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Cool Leaf keyboard's shiny, buttonless future gets release date
Keyboards get really gross, really fast, especially when you eat around them. It's a problem the backlit, buttonless Cool Leaf doesn't have to contend with, since it doesn't have any pores for crud to fall into and is easily wiped off with a wet cloth. The lovely mirrored peripheral will be hitting Japanese retailers on May 13th at an unknown price that we expect to be around 20,000 yen ($245) -- steep, not to mention the cost of repairing sprained fingers after an all night term paper writeathon. The Cool Leaf will only be available in a Japanese language, Windows-compatible version at launch, though other languages -- including US English -- and a Mac-friendly variety have also been announced, so the rest of us may have a wait a little longer for the future to arrive.
Cool Leaf input devices create the keyboard of the future circa 1982
It's becoming startlingly apparent that in the future buttons will be obsolete. Their kind are being systematically eradicated by high-brow designers worldwide, most recent being Kazuo Kawasaki at Minebea, who has created Cool Leaf. It's basically a mirrored surface with backlit keys and a capacitive coating, creating a beautiful appearance that looks decidedly not-fun to use, particularly that keyboard (stylishly dubbed "Φ-QWERTY"). But, it is practical in some respects, thanks to the whole thing being waterproof and easily cleaned. So these might indeed be the keyboards of the future -- for doctors and nurses, anyway. %Gallery-87350%
