$1,200 keyboard. Nope, it isn't April 1st!
Summary: Still looking for some holiday stocking fillers … how about a keyboard? It has 103 keys and can display images on each key using OLEDs (Organic LEDs). Price? If you need to ask the price, this keyboard isn't for you!
Still looking for some holiday stocking fillers … how about a keyboard? It has 103 keys and can display images on each key using OLEDs (Organic LEDs). Price? If you need to ask the price, this keyboard isn't for you!
Introducing the Optimus Keyboard by Art Lebedev.
If you need to ask the price, this keyboard isn't for you! Well, that's not really it. That's what the concept keyboard looked like about a year ago. Back then each key had a full-size color OLED display. Since then a lot of features have been dropped. Gone are the color OLEDs, full-key images, and the launcher keys (shown in the image above). For anyone who's been following the Optimus keyboard with an idea of buying one (as I was initially), Lebedev over-promised and then later under-delivered on features (that's the danger of pre-announcing a product to generate buzz - if you can't deliver, you're open for attack). The price is just the final nail in the coffin of this project. The price is set to come down to sub-$1,000 some time next year but even then this is still way overpriced in my opinion.
My guess is (and this is backed up by feedback to Lebedev himself on his blog) is that people are going to hold out until the price comes down or for the color version to be released. If that ever happens … I'm not holding my breath!
If you like the idea then Lebedev also makes a 3-key version called the Optimus mini three. This has a slightly saner pricetag of $121. But it’s only three keys. (I wonder what three functions I would choose for these keys???)
So, a $1,200 keyboard. Whaddya think? It's gotta be a geek's toy, and since the "geek quotient" here at ZDNet is way above average this particular bit of kit is aimed squarely at you. To get an idea of what you think about this project, I've attached two polls to this post:
[poll id=41][poll id=42]
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Talkback
only $1200?
BTW, maybe it has some use at the office/house of the future..
Man, You Are REALLY Late On This ZDNet
Next thing you'll know you will report Elvis just died.
Rewind
Oh, and by the way, Elvis is dead.
note:
What's cool about this from gaming perspective
Also thing of this from a language point of view. Want an Arablic or Chinese key board? No need to swap keyboards just change the display and character sets.
For business and kioks you could configure the key board with specific keys to suit the business task.
This has lots of uses, I'd buy one if the price get to be around $100. Right now I can buy an old style keyboard for $11 and Microsoft sells the expensive internet keyboard, useless, for $69 with extra buttons that you can sort of configure but not really.
Those big square keys look nasty
Cool use of OLEDs
cheaper solution
http://www.touch-buddy.com/
Maybe, less tactile pleasure (of feeling keys click under your fingers), but definitely much more freedom. Once I have done playing game, I just disconnect UMPC from a game PC, and use it for something else.
...!
Yeah man ...
One question
Seriously though, would something like this power from a keyboard/usb jack as standard keyboards do, or would it require it's own separate power adapter (translation: Even more wires)
It's USB
Debugging
Then again, I just spent $160 on eBay ($300 list) for a Kenisis Keyboard (http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/programming-and-development/?p=345) and another $700 or so just on monitors...
J.Ja
That would be sweet
Not for real workers
It would be far more impressive if it were integrated into a laptop. That way, you could show off the capability to people you meet. Here, you need to invite them into your bedroom in your parents' basement.
Which explains why uber-geeks are pretty much the only people silly enough to buy into this dubious technology. Still, the tech world needs bling, too, and there's a sucker born every minute.
And if this doesn't fly, there's always the diamond-encrusted cell phone.
Carmi
http://writteninc.blogspot.com
And we need this because?
because u can write only in one language
language - it is very obvious! Americans have no need for it.... but
Asians and Europeans do!
because you need a $1200 keyboard
Maybe ...
its worth 150 bucks....
As mentioned: 200 mio. Americans have no need for it - all
other americans plus those from OLD Europe, Asia etc. who
speak more than just ONE language, can see the potential
behind this keyboard.
JUst the IBM Lab Japan and the Aussie Patent Ofiice in Canberra
(as far as I remember) didn't grasp the idea in 1985-1986 to
have dynamic keyboards (called FDK using illuminated ICONs to
represent any charater set, so you could switch from an english
keybaord layout to a french, german one etc.). maybe someone
else before me came up with such a thing before 1985 - god
knows :)) I didn't get the patent Downunder when I tried to
register it.