How to Use a 20-Key Condensed Qwerty Keyboard

You can type with one hand using all the keys of a full qwerty keyboard.

A 20-key keyboard contains all of the same letters and numbers as a standard qwerty keyboard but in a condensed set of keys. Each key represents two characters instead of one. This is especially useful for phones or other hand-held devices because it saves space but gives you a wider range of keys than only the numeric ones found on a basic phone.

Instructions

1. Determine your software. Depending on what type of software you have, your 20-key keyboard will operate differently. Cell phones and other PDAs that use 20-key technology usually have Predictive Text software, which allows users to only strike each key once to spell a word and the software guesses which letters you meant to type. If you are using a half-keyboard for one-handed typing, this may not come with Predictive Text software. Instead, it may require users to strike a key depending on which set of letters you need to use. With predictive text software, you generally need to go no further than this step because the device will determine your word based on the combination of letters you selected, much like the same predictive text software used for number pads on cell phones, only with 20 keys instead of only eight, word predictions will be more accurate.

2. Find the toggle key. Half qwerty keyboards require users to strike a toggle key to maneuver back and forth between the set of letters on the keyboard that they need to use. It contains 20 alpha-numeric keys by dividing the keys on a keyboard in half and having each key represent two characters instead of one. You will need the toggle key to determine which of the two characters your keyboard will type at any given moment. Most half qwerty keyboards use the space bar as the toggle key.

3. Hold down the toggle key to use the alternate set of letters. Half qwerty keyboards use the left side of a keyboard as the default---the QWERTY side---and the right side as the alternate. Any keys that you would normally type with your left hand may be typed normally on a half qwerty keyboard. Holding down the toggle key activates the alternate set of letters, numbers, and symbols, which contains all of the keys normally typed by the right hand.

4. Press the appropriate key while holding down the toggle key for right-handed keys or simply strike a single key without holding down the toggle key for left-handed keys. The half keyboard layout is a mirror image of the keyboard. This means that whatever key you would normally press with a given finger on your right hand will be struck by the same finger on your left hand while holding down the toggle key. For example, a 'K' would require your right middle finger on a normal keyboard, but the half qwerty would require you to hold down the toggle key and press the 'D' with your middle finger on your left hand.

References

• About One Hand Typing: Half Qwerty and the Half Keyboard
• Phone Scoop: 20-Key Keyboard