitions, is it cheating to use such a tool?