Optimus Keyboard Pre-Orders In Mere Hours

godzillopiteco sends timely word that Art. Lebedev Studio is finally going to accept pre-orders for the Optimus Maximus Keyboard — in just under 11 hours at the time this story posts, according to the countdown timer on the site. (Late last year we were primed to pre-order in December 2006.) Read the project's blog for some recent developments.

Re:Wow... that's cool

[smbarbour]

You know what else would be really cool? A "Rolling Stones" button! (3rd key down, 2nd column of icon keys, right below Firefox)

Re:More details

[khephera]

$1500?? I think I'll stick with my blue-led-backlit Deck (http://www.deckkeyboards.com), thankyewverymuch.

Good Ol' Dependable

[byronne]

Maybe I'll be classified as a Luddite for this, but I really love using my IBM Model M. Best keyboard ever in tactile response and sheer typeability (if that's a word). I've been collecting backups off eBay even though I know you can throw one off a building and still plug it in with no worries. Simple, robust and failure-proof, aside from the sometimes flaky cables, I just love that it's a keyboard with steel in it.
Besides, shortcut keys are for the lazy folk, IMHO.

Re:Wow... that's cool

[MichaelSmith]

we shouldn't need to look at the keyboard when we use it...

You could use one of these [thinkgeek.com]

Re:More details

[AKAImBatman]

This thing has sounded, looked, and felt like another Phantom since the start...

I don't think that's really fair. The Phantom was constantly promoted as "coming soon!" The Optimus OTOH, started life as a conceptual design. Optimus never promised a product from the design, and in fact stated that it would be too expensive with current OLED prices.

The only reason why they're making this keyboard is because there has been unprecidented demand for it.

Re:Why should I give a damn?

[luckymutt]

You mean you missed the "Optimus Concept" link at the top?

Re:What I want

[am 2k]

The X-keys Professional [piengineering.com] is one of those. You can insert little printed pieces of paper for the key caps, and the software allows you to program macros for every key. There are other models available on that page, too.

(No, I'm in no way affiliated with them, I don't even own one myself.)

Re:Wow... that's cool

[arth1]

I fail to see how a keyboard with blank caps is worth $80... especially if you're NOT looking at it.

1. It's on ThinkGeek, which usually adds a one-born-every-minute margin to all prices.
   
2. It's backordered, which means that quite a few people most definitely found it worth $80.
   
3. It's a clicky keyboard. The type that got replaced by the much cheaper to produce and shorter lasting rubber dome keyboards. Not only will it last a decade or more, but it provides tactile feedback. Many of us oldtimers who used the mechanical clicky keyboards truly miss them, especially the IBM ones.
   

Re:Linux

[the_greywolf]

Given that the Optimus Three has an alpha driver available, [ookoo.org] I'd say it's reasonable to guess that the full keyboard will have support very, very quickly; and based on some of the things they say about all of their input devices (open standards and all that), and given that they seem to fully approve of the Linux driver (with a link to it from their own website [artlebedev.com]), the new keyboard's driver will probably be based on the existing Optimus driver.