I want a keyboard that can detect finger movements on the surface of the keys. Imagine tiny touchpads on each key.

The keys stay tactile, and you can use the whole keyboard surface like a large touchpad.

Not tactile, but http://www.fingerworks.com/ST_product.html

Apple bought them. Hence seeing the technology in iPhone multitouch, gestures, recently in touchpads and now mouse.

Very interesting. I don't think I would ever enjoy using a keyboard like this, but I kept reading their site because they had a section about Emacs commands. (I have found enough keys to do everything they advertise in one key sequence... but at least they are trying. Much better than "hurr, you can zoom Google Maps more easily.")

I'm a vi user, but only use when I ssh to a shell. When I'm in vi I usually switch to my laptop keyboard unless it's just a few keys :) Have never bothered learning the vi (or emacs) gestures.

I never timed, but it never felt like I was typing very slowly once I got used to it. The gestures like opening/closing a window, exiting an app, copy and paste etc is really handy. Especially as they apply across all apps, not just within a specific editor. The gestures are also configurable, and supports different OS modes. Most importantly, it reduced the pain in my wrists and fingers (might just have been a side effect of typing slower).

Bought it about 6 years ago, have been using it since. Was pretty disappointed when I heard the company has closed down. And a few years later when I heard about the iPhone pinch gestures, my first thought was - this must be the reason!

The PS3 Messaging pad has a function like this so you can rub your finger across the surface of the keys to move the mouse pointer. :)