STORY
If you thought learning to type was difficult, then those high-tech wizards have a new challenge in store for you. The latest generation of gadgets hitting the market all expect you to be able to pound out a message without using your fingers.

Here's Mike Goldfein:

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It used to be that when someone was clumsy, we would say they were all thumbs. Now, that term has another meaning.

Case in point: What's the difference between these four handheld computers?

Three have built-in keyboards. Well, actually, they are thumb boards.

"If I want to use more of a keyboard, I can use my thumbs to actually type in different bits of information." — M@tt Madden, Sony

And the truth is, typing one is slow — but, well, pretty easy. The clunky thumb may be good for more than just throwing footballs.

So many new devices have thumb boards, it's as though high-tech companies have had a sudden revelation about evolution.

You see, primates are the only inhabitants of the animal kingdom to have opposable thumbs. Otherwise, dogs really could play poker.

This isn't exactly new information, mind you. So, it's kind of shocking that Ph.D.'s who design our gadgets didn't figure it out sooner.

First, they tried to get us to write with a stylus. But character recognition generally, well, just stinks.

Then, they put an electronic keyboard on the tiny screen. That's even more dumb.

Finally, they threw in the towel and tried selling us add-on keyboards.

Now our kids have known the power of the thumb for a long time. Just watch them play video games.

In fact, some scientists think they may be actually accelerating evolution by developing super thumbs.

Our new devotion to thumb-typing — which, by the way, is a real tech term now — may soon mean people will develop thumb repetitive strain injuries.

So, expect to see whole legions of people soon, walking around wearing one of these.

The upside, though, is that if you never learned to type — it may no longer make a difference.

On the Web for Belo Interactive, I'm Mike Goldfein.