Optimus Maximus: at long last, we bring one home to test

It's the damnedest thing: years after seeing the renders we're actually finally writing this post on our very own Optimus Maximus. We've had ours for a few weeks for testing, but we weren't able to do a whole lot with it until we got some later firmware updates. Here's the preliminary report:

• The OLED displays look really good, and are bright and colorful, just like we'd hoped.
• Key changes were instant (or almost) in Windows mode, but had a slight delay in Mac mode, where some key bindings were also little out of whack. These are known issues, though, and are being worked on.
  
• The keyboard itself is friggin massive, and very sturdy-feeling. The thing is a tank.
• Replacing keys is pretty easy, but larger keys are more difficult to pull off. You're really only intended to replace the standard-sized keys, so far as we can tell.
• Typing on it, well, sucks. We kind of hate to say it, but this thing more than likely won't replace what ever keyboard you're writing your novel on -- it's better off used as an absurdly configurable swiss army knife for tasks like gaming, Photoshop, or just about any other productivity app that doesn't require a lot of typing.
• Okay, why does typing on the Optimus suck, you ask? Well, although the keyboard uses mechanical switches and a lot of high quality components (evident when we pulled off some keys), and there is some clicky tactility to keypresses, as a whole it just requires way too much force to depress keys. And the larger the key, the more force is required, so enter is easier than space, but harder than tab. Let's put it this way, we sit around and type all day long and this thing wore us out in about 30 seconds to a minute. Carpal sufferers, beware.
• The Configurator is everything we hoped it'd be and more. The ability to paint directly onto the keyboard maps with the image editor of your choice is most excellent. Mapping keyboards to applications and conditions is ridiculously easy. Not everything was working properly though, since we were testing early beta software.

We'll have some video in a bit. We so can't wait for people to start getting their keyboards so we can benefit from their wacky layouts.

Gallery: Optimus Maximus: at long last, we bring one home

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[Flashpoint @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

Unanswered questions:

If a OLED key stops working, how hard is it to replace that key?

Would it not be more logicial to make a touchscreen keyboard which has software that changes the button layout on demand?

If I want to setup the Oled buttons to take me directly to porn sites...can I have different icons to fit whatever mood I'm in?

[OneLove @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:14PM]

new keys will cost you $300 per key and first born. lol.

[Ryan Block @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:14PM]

Replacing keys is very easy.

Configuring keymaps is ridiculously easy.

And finally, again, configuring keymaps (with conditions) is super easy.

[OneLove @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:19PM]

You get 2 free replacement keys?

[Colin B @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:21PM]

Flashpoint, I am really tired of your always negative, rarely useful comments. Ok, I'll admit they didn't answer "how easy is it to replace a key". But seriously, if you didn't know that this thing could change key images and each could map to any macro (yes, even porn sites), then you had no business getting involved. Put out a little effort next time, k? Thx.

[dizzy @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:29PM]

dude, porn key ftw. Put it like right next to the any key

[Blaine Oliver @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:01PM]

I love this concept, but honestly it is like the playstation 3, a anti climax, everyone was like, oh is this it? We have had the 360 that does the same thing for a year. As for tactility, keyboards need some strength to the keys, really soft ones suck, and really hard ones suck too.

[E71 @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:13PM]

Ryan, what makes you think it's good for gaming?

I mean, if it's really wears you out quickly, that's bad for any application that requires constant key use

It's not like I'm gonna press my forward/jump/etc keys once a minute...

[bob sakamano @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:19PM]

i see the gmail key has a number for unread mail

the keys are dynamic (if thats the right term for it)?!?

[Jonathan @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:57PM]

I love how everyone feels the need to reply to the first comment to prevent being on the 2nd page. Especially when most of the replies aren't even relevant to the original comment.

[common sense @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:15PM]

touchscreen keyboard... check
>Optimus Tactus http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/28/art-lebedev-kills-us-with-optimus-tactus-keyboard-concept/

[Ric @ Feb 25th 2008 8:26AM]

They have a concept of a touch screen keyboard on the site. The only problem there is you'll not have the nice tactile nature of regular keyboards.

[NovaLand @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

OLED is soooooo 2007... or perhaps not

[nathan @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:11PM]

What is that key underneath the youtube key?!?!

[NovaLand @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:17PM]

t.A.T.u perhaps?

[James @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:28PM]

I second the question, what is that key with the two girls!!!

[Heath Stahl @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:30PM]

Its the porn key. What, your keyboard doesn't have one? Time to upgrade buddy.

[Jake @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:34PM]

First thing I asked myself... Enquiring minds want to know!

[Maurik @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:37PM]

huh?

It's Suicide Girls tbfh

[Eric @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:37PM]

Come on, we wont tell anybody what the icons means, it is just between us. Whats the site and what is the 'Y' next to it?

[Ryan Block @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:43PM]

Default key config is Tatu -- I asked Lebedev about it, he said that he put it on there kind of as a point of Russian pride. I told him maybe he should have had a Tolstoy key instead.

The "Y" next to it is an analog clock.

[Jake @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:08PM]

Thanks for the clarification, Ryan. The drivespace key is neat too - but what happens when you press the analog clock key or the drivespace key?

[James @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:09PM]

Ryan, I am thinking you should have just lied to us and told us it was a porn key that unlocked porn from a secret lebdev data warehouse in russia.

I mean, we claim we want to know the truth, but you should know that we have no idea what's best for us!!!

[Windohs @ Feb 22nd 2008 2:26PM]

It's the "Two Girls One Cup" Key

[Kido1986 @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:39PM]

Is Tatu really still big over there? I figured they fell out of the limelight as soon as they hit legal age :P

[OneLove @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:13PM]

Hey, did yours come with the rubic's cube and freddy glove? I didn't get those? optimus maxianus.
Can't wait for OM 2.0.

[Jonathan @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:18PM]

It honestly couldn't be any harder to type than that awful old generation Apple Keyboard you're comparing it to.

[Jonathan @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:19PM]

(in the photos).

P.S. - I couldn't take typing on that old Apple Keyboard any longer and got myself the new aluminum Apple Keyboard! :)

[Harkonian @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:01PM]

It honestly could, apparently. A keyboard that does everything well except for typing. Sheer fail.

[Reid @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:41PM]

+eleventybillion. My Mac Pro came with that crappy KB but I never even took it out of the bag, so I didn't realize how bad it was. I used a Mathias Pro keyboard I've had for years -- it's all mechanical keyswitches and kicks ass.

So when I got a hand-me-down PowerMac G5 at work with the Apple KB, I didn't know how terrible it would be. The damn thing is somehow spongy AND stiff with little key travel. Keyboards that don't have a defined 'stop' point are so hard to type on because you don't know when to stop applying pressure.

[bahgger @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:18PM]

You boys at Engadget should start using the PowerBall or whatever wrist strengthening devices are out there - typing on a keyboard may be difficult on the Optimus if your comments are to be believed but we are MEN! Men can overcome any resistance - even if it's a weighty Spacebar!

[OneLove @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:20PM]

I don't get it? You from the 50's?

[Flashpoint @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

Allow me to give you a gift - a Tickle Me Elmo doll - as a token of my concern and appreciation for your comments.

[Llewelyn_MT @ Feb 25th 2008 12:12AM]

You comment doesn't provide much less insight then Flashpoint's.

It IS a serious matter he's commenting on. This thing cost as much as new T-series ThinkPad! It would be nice if it could last a tad longer then it's warranty period. I don't know anyone who'd put out as much cash for a keyboard and then be happy to pay additional $100s to repair it in case keys fail. And they will fail.

Personally I'd rather go for a touchscreen myself.

[Alex Haas @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:22PM]

Digg it!!

http://digg.com/gadgets/Engadget_Finally_Tests_the_Optimus_Maximus

[Johan S @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:25PM]

Argh, that sucks about how it's hard to type on it.. I hope the second generation has easier to press keys (normally keyboards need about 55 grams of force). Is it worse than an antique typewriter?

Anyway, i hope they read engadget's feedback and fix the issues. I may still get one to support 'em just so that they may have enough sales to be able to produce version 2 with its issues fixed.

[Steve Childs @ Feb 22nd 2008 10:53PM]

Yup, like you, I'll wait for the next iteration of this technology. Its an interesting concept, but I think it'll be the next few versions of this technology which really make it widely appealing.

Afterall, keyboards do kind of need to be easy to type on and not give you some sort of achy feeling in your hands / wrists, which it sounds as if this one does.

As a concept though, the keyboard rocks.

[Chris @ Feb 22nd 2008 2:49PM]

55 grams is not a measure of force, unless you're referring to the amount of force exerted by a 55 gram weight. I don't know where you get your numbers from, but grams is a measure of mass. Newtons, dynes, and pounds are the units of force. 55 grams on Earth at sea level is usually 53900 dynes, .539 newtons, or 0.1212 pounds. It will be different on other planets or at different elevations on Earth.

[Johan S @ Feb 22nd 2008 4:24PM]

@Chris

Yes Professor Einstein, I knew that. I guess I should have used newtons so a broader audience can understand. I mistakenly assumed there weren't a majority of Martians here who didnt know the force of gravity on 55 gram mass on earth.

[LikesGadgetsWillTravel @ Feb 28th 2008 4:00PM]

Hey Chris, nice try.

"Pound" is a weight, just like grams are. Just a different unit. You meant lbf (pound-force), right? It's ok, beginning physics students are always a bit confused on that.

[jonthemiller @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:25PM]

You know what'd be cool? Giving one of these way in a Engadget contest...

[Panathas17 @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:31PM]

or more... ;)

jks

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:26PM]

You guys must be FREAKING OUT ECSTATIC on the arrival of that beauty! Congratulations! Have fun with that sweet ass baby.....ENVIOUS!!!

[thethirdmoose @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:09PM]

What!?!
A good tasting butt-baby?

[Phil Perman @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:28PM]

I always wondered why you guys were lucky enough to get your very own key on the Maximus, its turns out its because you were one of the very few willing to actually pay for one! :p

[Jamie Marsden @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:33PM]

I can't believe that they would put all that time and money into a keyboard, and then skip on the most fundamental feature - typing.

[shaliron @ Feb 22nd 2008 8:41PM]

This is pretty disappointing as well but I guess that's what happens with all first gen devices - you have to work out the kinks.

Personally, those rubber 'covers', with the symbols printed on, that some people put over their keyboards for photoshop work seem much better now. Cheap, and you can just remove it to have a normal keyboard.

[dustin @ Feb 22nd 2008 12:35PM]

When you say it is hard to type on, how does it compare to a hefty keyboard like an IBM model M?

[Jeff @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:42PM]

They already answered that in a roundabout way.

IBM used to do massive amounts of research on ergonomics. Their white papers are still available on their web site. One of the things they discovered early on was that every key needed equal weighting, and that there was an ideal weighting that put the least amount of physical stress on a person's fingers. (There's another school of thought that says keys on the outside, where your pinky works, should be lighter. But that's not what IBM's research showed.)

People who haven't used IBM Model M's much always think they're heavy and hard to type on. But there's a reason why that keyboard has so many diehard fans. When you use one for a while, you realize how absolutely amazing it feels. You just cannot get tired typing on one. (Ok, maybe your ears will start to ring, but your hands won't hurt.) I know I can also type much faster. I think the physical effort required to type on it is far less than most membrane keyboards. Only the best laptop keyboards really come close.

But the point I'm trying to make is that the Model M has equal weighting for all the keys, regardless of size. It takes no more effort to press the space bar or enter key than it does to type an "M". (The space bar might be slightly heavier and have more inertia just due to the physical size of it, but the effort required to press it is no greater than the other keys.) The Optimus obviously does not follow that philosophy, meaning it has to feel much different. If the key effort varies in relation to the size of the key, well, that's going to be a big problem. Probably, the larger keys have multiple springs that are all of the same tension... meaning double the number of springs and you double the effort to press the key. Not good if that's the case.

[CraigJ @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:58PM]

I had to use an IBM 3151 terminal for a long time and it had a model M keyboard. A model M in black with OLED keys would be perfect. I'd even pay $400 for one. $1500 for a keyboard, no matter how cool it is, is not in my future.