Art Lebedev shows off Optimus Popularis keyboard mock-up

It hasn't been all that long since the Optimus Maximus emerged its long, long journey from idea to actual, ridiculously expensive product, but it looks like we're already off on the next round of teasers and wild speculation courtesy of Art Lebedev, with the firm now offering up the first glimpse of its forthcoming Optimus Popularis keyboard. True to from, however, there's not much more than the mock-up above to go on at the moment, with Art Lebedev only saying that the keyboard won't use OLEDs but will instead be based on a "totally different principle," and that it'll be priced "below $1,000."

[gabe @ May 20th 2008 3:18PM]

BLEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Smart People Play Tuba @ May 20th 2008 4:15PM]

Dude, I totally thought "Art Lebedev" was a dude.

That's like Jackie from "That 70s Show" think Led Zeppelin was the name of the group's lead singer.

[shane @ May 20th 2008 7:30PM]

It is a dude, who formed an eponymous company

[MEAT! @ May 20th 2008 5:15PM]

Art Lebedev is a dude. He named his studio "Art Lebedev" for the same reason that Dave Matthews named a band of five members "Dave Matthews Band."

[fontendet24 @ May 20th 2008 7:18PM]

His name is Artemiy Lebedev - in short - Art Lebedev. Also art means that his company doing only design and all about it.
Nothing extraordinary.

[Shan @ May 20th 2008 3:20PM]

Below $1000? that's shop talk for $999.99

[fontendet24 @ May 20th 2008 3:23PM]

Who's need it below one thousand?

[az1324 @ May 20th 2008 8:54PM]

"finally a keyboard made from butter!"

And perfect for the next OLPC because the one thing starving kids need almost as much as a laptop is butter for their... oh.

[Backwards People @ May 20th 2008 3:25PM]

The Optimus Maximus reminds me of the Segway. Lots of promise... but ultimately failing to deliver.

The O.M. couldn't be used as a keyboard. It just wasn't comfortable. The drivers needed work. Art should hire a ergonomics expert to QA the mock-ups, and another programmer or two for driver development. Why did I want the O.M.? For a flight simulator with readouts on the keys. Not possible AFAIK with the current support.

[farfisa @ May 20th 2008 3:23PM]

Finally! A computer keyboard for under $1000!!

[tf @ May 20th 2008 3:39PM]

finally a keyboard made from butter!

[Blaktornado @ May 20th 2008 5:49PM]

Finally! A keyboard that will melt to cater to the ergonomics of my unusually unergonmic hands!

[Macha88 @ May 21st 2008 9:10PM]

White CHOCOLATE!

[ugg.tryptophan @ May 20th 2008 3:28PM]

Thats the most delicious looking keyboard-sized hunk of white chocolate I've ever seen!

[Johnny Unitas @ May 20th 2008 3:43PM]

Wow, gee, uhhh... couldn't be electronic ink technology, could it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper

I mean for god's sake, there are only a handful of possible ways to provide configurable key's. Why they didn't go with this low power option earlier is the bigger question, though the more recent development of color electronic ink could be the reason.

Anyway, that's what it is folks, nothing more to see here, move along.

-ju

[Greg @ May 20th 2008 4:11PM]

No, real ink, paper, and glue.
All included!

[SteveS @ May 20th 2008 7:59PM]

Or the real cheap and easy way is slap some translucent keys over one large rectangular LCD (or OLED) display. Shit, I should patent that...

[Galley @ May 20th 2008 3:51PM]

Apple's Keyboard Touch will blow away anything made by Art Lebedev. Check out the rendering in the June issue of Mac|Life.

[chefgon_ign @ May 20th 2008 3:53PM]

Instead of OLEDs they will install tiny chalkboards on top of each key so you can draw whatever you want on them.

[Blaktornado @ May 20th 2008 5:48PM]

Don't give them ideas :P

[Technex @ May 20th 2008 7:19PM]

And only, and I say only for under $1000.00!

[nDee @ May 21st 2008 7:39AM]

That is configurable but not their style,
I think something like floating keyboard on top of a large screen will be their idea.

[happy_penguin @ May 20th 2008 3:57PM]

Until that decimal moves one place to the left, this is one massive FAIL.

[ugg.tryptophan @ May 20th 2008 4:00PM]

one step right, two places to left...perfect fail

[El Taco @ May 20th 2008 10:09PM]

take it back now yall

one hop this time

one hop this time




...sorry I couldn't resist

[Weeze-dog @ May 20th 2008 3:58PM]

I don't see why they couldn't use e-ink displays, aside from causing it to be black and white only. Keyboards are already black and white anyway.
That would probably make it extremely cheap (comparitively speaking).

[Alexander @ May 20th 2008 4:08PM]

If it's so simple, how come nobody else has done it other than these guys?

[The Dude @ May 20th 2008 4:08PM]

"...the keyboard won't use OLEDs but will instead be based on a 'totally different principle'..."

Yes, the sharp cheddar cheese principle. See: http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8088/cheesebf6.jpg
I guess making the thing out of cheese is how its going to drop below $1,000.

[Omer @ May 20th 2008 4:22PM]

The mockup sports an EU layout, which is already an improvement.

I don't know about E-ink being the "different principle", because it is not a different principle, rather just a different technology. I assume the folks at lebedev are preparing something similar to their other keyboard concept, which (in theory) uses one big display while using actual tactile separators for each individual key.

[Lucasz @ May 20th 2008 4:31PM]

The mockup sports a completely boring layout that looks like almost every other keyboard ever made. Other than then big enter button and the row of buttons across the top, it might as well just be a Dell keyboard.

[Sean @ May 20th 2008 4:40PM]

Not sure why they don't make versions with fewer programmable keys. I mean who really wants to reconfigure every single key on the keyboard?
Models with 3, 6, or 18 configurable OLED keys make a lot more sense.

[Reader @ May 20th 2008 6:25PM]

They do...

[Jenny @ May 20th 2008 9:47PM]

You have a good point.

Until someone creates such a thing, I'm sticking to my $2 roll of masking tape.

[PhoenixAvatar @ May 20th 2008 5:12PM]

I still can't believe that they created a $1000+ keyboard that fails at it's primary function, typing. I doesn't matter what they're coming up with this time, there's no way that I could believe it'll be anything but flashy crap.

[itlnstln @ May 20th 2008 4:58PM]

You know, for a grand or more, you would think I could get a split-ergonomic style layout and maybe some mechanical key switches... bitches.

[futurepastnow @ May 20th 2008 5:45PM]

Noooooooooo

It's got that stupid European "return" key. That's a big deal-breaker for me.

[thehumanyawn @ May 20th 2008 6:59PM]

E Ink? LCD?

[Jon Acheson @ May 21st 2008 10:08AM]

Stickers.

[Dualboot @ May 20th 2008 7:02PM]

Please Engadget, please don't start with yet another of Art's creations. It took centuries to get the previous model from design to reality. If you start with butter/cheese models now, it will be centuries before this gets off the ground...

[the_fozz @ May 20th 2008 7:40PM]

vaporware, yours for the low low price of $999.99, call now!

[MichaelD @ May 20th 2008 10:14PM]

Okay, Maximus was corny enough, but is it honestly called Popularis? Please tell me that has some other techy meaning than "popular", If it's popular, we don't need the name to tell us.

I agree with those who posted about the Maximus--people who use keyboard shortcuts are used to them, and don't need a symbol to remind them, especially at that cost.

Now, a full touch screen with tactile feedback (if that ever becomes possible) could make sense, because the actual shape of buttons could change. Then again, in that case, why not just make a tablet with a keyboard that pops up when you need it?

If you ask me, keyboards like this are only so people with Alienware computers (and the like) don't have to feel bad about using a normal keyboard with it. Only the best for them!

[tekdroid @ May 21st 2008 7:26AM]

e-ink is the obvious candidate (no power needed unless the display needs to change, longevity (I think) and great viewing angles... and relatively cheap.

Already used in the ultra cheap Motorola F3 but with very, very very poor execution there...so perhaps not a great example of low-end use, but that's the idea.

[Lawnarjax @ May 21st 2008 8:47AM]

Finally a white chocolate keyboard for under a grand!

[Kip HT @ May 21st 2008 11:20AM]

Wait, remind me again why we should care about this keyboard.

[Macha88 @ May 21st 2008 9:11PM]

Is it called popularis because it is made of freeze dried people? (well technically half people seed things...)