One-Hand Keyboard: Free One-Hand Typing at Mac App Store analyse

App power index: 1323 (based on ranks around App Stores today)
Health & Fitness Medical Health & Fitness Medical
Developer: Peter Kamb
Price: 0 free
Current version: 3.0, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 13 Feb 2012
App size: 1.07 Mb
4.7 ( 877 ratings )
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Estimation application downloads and cost

> 29.11k
Monthly downloads
~ $ 11.91k
Estimation App Cost


Free version of the one-hand typing keyboard layout that lets any former touch-typist type with one hand.

Use if youve broken your arm, fractured your wrist, lost a finger, or have any other medical condition that limits the use of one hand.

NOTE: The free version of this app lets you type with one hand only in the apps practice window. To type one-handed in any app or text field, please purchase the full version of One-Hand Keyboard.

One-Hand Keyboard app uses your existing two-hand typing muscle memory, so its extremely easy to learn. Your five fingers already know how to do the work of ten.

Former two-hand touch typists will be able to type with one hand in minutes.

How it works:
Examine a keyboard. The motion you use to type "G" is the same motion you use to type "H". Index finger, home row, towards the center of the keyboard.

Its the same motion, but with the other hand. The keys "E" and "I" are also a pair: theyre both middle finger, top row.

If you are or were a touch-typist, your brain already knows how to make these substitutions.

So when you want to type a key on your bad hand, type the good-hand equivalent key instead. Its the same finger, same motion as the key you should be typing, the only difference is that youre using your good hand instead of the injured one.

So to type "this" with your left hand, you press the keys "tges". As youre typing, the program figures out the most likely word for that combination of letters. So it types the word "this" despite you pressing the keys "tges".

Use the Caps-Lock key to toggle between the normal keyboard and the one-hand keyboard. When typing a word with one hand, pressing the Tab key will cycle through available word options.

NOTE: Currently only works in English, with the standard QWERTY keyboard layout or the Dvorak keyboard layout. More languages and keyboard layouts coming in the future.
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Available in countries
Country Price
Canada free
China free
France free
Germany free
Italy free
Netherlands free
Portugal free
Spain free
Poland free
UK free
India free
Japan free
Poland free
Russia free
Turkey free
USA free
Korea, Republic Of free
Ukraine free
Available for devices
MacDesktop,
Bait and switch - an only enter text into their box in free version

My right arm is in a sling so this looked promissing. But the free version can only type into their little box, then youd have to copy and paste. But frustrating that this is not clearly disclosed in their description. Also, I have remapped caps-lock to be a second Cmd key, so not able to turn it on.

Very Useful

This is a very nice app! I wish I had had it when my daughters were young, and I tried to hold one of them with one hand (and they would fall asleep), and type with the other.

Got me over my fractured wrist injury

When I fractured my left wrist (I am right handed), I had to undergo surgery and was in a cast for 8 weeks (still in therapy). Since I am a computer professional, typiing is of key importance. I immediately tried voice recognition software. Even though I am a native English speaker with no regional accent (unless you consider California Bay Area regional), the recognition was painful. Had to alter speech patterns and needed to wear a headset as built in Mac mic had issues with the software. Then, I found out abou one handed keyboard in the MacApp store. Downloaded immediately (version 2.something). While I got the mirroring working pretty quickly with my right hand, it was intermittently successful. In conversations with Peter (the software author), he educated me on the v problem with the right hand. I was reaching for the N key but really, the way the keyboard is slanted, the key I should be reaching for is the M key. With that adjustment, my accuracy went up. Then the next problem was that the word matching wasnt the one I was looking for. This was an extra problem for me because the popup list that shows you the words that matched wasnt showing due to my multiple monitor setup (Peter has fixed in latest version). Also, the newest version shows the most frequently chosen word as the top match (a feature I suggested to Peter). Peter has been extremely responsive and helpful from a listening to suggestions perspective. This latest version (which ironically Peter shipped just as I was getting my cast off) has incorporated all of the feedback that I and others have given Peter and I would say its probably 98% accurate now. At least for normal typing of documents and emails. If you are a software engineer (like me) using computer langauges or other profession with a lot of terminology or symbology using punctuation marks, the software wont help in those situations. However, this is way better than using dictation software (I normally type close to 80WPM with two hands, I think I probably got to about 40WPM with one hand, which is also kind of ironic). The trick to accuracy is to NOT look where you are typing but look at the top of the popup list that is showing what the software is matching. That is how you can confirm if you are assembling the correct word and if the correct word is in the list. If its at the top, just hit spacebar to go to next word or if its not at the type, cursor down th the right word and hit spacebar. With that, the word should show at the top of the list the next time you type that key sequence. While I no longer need th software, it really help me get through a rough patch. I will keep the software and keep updating it just in case, hopefully I wont need it again.

Time-saver

Well done. Very useful.

Nice concept but not for me.

The concept is great and it might work for some people, but I just couldnt get the hang of it.

Very useful for disabled people

I hope this app works well because I was in a very serious car wreck and my right arm is paralyzd which makes touch typing very difficult, will post again later

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