If you look at the 1 and 6 keys on the Eee PC 1000H, you’ll notice circles around the numbers with inversed colors:
It appears as though the keys are also like this on Eee PC 904 and Eee PC S101 devices.
Many people on the forum are curious as to why these keys are like this, but nobody seems to have a concrete answer.
What do you think?
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It is necessary to ask this question to representatives of Asus, probably only they know the answer…
Wierd
the keys kind of devide the keyboard up the black stands out and really center the laptop and help with typeing whit a simple glance down the black will stand out quick while typing give you an idea if you are over the correct letters.
key “1, 6, up, and down” are all similiar to the “home” key, the one with a house on it. So im guessing there is some kind of combination avaible with those keys.. even tho i don’t own a 1000h.
Can someone please call Asus and find out???!! This has been going on forever now!
I think its a way make sure people know where the buttons start and not mix them up with others on the keyboard.
For example, you will notice that the Up and Down arrows are the same. I am sure these are just to mark out them out so you don’t just glance down and think its one of the other two.
Same with the 1 and 6, its so you know that 1 starts there and 6 is in the middle. I always get it wrong when looking in dim light or with no light at all.
Thats my two pennys anyway.
Pretty sure about the making-them-stand-out-idea. I put small adhesive rubber feet on F5 and F9 as well, to find them faster in darkness.. F5 for refresh and F9 for Send/Receive in Outlook..
You use Outlook?
my 900ha has the keys colored the same way… no reason has been found…
I thought it was to make it look cool or letting customize and stuff.
This is with the 900HA to…
I think they just did it for teh lulz! :p
This is also the case with the PC 1000.
I really don’t know why this is happening. Someone find out!
Most likely this is to mark where the screws are for opening the pc. see the tutorial for replacing the screen with a touchscreen and this is where the screws are.
xtachx: On my 1000H the depressable tabs for removing the keyboard are above F1,F6,between F10 & F11 and above the Inset numLk keys – so I don’t think that’s the explanation either – good try though
1+6 = 7
There are seven types of viruses according to the Baltimore classification.
There are seven layers in the OSI model.
There are seven logic gates. NOT, AND, OR, NAND, XOR, NOR, XNOR.
Maybe they just knew about Microsofts new “7″.
Or it’s just there to mark it up to find the keys faster. Stop conspiring.
7 is also religous, lucky number, etc. I’ve had a 1000H for 3 months now and din’t even notice tho, probably the easy to find thing.
I’m always hitting ‘one off’ with the numbers, because on a normal, and even a standard laptop keyboard, there’s another key to the left of 1. So I think it’s to help people find their bearings a little better on a small and unusual layout.
Hello Swede,
Will you elaborate on the seven gates of logic for me? Is any enlightenment to be gained?
Probably bored keyboard designers just wanting to inspire threads like this and toy with any possibility of mind play on others.
Seven can represent a seemingly infinite amount of possibilities, once all things related to that number are explored, and the subtext of each,
It’s a magic number.
Logic gates are the electronic basis for all digital processing.
They are comprised of transistors arranged in various configurations that either allow or don’t allow current to flow depending on certain conditions.
I studied them in high school electronics (1974), right around the time that integrated circuits first started to appear. I remember building very primitive logic circuits back then. The IC chips we used held only a few transistors. Now they hold millions. That’s why we’re able to carry around an eeePC that is more powerful than Nasa mainframes of the 1960’s.
Memory storage in that era was accomplished by tiny magnets charged in either a positive or negative manner. 2k of RAM required a cabinet the size of a compact car.
Enjoy.
Holy crap people it opens a space/time portal if you push all of them at the same time!!!
its obviously part of some sort of government conspiracy with netbooks. its also with the up/down arrow keys. The arrow keys also look exactly like the up/down arrows for the stock market when your watching the news!
This does not add up at all.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHALMFAO ROFL LMAO ROFL
to miix’s comment
pointless b.s i know. Gotta make a whole ordeal over two keys.
Tip to all of you: go outside and get some fresh air.
HAHHAHAHA LMFAO ROFL AGAIN
to nick’s comment hahah
nice beastly comment
I cannot believe none of you have thought of this.
I am almost certain the design of the inverted colored keys are to make them stand out during low vision such as almost dark. It is useful, but I usually use the F, and J indentations to gauge all the other keys instead.
I can tell you right now with complete certainty.
I have the Asus N10:
If I press Windows Key + 1, my web browser (chrome) opens.
If I press Windows Key + 6, my media player (WMP) opens.
My friend has the Eee PC and it doesn’t work. It might be because i’m running Vista, but i swear this is what the keys do on my PC.
But why would they do that if you have the same thing (the “hotkeys” above the keyboards on 1000s) already? Also, this doesn’t explain up and down keys.
I think it’s to mark the figers used when typing on a keyboard. For example, the left hand controls the numbers starting with 1 through 6 and right hand controls the rest from 7 to 0. So by having those little inverted numbers, you quickly remember your finger layout when you are ready to type as the keypad are very small…
I really can’t go along with the idea that they mark sections of the keyboard for left and right hands. There have been too many keyboards made without cryptic typing instructions on them for that to make sense.
My 1000 manual came with a note written in the margin, “The 1 and 6 keys are specially marked to initiate a truly marvelous experience, unfortunately this margin is not large enough to contain the details.”
I don’t think it’s to mark them for visibility, because the 1 is easy to locate anyway (even moreso than on a traditional KB which has a ~ on the most-left instead).
The designers should somehow be asked rather than the helpdesk; that way we could know for sure.
It looks as though the keys have been shaded to distinguish them from other, similar keys on the keyboard. The 1 and the I look alike. The 6 and the 9. The up arrows versus the right and left arrows. The home key and whatever that key on the right is. If you are a keyboard assembler who isn’t t familiar with Arabic numbers and English letters or if you are in a hurry to stick the keys on, then this shading makes it a lot easier to get the right key in the right place. Even if you weren’t literate, had enough time, and were bright enough, you still should eventually be able to tell the keys apart and get them in the right place. But why would a manufacturer take that chance.
It’s because they knew my birthday is on the 16th.
I know the truth but if I reveal it to you, I will have to kill you !
I’m sure it’s made to cover up the truth about 9/11!
Im using windows 7 on my eee pc 900.
and Windows key + 1 brings up IE.
Windows key + 6 doesnt do anythin though
oh yeah windows key + up or down makes a window maximize or minimize.
it has to be a combination hotkey with the windows key.
the windows key is black too.
The Windows key + (number) key is part of the windows’ quick launch tool bar.
Hey people !
I have got a Eeepc 1000H.
I am always under Fedora, but this morning I am on windobe ….
What surprise when I tried to switch between desktops (I forgot there is only one desktop with windows.)
So, when I hit CTRL+ALT+RIGHT, my screen move vertically !!! Try it, it’s really good if you want to read bix text !!!!
Great job Asus !
But it doesn’t work (yet) under Linux.
Those are used to control Happy Fun Ball.
I love the solid state drives – Awesome!!
do i get a prize for figuring it out?? it’s real simple..cause the keyboard is a condensed keyboard, the designers who usually work with full size keyboards with number pads for calculations…thought it would be good to highlight the 1 and 6 key to denote the range of keys you shouldn’t use when the num lk key is on…since you would only use the num keys for calculations.
There are five keys from number 1 to 5, and there are also five keys from number 6 to 0.
the revers color are just marking the half of the numbers.
(1) 2 3 4 5
(6) 7 8 9 0.
Or thats what I think…
cheers.
best netbooks ever
it’s to make the keyboard look cooler, which it does imo.
A soon as I read the post I had an answer that agrees with Ali.
The exception being that the typing tutor that i used designated number 6 to be the first (left to right) to be for the right hand to use. Some layouts have designated the number 6 for the index finger of the LEFT index finger but that meant that finger is responsible for 4, 5, AND 6. Too many for my liking. I’m sure some historian will have oodles of trivial information on this…
Ali said, “For example, the left hand controls the numbers starting with 1 through 6 and right hand controls the rest from 7 to 0. So by having those little inverted numbers, you quickly remember your finger layout when you are ready to type as the keypad are very small…”
Hey, same mistery on my 1002HA ^^
I have heard that Asus is thinking to stop the production of the 8.9″ and less Eee. They are planning to stay with the 10″ Eee. Is it true and why?? I am thinking to write an artixle soon about this!
I just ordered my from this shop. Can’t wait to play with it and see about these two buttons 1 and 6. I suppose these are some sort of windows function buttons. Will see.
I hope my big fingers will work better on this one than the first Eee, any way looks awesome with that great long battery
I think the keys are specific to particular OS. I’m running the standard Xandros distro of Linux which this 1000H came with, and as far as I’m aware, the (1), (6), (up) and (down) buttons do nothing in combination with other keys [apart from 'Fn + Up/Down for PgUp and PgDn]. If the XP version does have uses for the circles, it would make sense for ASUS to just manufacture the one type of keyboard to save on costs. If XP doesn’t actually do anything special with these keys, maybe ASUS have just designed the one keyboard for this and future versions of the EeePC / other small laptops from ASUS which will make use of them.
Or maybe I’m totally wrong. The ‘opening a space/time portal idea’ sounds attractive to me…
The argument for the keys being different to help typing doesn’t make sense to me as I have never found them to help on that score, and the fact that other netbooks don’t do the same, combined with ASUS not making a song and dance about how it’ll help you type more easily on the smaller keyboard suggests that it wasn’t designed with that in mind.
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