Olitan KeyGuide

Many of us have grown up with computers, so touch typing comes naturally to us. However, this is not the case for everyone, and some users need a bit of help to learn the keyboard's layout so they can type without looking down all the time.

Olitan KeyGuide is a relatively simple application that can display an on-screen keyboard, using various layouts. It keeps you from looking at your keyboard when you can’t find a certain key, but it doesn’t actually highlight the keys you press.

What the program does is pretty simple – it displays an image of a keyboard on your screen, which can be moved to any position on your desktop. It is translucent, and it becomes almost completely transparent when you place the mouse cursor over it.

When you click the keyboard, it is minimized instantly. In order to move it to a new position, you need to click the middle mouse button.

Aside from the default QWERTY, the application also includes some less common layouts, such as Dvorak, Russian, Taiwanese and Arabic. These are likely to be even more useful, as not many people are familiar with them.

If your preferred layout is not included, you can import one from a local image file, as long as it is saved to the PNG, JPG or GIF formats.

It would have helped if the application highlighted each key you press, but this feature would require a lot of work, as only the image of a keyboard is displayed on your desktop at present.

Nevertheless, Olitan KeyGuide can be a very useful tool for those who haven’t yet learned touch typing. It comes with multiple keyboard layouts and it very easy to set up.