Both Apple and Microsoft are working diligently, and somewhat secretly, on new computers for the masses. I am talking of course about the new tablets coming from both manufacturers at some point early next year. We’ve already seen the Courier from Microsoft and we’ve seen countless image leaks of Apple’s tablet.

No matter what tablet I will choose, I already foresee a problem. I will definitely need to connect a keyboard to the tablet whenever I’ll be writing since it will be really difficult to write efficiently by tapping on the screen. Or won’t it? While Apple’s work on the tablet is concealed from the public, Microsoft has filed a patent which brings an interesting twist to touchscreen keyboard design. As you can see in the picture here, it looks like Microsoft wants to make the keyboard appear whenever you want to write and no matter where your hands would be located on the screen. That way you’re writing should be as efficient as possible and you won’t have to keep looking at the screen.

And while we’re looking at the picture we can’t but hope that Microsoft knows what it’s doing. It will be awfully difficult to write anything with the letter “G” not showing up on the tablet.

via cnet

Tags: Apple, Apple, Courier, microsoft, microsoft, Mobile News, Multitouch Keyboard, patent, Portable Devices, tablet