A new bilingual keyboard will give users the ability to type in te reo Māori.
The device has been developed by computer company Lenovo in collaboration with AMD and aims to improve digital inclusion.
Lenovo New Zealand country manager Libby Macgregor said the idea for the keyboard came from her 8-year-old son Felix who is learning te reo Māori in school.
Macgregor said digital devices in countries with large English-speaking populations often miss out on products with alternate characters for languages, resulting in a digital divide for consumers.
“Māori is a culture which stays alive predominantly through use of the language,” she said.
AMD Asia Pacific & Japan spokesman Peter Chambers said language is fundamental when it comes to culture, and preserving it allows history and traditions to be passed on for generations to come.
Lenovo launched its Product Diversity Office in 2020 and has a goal to have 75% of all its products vetted for inclusion by 2025.
Ada Lopez is from Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office and said technology is a catalyst for positive change.
The bilingual keyboard is available with some ThinkPad and Education laptop devices. Lenovo will release the device to the wider public at a later date.
Credit: stuff.co.nz
