Optimus 103 keyboard to feature B&W displays

More like Let-Down-imus. The danger of running such a hype-fueled organization as Art Lebedev is that if you find you can't deliver, you're pretty much screwed. After sparking a bit of a public outcry a couple of weeks ago when they chopped off those 11 "launcher" keys (pictured) on the left of the keyboard, and then again when they chopped the actual screen size to just the top half of the key, Art Lebedev has delivered what could be a knock out blow to its flagship Optimus 103 keyboard by announcing the keys will be merely black and white. Right now we're going to assume the worst and figure that these keys -- which might feature some OLED tech after all -- will be straight monochrome, not grayscale, and we're sure they're going to be about one tenth as shiny as they started in those beautiful concept pics of yore. We suppose it could all come down to the price, which will be announced on December 12th, but we're already thinking about just holding out for the color 113 version, which is still slated for eventual release.

[Via SlashGear]

[Brian @ Nov 27th 2006 5:40PM]

Does anyone know if the beautiful color product photo we've all drooled over for so long was ever a fully functional prototype or if it was simply a conceptual mock-up rendered with a 3D modeling software package?

[Gr1zz @ Nov 27th 2006 6:05PM]

It was most likely a photoshop.

There would have to be some serious apps to make a B&W keyboard usefull to a professional and enthusiest alike. I wish them the best of luck figuring it out, because B&W or Color, Art still is reinventing the keyboard.

[wasabi @ Nov 27th 2006 5:45PM]

This keyboard would be so awesome in 1992!
HAHAHAHA.

The mini3 sucks, the uvfrav-uh-maybelater sucks too, this POS just keeps the conga line of sucking going.

[therpham @ Nov 27th 2006 5:49PM]

They've broken my heart for the last time! We're through!

[Z @ Nov 27th 2006 5:57PM]

When you get color, let us know. Until then, don't bother.

[Tachion @ Nov 27th 2006 8:25PM]

Wow. They took a product that that gadget freak in all of us would have loved and turned it into a 3 button worthless add-on, a 12 button worthless "design" tool (since it has a limited target audience), and now a terrible B&W version.

I'm just waiting to hear that this B&W version will still have the same horrendous 2000 hour lifetime and will still cost a fortune.

[Jim Bailey @ Nov 27th 2006 6:18PM]

They are only reinventing the keyboard IF they actually deliver a product you can purchase and connect to your workstation! Vaporware anyone...

[Juaquin @ Nov 27th 2006 7:16PM]

Hahaha no one is buying a keyboard where HALF of each key is a BLACK AND WHITE display, and you don't even get those extra 11 keys. At least not for more than $50. These guys are screwing themselves over, big time.

[Gary T @ Nov 27th 2006 6:19PM]

Will there be a bluetooth version? That'd be awesome...

[TVGenius @ Nov 27th 2006 6:19PM]

No, he's not. He's just (maybe) barely improving on a design that's been around for well over five years. Buf Technologies, who makes video server controllers and instant replay devices, has had their 'Spot' available for several years, and I don't see this mess that Art's trying to pawn off as revolutionary now as much more that what they did, slightly improved.

http://www.buftek.com/images/Spot.jpg

[Bryan @ Nov 27th 2006 6:23PM]

Yeah, no color=no buy for me

[Conjecture McSpeculate @ Nov 27th 2006 6:30PM]

I hereby redub this keyboard the Pessimus 103.

[kadajawi @ Nov 27th 2006 11:31PM]

Wait... I've seen a magazine scan from like 20 years ago, where there was a keyboard with black and white screens for each key. So this is essentially a remake, not even really improved? (ok, it looks waaay better, but other than that?)

[mycintosh @ Nov 27th 2006 8:37PM]

it is really disappointing after all this long time waiting for it. I remember two years ago, where i send all my buddies the homepage link of art lebedev. And i said: Look whats coming up next: could be a big thing from Apple, but it isnt.
But now ... it vaporware after all ...

[Jake @ Nov 27th 2006 6:54PM]

Dudes, you might as well hold out for the one hand-delivered by a leprechaun--the product as originally made upconceived will never exist. Probably not even in a showable prototype.

[Jake @ Nov 27th 2006 6:55PM]

Er, I guess the strike tag doesn't work in these here comments.

[Jeff @ Nov 27th 2006 7:02PM]

I've been crapping all of this thing since it was announced, but the time has come to admit that I was wrong. It won't be horrendously expensive...it just won't have any features.

[Neebs @ Nov 27th 2006 7:18PM]

The major selling point of this thing was the LEDs, ffs. Way to bankrupt.

[Peebert @ Nov 27th 2006 7:15PM]

I'll wait for the color version initially promised. It'll be perfect for playing Duke Nukem Forever on my Phantom, while I enjoy the benefits of US National Health Care in a world free of racism and bad TV.

[Lawry Goldstein @ Nov 27th 2006 8:19PM]

*sigh*

I feel like they have destroyed such a great product. The long wait time has already hurt demand; they now seem to miss the holiday season which cuts demand for a year. Then they knocked off ~10 keys. This makes it impossible to use for mac (MACS ARE EVIL) but it also loses the 6 best program launch keys/layout controllers every. It would take $300 (2 mini-3s) to replace those. And I thought we had a good chance once the mini-3 came out. There is also a 'large enter key' which means you lose | and \. Overall, this keyboard has been destroyed. I will wait hopefully for the color 113 to come out, and I will never buy a 103. Maybe a 3 someday if it gets

[Michael @ Nov 27th 2006 7:54PM]

Ok. Two things. Yes the screens will be only half of each key, but look down for a second at your keyboard, and tell me how many keys have icons that take up the WHOLE space on the key. The only keys that do are shift-modified, so when you press shift, they will change to their secondary function. Another thing. Go look at the live journal. The most recent photos of the logic boards INCLUDE the extra function keys.

The displays on each key are right now to be FSTN displays (Which are monochrome, not grayscale).

And for those who wonder where I get my facts:
Look on the Optimus Blog:
http://community.livejournal.com/optimus_project/

[SideSwipe @ Nov 27th 2006 8:31PM]

Michael - When you have your fingers on the keys, you can't see ANY of the key. If you have any decent typing skills, you don't look at the keyboard at all.

I've been following this keyboard for a long time now, I probably would never get one (especially knowing what the potential costs are) - I'd rather have a really good standard keyboard (I don't even like the additional garbage media controller keys), but I think the concept is really cool.

[Jean-Michel Decombe @ Nov 27th 2006 11:30PM]

Lebedev's Law, in the inverse spirit of Moore's Law, states that the number of keys on a keyboard, as well as the number of colors and the number of pixels for each key, is divided by at least 2 every year. My guess is that the Optimus 103 will finally ship in 2013 as the Optimus 1. There will be a single key, and the planned 1 per 1 pixel display designed to support only one color will be cost effectively replaced with a sticker.

[byaah @ Nov 27th 2006 8:10PM]

I'm slightly upset that the screens got cut in half and its no longer in color.. that was one of the main selling points for me.. guess I'll just have to wait.

[Brian McBride @ Nov 27th 2006 8:30PM]

Oooo! Er, wait. Nevermind. Pass.

When the technology becomes affordable to produce a OLED keyboard, Logitech and Microsoft will release theirs first. Maybe that will be the G55 keyboard someday?

For now I will just stick with my backlit keyboard with plenty of extra keys (G15) for my design and gaming purposes.

[Tavis Veighey @ Nov 27th 2006 10:17PM]

OK they had my full attention when they announced this thing. And when they announced a release date I started saving for the keyboard! (I was guessing between $200 & $300) Then they delayed it, and released the 3 key mini keyboard. I was dissappointed, but I figured that it was a good way to prove the techonology to the public, and work out any kinks. Then they missed another deadline. Then they change from OLED to LCD keys. Now they say it is B&W.

I am sorry but you can only dangle a steak in front of me, and keep handing me peanuts so many times before it becomes vaporware.

Personally I would pay no more than $15-25 for a B&W version of this. And I would only pay $25-$45 for the color version at this point. They keep taking away more and more. It no longer has my interest.

This fancy shiny keyboard can sit on the net next to "Duke Nukem Forever" as something that we will probably never see the promissed version at the price "of a Good Cellphone".

[kadajawi @ Nov 27th 2006 11:56PM]

Michael and SideSwipe: For ordinary typing I don't see much sense in this either (ok, I'm using some sort of German Dvorak, and have to switch quite often, so for me it's useful, but then again only few people do this). But if you want to enter mathematical symbols or so, or use a lot of Photoshop, Cinema 4D and all those other shortcut heavy programs, then I think it really makes alot sense, and the displays need to display a lot of information, or else you won't have a clue what that symbol means because it all looks the same and is unclear.

[David @ Nov 28th 2006 12:22PM]

FAIL. GTFO.

[MacGyver @ Nov 28th 2006 12:13AM]

Wow they are trying to re-invent the Siemens Hicom, its a phone with 61 lcd keys that look to be 40x20 pixels, oh and by the way it's green and black only because the light is green, and it's been around for like 9 years.

[Roceh @ Nov 28th 2006 8:13AM]

Maybe they're using e-ink for the keys instead of OLED, given that it only requires power for image change + very high DPI it would be a more practical tech for a device like this.

Depsite much improvements over the past couple of years, color OLEDS just dont have the life time required for device that is on for a LONG time, such as a keyboard. As it is, i suspect they'll still have to have the keyboard 'power down' if not used for a few minutes to extend the typical use life to past a year.

I also wouldn't be suprised if they are using oleds that the two tone is not black and white, more likely yellow and black, as yellow oleds have the best lifetime currently.

[telepheedian @ Nov 28th 2006 10:21AM]

"Color will come later at a greater price."

Just wait a bit.

BTW, I do think it is a little pointless, as my cheapo keyboard has reprogrammable buttons, just not with fancy icon screens telling me what it does.

[Evan @ Nov 28th 2006 1:58PM]

I'm outPERIOD

[E71 @ Nov 28th 2006 4:34PM]

Weak. Almost as embarrassing for them as it must be for the developers of Duke Nukem Forever. Now, it's going to be amusing to see what they're going to demand for it. Hard to keep a straight face, I'd tell you that.

[gtpunch @ Nov 28th 2006 6:09PM]

"Does anyone know if the beautiful color product photo we've all drooled over for so long was ever a fully functional prototype or if it was simply a conceptual mock-up rendered with a 3D modeling software package?"

It was a 3D Model, nicely rendered- they stated that at the time.

[Fzzt @ Nov 29th 2006 7:17AM]

Sheesh what a ride this has been waiting for that ultra-uber rendered color programmable keyboard only to be faced with the reality that it's just too expensive with a too short lifetime (from what I've read of the oled stuff).

I'm going to throw down my $$ on a G11 or G15, whichever I find in stock & on sale first at my local frys.

Once that keyboard needs replacing in a few years I'll see where this whole Lebedev thing is.

As others have said, if this was remotely affordable ($100+ for a keyboard would be a hard sell) Logitech and some of the other manufacturers would be all over it.

Good luck Art!

[Dave @ Nov 29th 2006 2:20PM]

Forget putting any money down for this. Windows users can apply a shortcut key to icons on their desktop which gives you the ability to access any program or folder by hitting CTRL + ALT + (key of your choice).

To assign a shortcut key, right click on the desktop icon (sometimes you need to create a shortcut of the item in the case of IE or Outlook), go to Properties, Shortcut Tab, then under the Shortcut Key field put in your CTRL + ALT + (key) combo you would like to use.

This function has saved me hours of frustration and use it to boot my programs in an easy fashion every time I boot up. Very useful for folders when working and need to access something on an obscure share drive location and you don't feel like going to your desktop to open your folders.

[jalcide @ Mar 6th 2007 7:38PM]

Black & white, wow this is actually the best news ever. I was planning on blowing away an entire summer just to learn how to hack this thing so that all those gorgeous color icons would be reduced to a minimalist black & white.