Optimus Keyboard Gets Competition?

[HardOCP News]

It looks as though the Optimus Maximus may have some competition. United Keyes is rolling out a keyboard that is very similar to the Art Lebedev keyboard. I guess now it is a race to see who gets their products to market first.

A fundamental difference between this approach vs. touch screen is that the tactile feedback associated with pressing a button is retained. This promotes familiarity. A second important advantage is the ease of modifying existing form factors, reducing time to market and component costs.

 

[inotocracy]

Thank God. Optimus is way too overpriced, hopefully more copycats will come out of the woodwork.

 

[Exavior]

doesn't matter how many come out of the woodwork. If the parts to make the keyboard cost a shitload the keyboard will cost a shit load.

 

[goatlord]

I didn't realize that Optimus keyboard was a touch-sensitive job rather than actual keys... that's completely worthless. If I were in the market for an Optimus, I'd pay significantly more for this product if the difference were real, tactile keys.

 

[Domingow]

As I recall the Optimus keyboard does have tactile response, the makers of Optimus were making a lower priced keyboard that essentially was just a touch panel. The High end keyboard consisted of each key being an OLED screen encased by a clear keyboard key to provide the tactile response normally associated with keyboards.

 

[inotocracy]

I didn't realize that Optimus keyboard was a touch-sensitive job rather than actual keys... that's completely worthless. If I were in the market for an Optimus, I'd pay significantly more for this product if the difference were real, tactile keys.

It has actual keys, there are videos of it floating around the net.

doesn't matter how many come out of the woodwork. If the parts to make the keyboard cost a shitload the keyboard will cost a shit load.

Regardless, it'll still drive prices down. Someone will come up with a cheap way to manufacturer at least something that functions similarly.

 

[ShadowVlican]

i love competition

 

[n1ce_hat]

doesn't matter how many come out of the woodwork. If the parts to make the keyboard cost a shitload the keyboard will cost a shit load.

The more keyboards sold drives down the cost of those parts. This is just the first phase of LCD/OLED-on-the-key keyboards and the price is going to drop sharply when these devices become more mainstream.

 

[Arcygenical]

I didn't realize that Optimus keyboard was a touch-sensitive job rather than actual keys... that's completely worthless. If I were in the market for an Optimus, I'd pay significantly more for this product if the difference were real, tactile keys.

Where have you been the last 2 years

 

[Faction]

United Keys has received your information.
The timing for the keyboard is late summer, 2007. Again, this is a real production unit built by a top keyboard manufacturer. It will include the software you need for user-customization. Thank you for your interest, and we'll stay in touch.

I got that after submitting my info for a test unit.

 

[goatlord]

Where have you been the last 2 years

Mostly uninterested in the Optimus since they "unveiled" the $1000+ price tag? In any case, the photos of this new keyboard look to be a lot more useful than the Optimus.

 

[MV75]

I think I'll wait for MS to release their own version that's in the natural shape range. Man I loathe rectangle keyboards.

 

[DeFex]

I was hoping this would happen. you snooze, you loose.

 

[DeFex]

doesn't matter how many come out of the woodwork. If the parts to make the keyboard cost a shitload the keyboard will cost a shit load.

electronics are cheap. there is nothing really hard here. low resolution display, small serial chip to decode the display and the rest of the normal bits in a button.

once it get figured out then those buttons will be pretty cheap. still more than an ordinary one of course, but not much in the long run.

trick will be to get them after the crappy fist ones are out but before they are so cheap they become more disposable chinese junk.

 

[Ockie]

I didn't realize that Optimus keyboard was a touch-sensitive job rather than actual keys... that's completely worthless. If I were in the market for an Optimus, I'd pay significantly more for this product if the difference were real, tactile keys.

Yeah, one of the reasons why it's having a hard time convincing the market... not to mention the staggering price.

 

[Elijah]

United Keys has received your information.

The timing for the keyboard is late summer, 2008. Again, this is a real production unit built by a top keyboard manufacturer. It will include the software you need for user-customization. Thank you for your interest, and we'll stay in touch.