Page 2 / News, Trends, Gossip and Stuff To Do : Here and Now : Keyboards Fit for a Kid’s Fingers

You know that discomfort from using a computer keyboard that just isn’t right for your hands? Imagine how children feel using equipment designed for adults.

Even in these high-tech times, when children as young as 2 years old are exposed to computers, there hasn’t been a keyboard designed specially for kids. Enter Datadesk Technologies and its new LittleFingers keyboard.

“You don’t put adult shoes on kids--you buy them special shoes,” says William Frankel, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing. “In schools you have children’s chairs--same with the keyboards.”

The Washington state-based company began researching the need for the product three years ago. Teachers complained that traditional keyboards were not appropriate for children. As a result, kids developed bad typing habits--such as using two fingers to peck on the keys rather than properly positioning all 10 digits.

LittleFingers, which the company recommends for children 3 and older and for adults with small hands, is 80% of an adult-sized keyboard. The key tops are smaller and so is the space between the keys. LittleFingers, which allows a normal-sized keyboard to be plugged into it, was designed so adults could share work stations with their children without significantly rearranging their desktops. An unintended result is that parents and teachers can now use computers simultaneously with children--which is good for both tutoring and helping kids with homework.

Datadesk can be reached at (888) 327-8868 or online at https://www.productivity.net.