Kazuharu Sakura's leather keyboard: only touch typists need apply
By Darren Murph 
posted Jun 16th 2008 8:32AM
posted Jun 16th 2008 8:32AM
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Kinky!
Finally my computer will match my S&M themed apartment!
Introducing the next big keyboard to hit the market.. the Optimus Prime.. Rib?
its $50 without label and $300 with label.
fap fap fap aw hell....
I question the tactile feedback one could get from such a keyboard, I'd say it'd be worse than typing on a laptop
Hey, I bet anything has tactile feedback after you type on one of these.
http://gopaultech.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/virtual-laser-keyboard.jpg
Depends what sort of 'tactile feedback' you're after...
The Max Mosely spanky-type is pretty much spot on.
Not sure why but something about this just seems really really wrong.
That Enter Key seems just fine to most of us non-north-americans.
I don't fancy the lacking space between the number keys and the small function keys....
I bet the kkkkkkkkkeeeeeeeeys gggggggggget sssstuuuuckkkk............
That's why you need to lubricate it when your about to use it.
Wish unique keyboards like this would become more readily available over here in the states. Definitely something I'd be interested in trying, at least.
Unfortunate how little tactile innovation has been made on keyboards.
Even with a touch typist, how can you be quite sure the "non character" keys do what you think they do? (Win-Key, Properties, how many function keys [F1-F10 key laptop, or full F1-F12?])
Plus there's no dimple or anything on the F and J key. I would find that to be an issue. And one more thing, I assume almost everyone now days is a touch typist? Am I just assuming too much?
looks like chocolate
Looks like dead cow.
mmmmm cow.... *barf*
everyone in this comment + replies has inspired me to go get chocolate milk.
I bet that thing's going to be really hard to clean after you've been eating Cheetos while using your 'puter. Even with normal use i can imagine how nasty those keys will get...and fairly quickly too.
That's actually a pretty standard Japanese keyboard layout. The space bar is small because there are several extra keys on the bottom row. IIRC, there's one to switch between input modes and one to switch to ASCII input mode.
WTF?
This is sick, I don't want to be touching a dead cow all day.
Also leather is much more environmentally friendly than plastic.
I'll stick to my vegan plastic KB thanks.
Andrew
I'm confused, are you telling us to buy one because it's environmentally friendly or not buy one because you only touch things made of much much older, more compressed and processed dead animal (and plant)?
Err I meant leather is much more un-environmentally friendly than plastic (believe it or not)
Sorry for the confusion Harry!
I can pull all kinds of random crap out my ass too with no proof. Just because you don't like that cows are used as a source of materials/food doesn't mean you can spout stuff and claim truth in it. Leather will decay with time. It will decay much faster than plastic. It doesn't require oil (fish oil possibly) but not petroleum based oils to cure and it doesn't sit in landfills for hundreds of years waiting for the plastic to deteriorate.
@Andir3.0 .
Leather footwear and clothing products are derived from petroleum-based materials (as are many types of plastics) and frequently criticised for being environmentally damaging. Leather tanneries use powerful chemicals to remove every last scrap of flesh including lead, zinc, formaldehyde, dyes and cyanide-based chemicals. On top of this, raising livestock is largely responsible for global warming, widespread pollution, deforestation and land degradation.
Also keep in mind that this mother cow was probably raised on a factory farm, being repeatedly impregnated and halving her baby calves taken away from her until her exhausted body could no longer provide enough milk. She was then sent to slaughter (being skinned alive) and ground up for hamburgers. Finally her skin was used be some idiot Japanese designer who thought it would be COOL to create a leather keyboard.
Even if you aren’t concerned about the planet we live on, given the chance isn’t it best to live life cruelty free? I certainly think so.
Ok, now I know your crazy.
hey andrew, I think bohsocks (2nd from the top) would beg to differ on living cruelty free.
When do we get snake skin keyboards?
How about puppy skin? I see the NYC Cleansing Department appear to have made a start harvesting already!
Maybe they could start growing human skin in the lab, specifically for keyboards, mice etc. could bring a new meaning to 'soft-touch keys'!
Them keys beside the spacebar that diminish its length are entirely normal on a Japanese keyboard and allow them to type in those ridiculous squiggles.
I'm holding out for real ivory.
What's with all of the dead cow comments?
That is, I understand what they mean (leather is cow skin) but where are they coming from? Where have they been in the past?
Why do all of my dead cow shoes look so good?
Engadget has been invaded by Vegans :(
How uncommon is touch typing at this point? As a college student, I don't think I know a single non-touch typist at this point, including parents, professors, etc.
Yet how many people look at their keyboard once in a while because they forgot where a key was? (Not necesserally the alphabet)
Just wait till you get out into the real world sonny.
I think its interesting, but what about the base of the KB its self, Wouldn't that be plastic or some over form of hard materilal
Nope, the entire thing's leather. Even the wires.
im a toucdh tyupist, i don meed to look at my keyboatf or ythe screen whenb i type,,,,,.
The "small space bar" is because its a japanese keyboard; there are 2 extra keys added on the sides of the space bar for something, not sure what.
I've seen space bars the size of shift keys before, damn irritating.
So... what are those extra keys near the space bar... caus like, i cant tell cause they are not labeled!
my fingers will stick to the keys in the summer
They should have just added "keys" using dark grey coloring. then it wouldnt really stand out but you can find them when you need to.
as for the small space bar, all japanese keyboards have them as they have extra keys around the space bar to accomodate for "language specific" functionality