Optimus Keyboard

Optimus Keyboard

Think of the Optimus Keyboard as a device which can change with you as your applications change. How? Well, this is a feature which SHOULD have been on keyboard manufacturer's minds for the last 5 years at best. However producing a keyboard which can emulate virtually any application command, you soon discover you only need ONE keyboard! This could certainly end the search for the Holy Grail of keyboards. What we know about the Optimus is it can be programmed for multiple applications. Due to the keys being OLED driven instead of numbers and letters fixed permanently on plastic buttons, the Optimus is a device which can be shaped to your particular computer lifestyle and workflow. PC games such as Doom 3, Quake 4, and especially games with a vast amount of options such as RPGs can not only be programmed into any Optimus key, but each key can have an OLED (Organic LED) graphic associated with it as well. Just think. One minute you're typing on a keyboard with a basic QWERTY layout, and a split-second later, you're switching to Russian, Chinese, or even Japanese characters.

It's pretty clear the computer user can now have only one keyboard, free of sticky notes and whatever else is attached to keyboards in order to remind the user of changes when a new application is selected. It is expected the keyboard of the Optimus will change as you change applications, and will have settings accordingly.

Those who can readily benefit from such a device are graphics designers, photographers, programmers, and anyone who uses a variety of software appplications where hundreds of shortcuts can be an overwhelming experience. If you're a photographer, you know your workflow involves many little steps to process a single image, and this is where the Optimus could instantly reduce the time to process those images. If you're a graphics designer, the Optimus can give you only those shortcuts you use most, in addition to bringing those deeply-embedded menu features, to the keyboard for easy access.

PC Gamers get ready for a new and exciting world of entertainment because the Optimus can use shortcuts from within your favorite games and display them with graphic representation within reach of your fingers. Do you own several games? Doom 3? Half Life 2? Call Of Duty 2? No problem. The Optimus can be programmed for your favorite actions for each individual game, and stored for when you play that particular game. I don't think it gets any better than this. I'm already beginning to salivate over my current keyboard. And what about those HUGE online games which have so many options within it you're spending more time reading the manual than actually playing. The Optimus can solve this problem immediately by placing those frequently-used actions directly on your keyboard. And when you learn new techniques within the game, you simply add those to the keyboard.

Specifications have not been published yet. The price of the keyboard has not been established either, but a pretty good estimate is around $250-$300. Yes, you can purchase a fairly nice keyboard for 10% of the cost of this one, but you have to look at what the Optimus will offer in terms of convenience and integration.

Preliminary Thoughts

The Optimus Keyboard is going to be the catalyst (if it hasn't been already) for keyboard manufacturers to offer computer peripheral keyboard devices with features we've never seen before. I suspect if the Optimus is successful and gains a lot of attention, companies such as Logitech will more than likely get on board and make their own--obviously for less, as well many other manufacturers. However, I just can't turn away from Art. Lebedev Studio's artistic finesse with the products they design in favor of a keyboard which would sell for less. The designs of the products they make add a special amount uniqueness and character to every product they make.

When Fall 2006 arrives, be ready for the Optimus to be offered for purchase by the end of the year. I suspect the keyboard will have a special pre-order price, and thereafter the price will increase, much like the Optimus mini three Keyboard. Until then, start thinking about how you could benefit from such an amazing and convenient product. I know I am.