VI8 started essentially as a clone for 8pen, which for some reason they have stopped distributing.

From the original 8vim description: „The 8vim draws inspiration from handwriting. By mimicking the way our hand moves when constrained to a square canvas, we are able to create a natural and fun writing experience, akin to doodling on a piece of paper. The layout is optimised for fast writing, by allowing for the most common letter sequences to be produced with swift, fluid gestures. Once familiar with the layout, you can reach speeds of 40 words per minute.“

With 8pen you could actually type blind. Together with any text editor, you could get the job done, but you have to keep your both hands engaged and keep tapping on the various toolbars and buttons... I was missing VIM.

I wanted my keyboard to also act as the editor. So VI8, the Editor-in-Keyboard, was born. And here it is – try it out! And head over to the project page for more details.

Usability Guide

So, what capabilities does 8Vim have? Once you know how to type with this thing (Learn how to type with this original 8Pen-game video), you must know the following:

Basic Needed Stuff:

• Right Sector acts as a backspace Key.
• Bottom Sector acts as a Enter Key.
• Top Sector acts as a combination of SHIFT and CAPS_LOCK Key, i.e, Press once Shift is active, Press Twice CAPS is active and Press once more and everything is back to usual.
• Left Sector acts as the button that takes you to the Number Pad.

Cursor Movements:

If you move your finger from the centre-circle to any sector and stay, the cursor movement will be emulated. For example, if you swipe from circle->right, the cursor will move right. You get the picture.

Selection:

There is selection built in to the keyboard. if you move your finger from the right sector to the circle, the cursor will start moving left and selecting everything in it's path. once you release, a selection keyboard will open up for various stupidities to do.

Paste Functionality:

Moving your finger from right->circle->lift-your-finger performs a paste. whatever is in the clipboard.