s more useful for "real work" applications, such as substantive correspondence, the use of analytical tools, or tasks requiring a high degree of interactivity. With access to a full- sized virtual keyboard, a mobile worker could use a mobile device to handle routine business e-mail correspondence or create a financial report without going back to the office. The keyboard is implemented via a sensor and support components that mobile device makers can build into their products. The sensor, a module not much larger than a pea, resolves finger movements as the user types on the projected image. The user's movements are immediately transformed into "keystrokes" and then processed into a stream of serial keystroke data that are similar to the output generated by a physical keyboard. Mobile device makers can easily integrate this technology into a mobile or wireless device because the product supports standard software and hardware input interfaces. The sensor includes two other miniature components: a pattern projector and a small infrared light source. The pattern projector, slightly larger than the sensor, uses an internal laser to project the image of a full-sized keyboard on a nearby flat surface. The light source invisibly illuminates the user's fingers, as he or she types on the projected surface, which could be a desk, tray table, or briefcase. "Increasing miniaturization of devices such as mobile phones and PDAs means that efficient data entry has now become a serious design considera- tion," says Nazim Kareemi, Canesta's president and CEO. "Existing solu- tions can be awkward and slow to use. Canesta's electronic perception technology offers a viable alternative by presenting the user with a familiar keyboard that can be used on any flat surface." THE CRITICAL LAST INCH-INPUT AND OUTPUT TECHNOLOGIES Another virtual keyboard proponent is Phoenix-based iBIZ Technology Corp., which offers the virtual laser keyboard. The VKB attaches to handhelds and projects the image of a full-size keyboard onto the surface whe