Does anyone else feel the urge...

[Force Flow]

...to get this uber cool keyboard?

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Pretty cool stuff :cool:

[DonVito]

That.....is .....sweet!!! Are Those Lighted Keys Customizable!!!!


EDIT: oh, i guess the whole this is custom, lol :o

[enhanced08]

thats awesome!!!! i want one! :D

[el_novato]

Where's the Add to Cart button!

e.n. :)

[DonVito]

you probably have to take out a mortage on your house to get it though :p

[Cirerrek]

Oooo. Pretty :)

Negative: Its not an ergonomic split keyboard layout.

Question 1: It intimates that it can be customized for just about any character set, but it doesn't specifically mention that it does Dvorak.

If I could find a ergonomic keyboard with the Dvorak character set printed on them, I'd be happy whether the buttons lit up or not.

Question 2: In one of the photographs, they show a picture of the keyboard customized for Quake. I wonder if those are generic icons that it has in a library or if it will only support the more popular games?

[digitalfreedom64]

I want it!!!!

[Hi Ho]

I want one too! Any chance that will ever come to the market?

On a side note, browsing that site I came across THIS (http://www.artlebedev.com/company/) page with pictures of the designers. Am I the only one that thinks a few of them are quite scary looking? :D

[Jaggannath]

On a side note, browsing that site I came across THIS (http://www.artlebedev.com/company/) page with pictures of the designers. Am I the only one that thinks a few of them are quite scary looking? :D

Ever seen the group photo of Microsofts founders?? :D

It looks like it has a lot of potential, lets see if it sells though

[pam123]

I want the ergonomic version.

[RJ]

That's a cool keyboard. That way I can customize it for Dvorak. . as I use Dvorak but my keyboard is still QWERTZ (not a really big deal as I type blind. . but still). . .can't change the keys coz they are not exactly equally shaped.
Though, a normal dvorak keyboard would do it, too :D

RJ

[Tin]

mmmmmmmmm boy does that look awesome. i want one of those. wonder what the going price is? :) :eek:

[diver203_98]

That keyboard does look awesome. And the lighted keys... VERY COOL...And I agree with Hi Ho. Those people would be perfect for a Horror Movie.

[David M]

I thought us touch typers were not supposed to look at the keys?...LOL

Sign me up for one!

[Floppyman]

Regarding cost, this comes from the site:

It will cost less than a good mobile phone

Looks pretty cool.

[Tin]

how much does a "good mobile phone" cost though? $200? $300? i still want that thing though :D.

[RJ]

If I could find a ergonomic keyboard with the Dvorak character set printed on them, I'd be happy whether the buttons lit up or not.

Have you mailed the manufacturers of the keyboards ? Maybe they do offer the Dvorak option, but just sell them on request as they're not really common.
I know Cherry has "more versions on request". I haven't mailed them yet, though, since I don't want to exchange my keyboard right now (but I do want my next one to be a Dvorak one).

RJ

[Nuclear Krusader]

No.

It is NOT ergonomic, and it's NOT made by Microsoft.

[Jaggannath]

Excuse the ignorance, but what is a Dvorak keyboard?? I could look it up, but would rather hear from you guys what it is and what it's advantages are...

[juppy]

A Dvorak keyboard is basically just a keyboard with the letters layed out in a different arrangement. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LAYOUT (http://www.dvorak-keyboard.com/) They say the advantages are mainly in a user's typing speed because its sorta optimized by placing the vowels and highest usage consonants on home row, instead of staggered all over like a normal QWERTY setup. It's supposed to be easier for new typists to learn too. I never have used one myself because I learned the QWERTY setup and that's all I've ever used, so I figured trying to reteach myself to use the Dvorak would just mess me up. Plus the fact that since its not as widely accepted as the QWERTY is, if you got a job in an office or somewhere that you had to use a computer, it would most likely still be the QWERTY layout.

[Marke522]

THAT IS TOTALLY WICKED!!!!!!

I have GOT to get me one of those, maybe 2 or 3, one for each computer. :D:D

I've changed my keyboard to German or Spanish before and it's a real pain not knowing where to find the extra letters and punctuation.

I've also wanted to try the Dvorak system, but didn't want to buy a separate keyboard for it that would just cause one of them to sit around and get in the way. I have a 2 year old right now and she LOVES to explore and get her little fingers all over everything while our backs are turned.

[RJ]

The main advantage of the Dvorak keyboard is that it's easier for the hands, as you don't have to move the fingers all over the keyboard that much as with QWERTY, also Dvorak doesn't stress the weak fingers as much as QWERTY.
The change from QWERTY to Dvorak wasn't really difficult for me, but I needed to be patient. It took only 2 weeks until I was able to stop typing QWERTY and use Dvorak, but at low speed. It was a bit hard as I wasn't able to type fast, but I had to refrein myself from changing to QWERTY and type, but use Dvorak for practice, so that my Dvorak speed will increase.
Took about 1 month until I had a better speed, like 200 hits/min I believe.
A few months later I was back to my old QWERTY speed (learned QWERTY in 1997, btw), and I can't type QWERTY anymore. Thought that I might be able to type both, but it turned out that I just do Dvorak automatically.
Windows (dunno since when) includes the Dvorak layout, too, so you can easily change the keyboard layout of many computers.
When I need to type QWERTY, I have to look onto the keys, and well. . the fingers do move alot all over the keyboard, whereas with Dvorak, it's much more comfortable.

RJ

[Jaggannath]

I think it'd be interesting if they'd convert every computer to Dvorak... then it'd definitely be worth learning

[thefultonhow]

how much does a "good mobile phone" cost though? $200? $300? i still want that thing though :D.

One of my friends filled me in and said that they were saying $200-300 for the keyboard. We all agreed that, if key feel was good, we would spend that much.

[bigandy]

As awesome as that keyboard may be, $200 is way out of my price range. I'll stick to the basic $20-30 MS keyboards.

[HAL9000]

You know... it's cool and all, but I look at my monitor, not my keyboard....so I would rather invest that money into my display.

[Marke522]

You have to realize you're not spending $200 on one keyboard. The amount of things you could do with it would only be limited by your imagination. From the looks of it, it would have different key lights for different languages, for different software, for different games...Think about how many times you were playing Medal of Honor or Half Life and suddenly forgot what button was needed for the flash grenade, and you didn't have time to hit the next weapon button 7 times.

If you can customize the look of it for every game that you play, then to me that would be worth the price right there. How many controllers have you purchased for a specific game before? I bought the Side Winder Force Feedback Pro just for Mech Warrior, and the Side Winder Freestyle Pro just for Wing Commander. Those 2 would $90 right there. I know the keyboard won't shake or have a throttle control, but it still be ultra cool. And I think I would get one. But any more than $200 and I would just have to wish about it.

[inflames988]

1 word

sweeeeeeeeeeeeet

That thing is nuts. I like the fact that you can use it for games and kinda label what each key does for the game. Usually its pretty obvious..."c" makes your character crouch, etc, but there are alot of things i never even use cuz i dont know what key it is. What i wanted to do was make my keyboard look better by somehow taking all the letters off. I imagine some type of abrasive could do it? any ideas? i just wanna take the LETTERS off though...I need the numbers and stuff still. I just think it'd look cooler if i slowly removed the descriptions on the keys till none were left. I can type without looking now anyway, especially just the letters. sometimes symbols and stuff i dont really know.

[Mac Medic]

Only if it comes in a Bluetooth version.

[mairving]

You know that you are a nerd when...you start lusting over a keyboard.

[kevinf]

i think that that is an apple keyboard though

[Marke522]

Oh the injustice!!! :eek:

So not fair!! :mad:

[Mac Medic]

I imagine it's both PC & Mac and is just programmed for a Mac. Each key seems to be able to display a symbol so program it for a PC and the apple key would become a windows key.

[Cirerrek]

I have to 2nd RJ's experience with the switch from Qwerty to Dvorak.

It took about 2 months to switch and get up to speed for me. And I can't type in Qwerty without looking at the keyboard. Dvorak is imbedded in Windows (Regional Options for XP IIRC), so it isn't that big of deal to switch from computer to computer.

Of course, you'll hear some cursing over the phone when System Admin remotes into your computer to try to fix something and gets a bunch of weird letters instead of what they expected :D

Dvorak is a lot easier on my hands. My right hand was starting to go numb on me when I typed, even when using a Natural keyboard, which was the impetus for trying something different.

I do touch type, so I don't need to see the keys, but Hot Keys are the reason I'd like to have the Dvorak letters on the keys themselves.

Take you hands off the keyboard for a second to hit CNTRL+ whatever, when your keyboard reads I instead of C, or > instead of V. And you'll have an idea of what I mean.

On a side note, I don't think that Dvorak is that much of an improvement for programmers becasue the /\[], etc. are all typed using the pinky which is definintely not one of the stronger digits.

[mb26]

Well, u can use a M$ mouse on a mac, and an apple keyboard with windows.. so theres no 'mac only' version i'd imagine.
especially as said above, windows/apple key could be interchanged.
i'm never gonna pay that much for a keyboard, but, it is pretty cool. it would need to become standard somehow (eg, games automatically loaded the images, and u didn't have to preset/configue it yourself) and bluetooth also.
i imagine it will be ruined by the quality of tpying u can do on there thou.. (?)

re designers: 2nd looks like some kind of mummy-wannabe and 3rd looks like some kind of man-bear combination they found in the forrest. without those 2 they dont look so weird.