Update on the Optimus Keyboard
Posted by
Hemos
on Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:45 AM
from the more-information dept.
from the more-information dept.
paulius_g writes "It seems that Art Lebedev has reposnded to the Slashdotting that occured to their page about the ' Optimus Keyboard'. They have included a FAQ at the middle-right of the page stating some of the questions that Slashdotters were wondering. A few interestign ones were '
It will be real', 'We hope it will be released in 2006',
'It will cost less than a good mobile phone',
'It will be OS-independent',
and finally 'It will most likely use OLED technology (e-paper is sooo slow)'. They've also included some common answers abotu Russia and it seems that they are as well searching OEMs (From the FAQ:
OEM will be possible (why not?),
Contact us for hi-res images, or interview inquires). It will be very interesting to see how this technological marvel will be created. Sign me up! I'll be ordering one in 2006."
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[+]
Optimus OLED Keyboard Pre-Orders Start Dec. 12 289 comments
Jupix writes, "After almost a year and a half of public development, the Optimus OLED keyboard is nearing completion. According to the project blog, pre-orders for the Optimus-103 will start on December 12. The price is unspecified at this time, but Art Lebedev has said the keyboard will cost 'less than a good mobile phone' (probably about $400). Don't expect to see those 10 programmable function keys on the left on this first version, though, as they will not make their debut until the Optimus-113, released later."
[+]
Entertainment: Optimus Keyboard Starts Shipping 309 comments
Tom's Hardware is reporting that the Optimus keyboard that everyone was so anxious for (although maybe less so when they saw the price tag) started shipping this week. "According to an announcement made on the Optimus project blog, keyboards are now shipping to customers who pre-ordered the $1564 keyboard nine months ago. Keyboards with passive keys are delayed and will be shipping in about a month, the manufacturer said. [...] Earlier this month, one of the first Optimus Maximus keyboards was sold for $2750 on Ebay." Engadget even got the chance to test one of these expensive toys out.
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Define a good mobile phone (Score:4, Insightful)
I have gotten a good one, and it was free. Then there are the phones that cost upwards of $250~$300
This keyboard will be great for mapping keys for games =)
Re:Define a good mobile phone (Score:5, Funny)
Free after rebate, but you have to pay $39.99 a month.
Re:Define a good mobile phone (Score:5, Funny)
Charactersets and "keyboard themes" will be sold by Jamba/Jamster for $6 a time.
Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:5, Informative)
Frequently Answered Answers about the Optimus keyboard
It's in initial stage of production
We hope it will be released in 2006
It will cost less than a good mobile phone
It will be real
It will be OS-independent (at least it can
work in some default state with any OS)
It will support any language or layout
Moscow is the capital of Russia
Each key could be programmed to produce any sequence
It will be an open-source keyboard, SDK will be available
Some day it will be split ('ergonomic')
It will most likely use OLED technology (e-paper is sooo slow)
Our studio is located two blocks from the Kremlin
It will feature a key-saver
Keys will use animation when needed
It has numeric keypad because we love it
There's no snow in Moscow during Summer
It will be available worldwide (why not?)
OEM will be possible (why not?)
Contact us for hi-res images, or interview inquires
We want to thank everyone for the support. Stay tuned for our next projects
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:5, Interesting)
Keys will use animation when needed
SDK + animation = mini games on your keyboard! And with the layout for different languages, I really hope this thing doesn't get as vapotware as the Phantom gaming console.
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:5, Interesting)
Good point. For kids this could be really useful, educational etc. Could teach typing, memory (the match the symbols game), and a whole other load of stuff.
However. Do you want your kids playing wack-a-mole with your expensive OED keyboard? Mine will be ALL mine!!
You can tell they're replying to Slashdot. (Score:5, Funny)
Moscow is the capital of Russia
There's no snow in Moscow during Summer
I'm afraid to find the comments that spawned those replies. But it does sound like
Question Missing from the FAQ (Score:4, Funny)
Are they trying to force touch typists to look at the keyboard like everyone else has to?
Re:Question Missing from the FAQ (Score:5, Insightful)
Seems expensive (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Seems expensive (Score:5, Insightful)
Granted, I ain't paying $300 for a keyboard either, but I did pay about $100 for my buckling spring keyboard.
The keyboard is still the primary input device for a majority of computing tasks, to me logic would suggest spending as much on it as you can afford. They don't become obsolete, either. Get a good keyboard and it might even outlast you.
What would be really badass... (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, when you hold control, the word 'copy' appears on the C-key, 'paste' on the V-key, etc.
That would rock.
Re:What would be really badass... (Score:5, Funny)
Creator interviewed at this site (Score:5, Informative)
Unanswered Questions (Score:5, Informative)
Would this keyboard require you to switch modes manually? Power users might jump between apps a lot when putting together, say, a music video in Final Cut or a pamphlet in InDesign. Am I going to have to hit the appropriate key every time I switch apps? This could get drudgerous pretty quickly.
Then again, someone who has their workflow down likely doesn't need OLEDs to remind them of keyboard shortcuts, so my complaint might be mootwrong target market. It still seems that the board would be more of a "killer app" type of thing if it were context-sensitive and didn't require prompting from the user.
Thoughts on the "Enter" key... (Score:5, Insightful)
I say: It had better be, since it is in a completely different zipcode from the home row keys. What's up with the extra 2 keys on the home row between JKL; and Enter? It's impossible to hit their Enter key without moving your right hand off the home row.
Industrial designers are like Architects: they design something idiotic, then let an Engineer figure out how to make it work in a useful way.
If all keys are visually remappable, then they really need fewer keys. I'm still disappointed at all the junk (arrow cluster, numeric pad) on the right side of the home row between me and my mouse.
If this came in a "Happy Hacker" footprint, then they may get my attention. Right now, it's too many colorful, expensive, redundant, unnecessary buttons.
What I've found pleasant in the meantime is a laptop-style keyboard with a marble-mouse beside it. From the mouse, I can reach the PgUp/PgDn keys on the small-footprint keyboard with my thumb, like getting two extra buttons for free.
If I spill my drink (Score:5, Interesting)
Will they keyboard remain operational with the occasional spill? I can imgine these displays to be very sensitive to such a thing.
What about smoke, food, pubes, and other things that one might encounter in the average robust keyboard?
e-paper slow? (Score:5, Interesting)
Most of the time, though, you would have a single update in seconds instead of several updates per second.
They must be vi users... (Score:5, Funny)
Look at the size of the escape key! Yeah, baby.
Screen technology on an input device (Score:5, Funny)
Disadvantages of OLED technology (Score:5, Informative)
Quoted from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:
The biggest technical problem left to overcome now is lifetime. Red and green OLED elements already have life-times of well over 20,000 hours but blue OLED life-times lag significantly behind at 1,000 hours.
According to Kodak, which is developing small molecule OLED, lifetime problems are not so significant for that type of OLED, mainly as a result of doping the base material of the OLEDs, which, they claim, has led to much better device performance both electrically and optically. Universal Display for example have produced a blue OLED that has a lifetime of 10,000 hours.
There are still a number of problems to overcome though, and one of these is intrusion of water into displays which damages and destroys the organics, as well as outcoupling, which can result in the loss of much of the light in waveguided modes within the substrates.
In May 2005 Cambridge Display Technology announced a blue OLED with a lifetime of over 100,000 hours. Commercial development of the technology is also hampered by intellectual property issues since even the basics of OLED technology is heavily patented by Kodak and other firms, requiring outside research teams to acquire a license.
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:5, Informative)
RTFA.
From TFA: "Some day it will be split ('ergonomic')"
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:5, Funny)
PC Computer
I'm looking for a keyboard without crazy restrictions.
shaddup (Score:5, Insightful)
Quit your bitching. They didn't come to us, we linked to them, slashdotted their site, and posted tons of questions about them. They were cool enough to take the time to respond to them, and the answers were somewhat informative - in other words, not just marketing babble (not surprising, since they're inventors, not marketers).
I like to know what might be coming down the pipe, even if it never materializes. *Especially* if it never materializes, because then at least they contributed to the human idea pool, which might inspire others to build the same or related products.
Besides, its not like these guys don't have a track record of delivering.