The Ultimate Keyboard

Since the humble appearance of the keyboard in the age of the "automatic type setters" and typewriters, people have been trying to improve and enhance this rudimentary piece of equipment. I am currently using a Microsoft Wireless Elite Pro for my desktop and a IBM T42 on my Laptop and have seen and used quite a few keyboards in my life, but today I have found the ultimate!

Without a doubt the Optimus Keyboard will forever change the face of keyboard manufacturing - if it is ever produced. This piece of design genius is however still just a concept.

The revolutionary Optimus was designed by Artemy Lebedev from Art. Lebedev Studios. Right at first glance, it is obvious that this isn't a normal keyboard. This marvel takes the shape of a normal keyboard with "straight" (rather than "natural") layout.

This is, however, where the resemblance to normal keyboards stop. One of the biggest problems with traditional keyboards is that there are so many different key layouts. From the well known Qwerty, to Dvorak, Cyrillic, Chinese and many more. To complicate things further many applications (such as Photoshop or Primier) and especially games, also use custom keyboard mappings.

This can be quite daunting to a user unfamiliar with these mappings and normally results to either an open manual on the desk, or masking tape (with koki markings) stuck on all the keys. The Optimus now proposes a bold solution to this common program.

Inside every key of this keyboard, hides a small colour screen. Every single button can now be programmed to display an image corresponding with the specific keyboard mapping that is active. Ingenious!

Check out the photo's and visit the website to see more details!

I really hope this one happens...