New Optimus Aux shots show a sexier vision

Yeah, barebones shots are fun and all, but we're never ones to turn down some cleaned-up press renders. The newly-redubbed Optimus Aux (farewell, Pultius) has had its keys scrunched together for optimum hotkey action, and we've got a shot of the rear port configuration after the break, in addition to a comparison to the Maximus to round things out nicely. Face it, Art Lebedev loves you very much. Also, your wallet.

[chris @ Sep 19th 2008 5:22PM]

do want

[ntlam @ Sep 19th 2008 7:40PM]

make it cheaper, cheaper cheaper.. or else it's better to get a touch enable monitor and use onscreen keyboard....

[Techie @ Sep 19th 2008 11:59PM]

Even the thought of the OLED keys make it sounds cool but the keyboard design is crap.

[ACEY RIOT @ Sep 19th 2008 5:29PM]

i love those, i just wish i had the money for them...or the need for them....and the time to program them....and the lack of other things i need way more

[ybd @ Sep 19th 2008 5:44PM]

Couldn't have said it better

[Jay @ Sep 20th 2008 1:02AM]

Why did the person who made the actual comment only get 'Highly Ranked' while the person who effectively said "I agree" get 'Highest Ranked?'

[Josh @ Sep 20th 2008 1:36AM]

I agree.

[Colin Potter @ Sep 20th 2008 3:17AM]

sorry to break the chain fellas.... I can't wait for an OLED iPod Touch

JK obviously

I do wish this had more keys and less "$'s" though.

[Kevin Gass @ Sep 19th 2008 5:33PM]

God I hope these things become the norm....Cause if these ever hit $100-300 id pick one up

[Othello @ Sep 19th 2008 7:54PM]

Well, the price hasn't been released yet. However, the Maximus has 113 displays, and the Aux has 15. 113/15 = ~7.4. Then you take the price of the Maximus and divide that by 7.4, and you get ~250 bucks. So while that might not be the price, it looks like it will be in the 100-300 dollar range. Any higher and it would be a complete rip-off.

[kaimonkey @ Sep 19th 2008 5:38PM]

its white for a reason =]

[d @ Sep 19th 2008 5:43PM]

Racist much?

[leo @ Sep 19th 2008 6:01PM]

@ d - jump to conclusions much?

[Wolfticket @ Sep 19th 2008 6:01PM]

So you can see the black text?

[JR @ Sep 19th 2008 6:15PM]

Maybe I'm crazy... but isn't that silver and black?

[Paulmichael @ Sep 19th 2008 7:13PM]

okai monkey...

[Lally @ Sep 19th 2008 5:45PM]

So, are the keys going to be as hard to push as the full keyboard, or have they fixed that?

i.e. is it usable yet?

[LondonConsultant @ Sep 19th 2008 5:47PM]

Yes, that's definitely a sexier vision of a rear port configuration.

[warrrennnnn @ Sep 20th 2008 2:12AM]

ha, I configured your mom's rear port.





like she TOTALLY needed to upgrade to usb2.0.

you're welcome.

[KA @ Sep 19th 2008 5:53PM]

Funny, just this morning I was thinking about where all the Optimus posts had gone...

[Razor1973 @ Sep 19th 2008 5:56PM]

I just don't get it...

[Bellerophon @ Sep 19th 2008 5:57PM]

If they make a smaller keyboard without the numpad to go with this Aux (similar to diNovo Desktop) that would be very cool indeed.

[unicore @ Sep 19th 2008 5:59PM]

me want you so bad.

[ac14 @ Sep 19th 2008 5:59PM]

seprate power cord :(

[paddy4 @ Sep 19th 2008 6:32PM]

Usb's max output is 5V..This needs like 9..

[Wolfticket @ Sep 19th 2008 6:01PM]

In a few years I might buy something like this and it will probably be made by Logitech/(other mainstream hardware manufacturer).
I don't see how they can protect the basic idea once the tech becomes cheap enough.

[Nomi @ Sep 19th 2008 6:10PM]

Dual num pad power!

[Nomi @ Sep 19th 2008 6:12PM]

Also, is it really that hard to run this off a USB cable?

[paddy4 @ Sep 19th 2008 6:45PM]

Usb's max output is 5V..This needs like 9..

[Ken @ Sep 19th 2008 6:14PM]

It should be called bumblebee

[Paddy @ Sep 19th 2008 6:44PM]

Usb's max output is 5V.This needs like 9.

[cubanresourceful @ Sep 19th 2008 7:06PM]

Broken record much?

[Wolfticket @ Sep 19th 2008 7:19PM]

Usb's max output is 5V.This needs like 9.

[NutMac @ Sep 19th 2008 8:11PM]

But apparently, USB's max output is 5V..This needs like 9.. So I read.

[Jeff P. @ Sep 19th 2008 10:36PM]

How many volts does this need?

[iofthestorm @ Sep 20th 2008 4:16AM]

Over 9 (thousand millivolts).

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 19th 2008 7:21PM]

Oh, I could see having this. I could see it very much. If I spent all day in any kind of creative program (Autocad, 3ds Max, Illustrator, Photoshop), I'd have that puppy set to all my most frequently used functions.

Unfortunately, those things are only a hobby at this point, so I couldn't justify this in a million years.

[pinkskittles @ Sep 19th 2008 7:24PM]

i've tried to look but i can't for the life of me figure out what this thing is/does/etc. anyone wanna let me in? lol

[StalematE @ Sep 19th 2008 7:30PM]

apparently it uses like 9V

[Yopladas @ Sep 19th 2008 7:47PM]

I don't really know but what it appears to be is a WAYYY overpriced hot key (you program it to do something when you press a button, like speed dial on your phone). Ummmm correct me if I'm wrong tho.

[Nippero @ Sep 19th 2008 9:11PM]

Yea basically hotkey pad using OLEDs which can display exactly what the hotkey is doing.

So lets say you set a hotkey to launch firefox, the firefox icon would be displayed on that key.

[frank @ Sep 19th 2008 7:40PM]

This makes way more sense to me than the full-on keyboard. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to need the letter G mapped to anything but good ol' G. But some fun function/hot keys that look cool too sounds like a swell idea, particularly (and perhaps ironically) in an office environment.

[Sridhar3 @ Sep 19th 2008 8:08PM]

Nice concept. Let's hope it doesn't cost an exorbitant amount.

[Nippero @ Sep 19th 2008 9:11PM]

They should just make a small 5 or so button version. In a little bar shape, which would then somehow attach to the side/top/bottom of our monitors. Now that I would love.

[Jeff P. @ Sep 19th 2008 10:59PM]

I'll second that.

[cheng @ Sep 19th 2008 11:32PM]

there was such a thing with 3 buttons, but i don't know what happened to it.

[DrMugato @ Sep 20th 2008 12:00AM]

I need that for the car... automatic jacks, buzz saws coming out the front, homing robot..... Nah - I could do that with just big letters on the keys.

[Chad @ Sep 20th 2008 2:01AM]

Thing reminds me of the hirsch scramblepad:
http://www.hirschelectronics.com/Products_ScramblePads.asp

[tekdroid @ Sep 20th 2008 3:49AM]

does it have the (I'm told) hard-pressyness of the Optimus Maximus?
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/
I'll only buy if it takes extra effort to press the keys.

[Darken Rahl @ Sep 20th 2008 8:49AM]

Could you set up two buttons as left and right arrows, to switch from one 'page' of hotkeys to another? Would be quite handy.

Though I think a small OLED touchscreen could do this a lot easier.