Optimus 103 to be shown at CeBIT

Art Lebedev and company have apparently been pretty busy with the Optimus, readying it for show at CeBIT this month. According to Art's LJ, they've been hard at working optimizing the key sizes and shapes for interchangeability; they're now down to three size, which should come in handy when keys start dying off and you don't want to run to the store for another $1200 keyboard. That late-2007 deadline is still in effect, so ogle at the potential, and cross your fingers for the waiting to come to an end.

[Thanks, Nicholas M]

[Juaquin @ Mar 5th 2007 1:04AM]

With the way they've operated in the past, I'm not holding my breath.

Not that I'd buy such a ridiculously expensive keyboard anyways. Good concept, if you have the cash.

[IseWise @ Mar 5th 2007 1:46AM]

If the iPhone is any indication this keyboard will sell like pancakes.

[SH @ Mar 5th 2007 1:16AM]

I will never get excited over a damned keyboard for chrissakes. What's wrong with people? Not enough sunshine and interaction with the opposite sex?

[adrianp @ Mar 5th 2007 2:09AM]

this keyboard is in production stage for quite some time now.. there was no iPhone back then when they started sketching for this keyboard.

[tiuk @ Mar 5th 2007 2:33AM]

Does anyone even care anymore?

[Rudy @ Mar 5th 2007 3:00AM]

Aside from the price, this is really an awesome keyboard. I own an OLED watch, and the display is amazing. True, the $12 per key is expensive. If this keyboard is to be successful, each key would have to cost under $2 (assuming a its a 101 keyboard).

[Ferny @ Mar 5th 2007 3:17AM]

but it really is a nice looking keyboard but no keyboard should be worth over $150.

[Nick @ Mar 5th 2007 7:08AM]

O RLY

[Leonard Nimrod @ Mar 5th 2007 7:13AM]

I see such a keyboard becoming more commonplace in 8 to 10 years from now. The cost is obviously to prohibitive right now, but this is still such a cool idea. Backlit keyboards ain't got shit on this.

The biggest benefit will come from the Function keys being correctly named or pictured.

I think they will be bought with in a year's time to a much larger corp.

[Chris Houston @ Mar 5th 2007 7:24AM]

As a techie.. I'd like one of these keyboards, great for gaming so you can label the keys etc. I do wonder though, if these ever become "affordable" to the masses, imagine the environmental impact of every PC having a keyboard that draws even more power multiplied by the number of PC's world wide.. that's probably an extra power station or two.

If there was some way to make a coloured version of the "electronic paper" we've seen recently, so at least the keys are set, and then no power is used... this would reduce the power consumption considerably. (I'm guessing)

[chingkkay @ Mar 5th 2007 8:31AM]

well , i wish you would finally invent a keyboard
that doesn't need to type the alt 165, 164 and so on it's very annoying!

[strider_mt2k @ Mar 5th 2007 9:26AM]

Someday we'll look back on this and LAUGH.

By then these keyboards will be commonplace.

[Jeff @ Mar 5th 2007 10:13AM]

Wouldn't it suck if after all was said and done the keyboard finally looked fantastic, all the buttons and screens nice and sharp and finely polished, fully functional, bright, easy to configured... but had crappy key response because the used lousy springs or something?

What I'm trying to say is, this thing better not only look like nothing else out there, it better feel like nothing else out there too!

[Jeff @ Mar 5th 2007 10:29AM]

I'd just like to take a moment to remind everyone who said "wow! I bet this will be expensive, like, at least $200!" that you're an idiot, and I totally called the price.

Actually I guessed closer to $2000, and I'm sticking by that until I see one for sale.

[E71 @ Mar 5th 2007 11:11AM]

Love the concept, but the price, keyboard design and the lifespan really leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Why design?
a) It should be available in both U.S. layout (i.e. standard size enter key not novelty sized, backslash key above the enter key) and international layout(s).
b) Apart from the customizable keys on the far left, the general button layout should be that of a standard keyboard not compact or over-stretched.

[Rick wilson @ Mar 5th 2007 12:40PM]

What is that key two key's in from the Enter key? It's not a semi-colon...

[Hank77 @ Mar 5th 2007 2:40PM]

Dude, that's the multi-colon.

[ByteCrawler @ Mar 5th 2007 3:19PM]

The keyboard isn't in Shift mode. When you hold the shift key, you'll see all the letters turn Capital and the colon will show in place of the semi-colon.

[Denver_80203 @ Mar 5th 2007 4:56PM]

While the features are nifty you have to wonder what the key-click will FEEL like. That's what makes a keyboard for me.

[marcozna @ Mar 6th 2007 4:41PM]

The concept is fantastic. I mean this should have been done years ago. The price is a little on the high side... and I certainly wouldn't be able to pay for this. But once it get's going hopefully others will work out similar and cheaper ones. If anyone has worked through the pain of needing to write Russian, Japanese, English or French they will know how good this keyboard can be.