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Update on the Optimus Keyboard 579
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."
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:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Define a good mobile phone (Score:5, Funny)
Charactersets and "keyboard themes" will be sold by Jamba/Jamster for $6 a time.
Re:Define a good mobile phone (Score:3, Funny)
If I backspace over my keystrokes, do I get my money back?
Re:This keyboard will be great for mapping keys (Score:2)
Games? Forget games! It looks like it will be great for a KVM user. I switch between a Windows machine, a Linux machine, and a Mac machine. It would be great if the layout would change between computers.
Re:This keyboard will be great for mapping keys (Score:3, Insightful)
All it needs is Bluetooth and Apple can once again reap the benefits of premium, sexy hardware.
Re:Define a good mobile phone (Score:2)
My first thought too. Also, many other (graphic/modeling) tools could make use of this.
Damn, I know it's definitely going to be out of my league price-wise, but it surely looks very, very nice : And the combinations/possibilities seem endless.
I'll let you in on a little secret (Score:3, Insightful)
These are NOT what is considered a 'good mobile
phone' in Russia. Try from $500 and up. Way up.
Wow that's great but... (Score:2, Insightful)
I love my MS ergo keyboard.
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:2, Funny)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, I know.
---
LEEROY JENKINS!!!
Generated by SlashdotRndSig [snop.com] via GreaseMonkey [mozdev.org]
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:2)
Which I will be interested in buying, although price might be a factor, the cost was vague. I think my good mobile phone cost me $80 before subscription rebates. $80 might not be a bad price for a nifty keyboard like that.
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:2)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:2)
Or a mini version (Score:2)
'Cuz I never use the numeric keypad. It's a giant waste of space for me, and I'm forced to put my mouse very far to the right because of it. I curse the numeric keypad. *shakes fist* Curse you, numeric keypad!
And if you could put a keypad right on the main keyboard and have it display the numbers right there, then there is even less reason to have it! Mini! Mini!
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Wow that's great but... (Score:5, Funny)
PC Computer
I'm looking for a keyboard without crazy restrictions.
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:2)
This is perfectly acceptable for the main function of a keyboard where waiting a couple seconds to load a new key layout isn't big deal (especially since the app won't load instantly anyway).
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:2)
Though of course, this is all speculation. I'm taking a "wait-and-see" attitude. But if it lives up to expectation... could be cool.
Can anyone say... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:2)
Ah, the magic of flawed logic...
The beauty of this phrase is that it means absolutely nothing. Just like the old sales pitch "it's cheaper than the best from and better than the cheapest from ": it doesn't mean it's either good or cheap.
So, my mobile phone cost me $100 and it's perfectly good for me: will the keyboard cost less than $100? like hell. And a "good mobile phone" may well be one of these $1000 things from Nokia in the eyes of Lebedev, so I'm not hol
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:3, Interesting)
you know they could write some very simple games for this thing, that would be really neat
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!!
Re:Before they get slashdotted...Again (Score:3, Interesting)
How many keyboards can force you to do that, by blanking the keys for you? They could also do exercises, e.g. you have to hit the one that flashes, then return to the home row, improving your acuracy. Only obvious problem I can see is that the wrist blocks your view of most of the keyboard when you are in the home row!
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
Re:You can tell they're replying to Slashdot. (Score:2)
I guess they listened
Re:You can tell they're replying to Slashdot. (Score:3, Funny)
Nothing new to see, please move along.
Re:You can tell they're replying to Slashdot. (Score:3, Funny)
Because in Soviet Russia, keyboards dynamically map YOU!
Hit the Daily Double.... (Score:2, Insightful)
If there's one thing I hate worse than vaporware, it's hype. Show me, don't tell me.
Re:Hit the Daily Double.... (Score:2)
It's not like they can release a keyboard design one day and have it in production the next....Their FAQ says they "hope it will be released in 2006". If there's still vaporware and hype in, oh, 2008 or so, then you have a valid point.
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.
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?
Duh (Score:2)
Heck, most of the time the "A" key doesn't produce "A", it produces "a"
Re:Question Missing from the FAQ (Score:2, Funny)
Although, that might be a neat trick. Make random keys exchange positions on the keyboard at random intervals
Re:Question Missing from the FAQ (Score:2, Funny)
Imagine all the cool neat things marketers and spyware companies will be able to do with it:
Re:Question Missing from the FAQ (Score:5, Insightful)
Seems expensive (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Seems expensive (Score:2)
Not only that. (Score:2)
Seriously, the more complex a system, the more likely a chance of failure. The 101 keyboard is just one switch under one key, fairly easy to deal with.
I like the idea though.
Re:Not only that. (Score:2)
I wonder why they wouldn't start by using cheap LCDs like l those used on Tiger handheld games (and the ones that come in Happy Meals). They could do that with only a small cost increase over a regular keyboard. You wouldn't get color, but add a backlight source and they'd be viewable in the dark and work just as well as color keys.
Besides, failure rate on those simple LCDs is near zero. This is digital
Re:Seems expensive (Score:2)
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.
Re:Seems expensive (Score:3, Insightful)
I know several journalists and other professional writers who would argue that. All the latest video card does is display my manuscript, so long as it can display the resolution I want, they are all the same.
A good keyboard means the codes get translated correctly at high typing speeds, gives the feedback the user needs to maintain those speeds, and lowers stress on the fingers enabling them to type
Re:Seems expensive (Score:4, Insightful)
About ten years ago (or thereabouts) I started to get slight pains in my wrists from typing (I'm a professional programmer). It worried me, and at the time, Microsoft had just launched their ergonomic keyboard. At 100ukp, it was expensive, but I liked the sound of the idea, and thought it might help, and considered my hands were probably worth it.
After about 2 weeks, the pain was completely gone. Of course, you can argue (as with Qwerty to Dvorak change) that it was just because I was using different habits/muscles. However, since then, I've always used Microsoft ergonomic keyboards (along with a few friends, I've built up a small stockpile for when Microsoft totally fuck up the keyboard layout and stop selling decent keyboards [guyswithtowels.com]), and the pain has never come back.
I'd say saving me from pain/RSI/compulsory career change is pretty good value. Certainly better than being able to run Half Life 2 at a slightly higher resolution, anyway.
I have similar views on mice - I generally buy good ergonomic mice, and am prepared to spend more than 15ukp on them, unlike some people. It just seems worth it for something I'm going to use for 8 hours a day.
However, I have no doubt that this keyboard will suck big time from an ergonomics point of view (even though they're just renders, they look nasty - flat, limited key travel, not split, etc) so I'd have to agree that this is really a gimmick and doesn't provide "a $300 value" as they say these days. They might make it a good ergonomic keyboard, but it seems unlikely.
A good keyboard can provide good value, but I don't see it in this one yet. It's a nice feature, and I can think of lots of nice uses for such a keyboard, but for $300? No.
But in general, most people who use computers a lot should spend more than they do on keyboards, mice and chairs. (And for Cliff's sake, stop using the laptop's built-in keyboard!)
Re:Seems expensive (Score:2)
Re:Seems expensive (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Does it matter? (Score:2)
I think I could justify $200+ for a good keyboard if I felt it mad
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:2, Insightful)
And this keyboard will also allow people to try out some "smarter" layouts kile Dvorak allowing them to go back if they don't like it, or use it only for like one hour a day for practice, then revert to QWERTY or whatever you're using!
I really look forward to it.. or maybe a lower-cost version in 1 or 2 years anyway!
Re:What would be really badass... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What would be really badass... (Score:2)
Two things bother me about its design, though. One, the Enter key. The enter key is the most importa
Re:What would be really badass... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What would be really badass... (Score:3, Funny)
--Been away from a Mac at work for farrrr too long.
Creator interviewed at this site (Score:5, Informative)
This calls for... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:This calls for... (Score:2)
But I wonder how much time it will bet logitech and microsoft to come up with similar solutions. Come on, the keyboard hasn't evolved in the last 25 years. How many ppl still use the SCROLL LOCK key ? Umm ? And don't tell me slapping a bunch of "multi" - "media" keys on top is a revolution.
Maybe it
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.
Re:Unanswered Questions (Score:2)
Now go play some of today's more complicated computer games like WWII Online and you'll stop wondering what the market of this thing is in a heartbeat.
Re:Unanswered Questions (Score:3, Informative)
You would use the appropriate key to switch apps.
Re:Unanswered Questions (Score:2)
I think that makes it perfectly possible to do context sensitive.
The keyboard driver could monitor which app is active at any moment and swap "keymaps" on the fly (Hey! Art? You reading this?!
Re:Unanswered Questions (Score:2)
It would also be cool to hack it to do nifty effects. How about changing the keys' background color to service as a UV meter thought a WinAmp plugin? Or have the num pad act as a little info center when not in use, with little graphs for cpu temp, usage, etc. Have the F key row flash when
Re:Unanswered Questions (Score:2)
You use Blender, I presume.
Power Consumption (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Power Consumption - grime (Score:3, Interesting)
This isn't answered (Score:2)
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.
The only benefit of being a leftie... (Score:2)
Of course, I have to find a mouse/trackball that isn't handed. And a joystick that isn't handed. (which I'll set in the same position if it's a flightstick) And I have to remap the keys on every game because they expect you to use the left half of the keyboard, and with an ergonomic and a right hand to key with, that's not so useful.
Re:mouse/trackball on LHS (Score:2)
I realize that some (full-size) keboards have redundant Ctrl/Alt/Windows keys on the right side, but that's not a guarantee. It does improve posture, since you're not sitting with your arms bent to the left all day long, and your wrist in a strange position to compensate.
I blame the whole thing
First keyboard that looks exciting since forever.. (Score:2)
I've wanted a keyboard like this since I was about fourteen, so I'll probably grab one at launch anyway, though. I just wish they wouldn't screw with the basics of typing, I hit three to seven machines in a day and don't need anything else different beyond the normal del/backspace caps lock/ctrl and dvorak/qwerty differ
Re:Thoughts on the "Enter" key... (Score:2)
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.
That's where characters in alphabets with > 26 letters would go. It's a Russian keyboard, wouldn't it make sense that they'd allow for non-English layouts?
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
Meanwhile, most
Re:Thoughts on the "Enter" key... (Score:3, Interesting)
whoa whoa whoa buddy. Back up a bit. Not to get defensive here, but this is a totally falacious statement. Its regrettable that the current high profile architects are to some extent rediculous devotees to the "big blob" school of arch, but I assure you thats not how we operate on the whole. Architects, like all designers, are trained to identify a need and conceptua
Re:Thoughts on the "Enter" key... (Score:3, Informative)
As others here pointed out, this keyboard is to be compatible with international keyboards. Comparing to a Finnish keyboard there is one extra key after JKLÖÄ' and two on the row above after OPÅ + umlaut. But I agree that the Enter-key is a problem. Comparing with my keyboard it has moved one row down and quite a bit to the right in the place where right shift should be, which isn't good. Also, the left shift should
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?
Re:If I spill my drink (Score:2)
If im going to spend a couple hundred dollars on a keyboard, I want to be able to hold up whatever gets in the keys and be able to be cleaned very easily.
spelling / editors (Score:2, Funny)
Neat-o swell! (Score:2)
It's about time -- I've always wanted a keyboard like this. What I didn't expect, though, was color; that's a nifty little bonus. Additionally, the fact that I see Macintosh keys is fairly encouraging. Hopefully that means that there will be out of the box support for the Mac OS. Yeah, I know they said universal compatibility, but they also said "on a basic level."
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.
Re:e-paper slow? (Score:3, Informative)
"Keys will use animation when needed "
That is one (Score:2, Informative)
not quite the way I envisioned a similar concept once, but better, definitely better.
They must be vi users... (Score:5, Funny)
Look at the size of the escape key! Yeah, baby.
Re:They must be vi users... (Score:2)
Screen technology on an input device (Score:5, Funny)
Apple... (Score:3, Interesting)
Hopefully it will be wireless.
Personally, I'd want one of these just for the cool factor. And the opportunity to finally try Dvorak.
Watch as... (Score:2)
I think it's really smart of this company to make it platform independent. EVERYTHING should be that way to encourage competition.
I'll be a beta tester (Score:2)
Tech Support and Training Application (Score:2)
Imagine telling a person on the phone to press "these keys" and all the other keys go dark except those. You could get into some really neat applications like this.
LCD keyswitches.. (Score:2)
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.
spyware for keyboards (Score:2)
Finally! (Score:3, Funny)
Take it with a grain of salt (Score:4, Insightful)
Why? Because their team so far only consists of concept designers, and has no engineers. So, it's very likely that what they say, and what is actually feasable in the end may differ greatly.
Here's to hoping that my words are just paranoid ramblings
Re:give me a break (Score:2, Interesting)
If OLED keyboards would be available everywhere, it wouldn't be on Slashdot.
Re:"interestign abotu Russia" (Score:3, Informative)
I guess I don't understand your logic. The uses for this keyboard are practically endless. Think about the academic applications. For instance, my dad is currently working on his doctorate in Septuagint [wikipedia.org] studies. He could click a button and instantly switch his keyboard over to Koine Greek and back to English instead of having to remember what English letters are mapped to which Greek letters.
Let's say you use Photoshop. You could eliminate a
Re:Oh come on people (Score:2)