Virtual Laser Keyboard

This Nifty little guy was one that i came across while looking for a stowaway portable keyboard. Much to my surprise it is about the same price as all the rest, but its only the size of a Zipo lighter. I have not used it personally (yet) but it claims to be able to handle quite a workload. Assuming of course that you can get away with the 1mm deviation of flat surfaces, meaning that the projected upon surface must be flat with only 1mm bumps. 

It is a laser projected keyboard, that has the buttons mapped out and censored by Infra Red (IR) laser as well. So that when you touch where they key would be, it senses that you pressed the button. This might cause some issues for people used to relaxing their fingers on the board though. Also the device seems to be small enough that if i set my phone in front of it, the laser would be blocked, but if it was in front of my phone, then the display would be blocked, so you would have to offset it to some degree in order to make it work, or lay the phone flat on the table.

Here are the manufacturers specs.

In the size of a Zipo lighter and in an outer spaced "enterprise" style, it uses a laser beam to generate a full-size perfectly OPERATING laser keyboard that smoothly connects to MAC's, Smart Phones, the new Blackberry (8100,8300,8800),Nokia N95 (Symbian Series 60 3rd Edition) and Any kind of PC and Most of the handheld devices (PDA's, tablet PC's).

Keystroke Sensor: Ambient illumination
- Works under all standard indoor illuminations up to 1000 lux Detection rate
- Up to 400 characters per minute Detection algorithm
- Multiple keystroke support Effective keystroke
- Approximately 2mm Operating surface
- Any firm flat surface with no protrusions greater than 1mm
- Electrical Power source: Integrated, rechargeable lithium-ion battery (~450 mAH) Voltage
- 3.6 Volts Battery capacity: > 120 minutes continuous typing Interface
- RS232 serial interface Connector
- 4 pin for serial interface + battery charger
Mechanical & Environmental: Dimensions
- Approximately 24 x 34 x 90 mm Weight: 160-serial / 80 -BT gram
Temperature:
- Operation 10 – 35 Deg. C Temperature
- Storage -10 – 75 Deg. C
Certification & Safety:
- EMC per CE - EN 55024 55022 EN 61000-3-2 -3-3 Laser safety
- IEC 60825-1 Class 1 laser enclosure

Here is a little diagram of how the technology works.