Buffalo's USB keyboard and Skype handset

When technology and design diverge, out slops this USB Skype keyboard from the yawning crevasse of consumer hell. Buffalo went and super-sized a standard 109 key keyboard, shrunk a ma bell handset, and married the two in a fit of craplastic under the beelzebublian monikered BKBU-SKJ109/SV. In addition to the 12 function keys you've never quite figured out how to map, Buffalo throws another 13 hot keys at ya plus volume control for external headphones, not the handset. And while you might assume it includes a speakerphone, it doesn't, at least that capability isn't in the specs, so prepare to be tethered to that keyboard on an apparently short leash. Yours if you must, starting October for ¥6,993 or about $60.

[Via Impress]

[Alex @ Sep 27th 2006 8:12AM]

That's actually pretty neat

[Nerf @ Sep 27th 2006 8:29AM]

If it's so bad then why are you posting about it?

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 27th 2006 8:43AM]

Nerf, ya gotta take the bad with the good.
It's all interesting, especially the bad stuff.

The only way this would really fly is if you can manage to always be seen saying "Yes Mr. President" and hanging up when someone is walking into the room.

Aside from that I'm not feeling it.

[Kansei @ Sep 27th 2006 9:01AM]

hehe teeny tiny spacebar. teeny handset too; doubt it would be comfortable to shoulder.

[KingVolcano @ Sep 27th 2006 8:52AM]

I would prefer the handset on the other side of the keyboard.

[Jonathan Cohen @ Sep 27th 2006 9:13AM]

Left-hand side please, or have it be movable. Do most people use their right hand to answer the phone? I use my left at work so I can use the mouse with my right.

[Bruno Dieter Chan @ Sep 27th 2006 9:12AM]

Its an A4Tech KIP(S)-800 Keyboard :P

http://www.a4tech.com/en/product2.asp?CID=100&SCID=101&MNO=KIP(S)-800

[Jack @ Sep 27th 2006 9:36AM]

A skype only handset is very short-sighted. Every time I've tried to use Skype's skypeout service, the call quality is terrible, when the other party can even hear me, that is. If it was a generic VoIP SIP phone then it would be a different story.

[Seth @ Sep 27th 2006 10:00AM]

Jack,
It most likely just shows up as a Mic and Speakers in windows. That is what most Skype headsets do...so this will most likely work with Google Talk and the others. They are just putting the Skype name on it to move units.

[tom @ Sep 27th 2006 10:56AM]

woah, phone attached to the computer, circa 1997

[Rez @ Sep 27th 2006 11:25AM]

Actually, a company named A4 Tech had this product out quite sometime ago with the name 'IP-Talky VoIP Keyboard'

[Joe Alien @ Sep 27th 2006 11:53AM]

Appears the SPACEBAR took a hit in dimensions. I'm sure the other keys are making fun of it now.

[andy @ Sep 27th 2006 11:59AM]

If only that phone didn't look like a dollar store half-off special.

[ozi @ Sep 27th 2006 1:54PM]

that keyboard is kinda sexy and it actually makes me want to touch it in naughty places

[munjal thakkar @ Nov 5th 2006 1:50AM]

if anyone cares, this is not buffalo's keyboard, but a badge of their name on this product which already exists, which I can deliver to anyone who is interested for $45 , why pay for the name? P.S. not spamming, but $60 is just too much and I have a distrubutership, and its really cool! has a built in sound card so you dont need to use the computers'