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See the original image at engadget.com —

Uh-oh, Optimus -- United Keys build keyboard w/OLED Buttons

engadget.com — Man, it looks like all these display keyboards are finally going from vapor to reality -- United Keys, which has been pimping various versions of its Display Keys product since 2005, has just announced that it's signed a deal with FoxConn to build a gaming keyboard with several OLED function buttons

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  • notjustmii, on 01/23/2008, -20/+5oled is cool.
    • aldenhg, on 01/23/2008, -2/+3But who spends that much time looking at their keyboard? Sure, it's cool and shiny, but what's the appeal beyond that?
      • bejayel, on 01/23/2008, -4/+6The programmable buttons so i dont need 10 different ***** keyboards kicking around for games / qwerty / dvorak
        • subxero37, on 01/23/2008, -0/+5You use both QWERTY and Dvorak? That's pretty bad-ass.
          • supermanred, on 01/23/2008, -1/+2The fact that you think that's "bad-ass" speaks volumes.
    • theblt, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3http://www.unitedkeys.com/what_are_display_keys.ht ...
      Seeing this really put in perspective how ***** cool this technology is. I can imagine seeing this technology implemented in many devices in the near future. Imagine playing your Xbox and having the controller change the display on the buttons to reflect the controls for certain games. Sooooooo ***** awesome.
      • Tippis, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3If you're playing a game, you generally need to keep your attention on the screen -- the look of the buttons is quite irrelevant.
      • ApokalypseNow, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1The funniest use I can think of for this technology is to have a little daemon running on the PC that checks for "Press Any key" dialogs. If that happens, it actually creates an "Any" key.
        For the sadist version, the "Any" key jumps around randomly, and it is they only one that will work to clear said dialog box, so you must be quick enough to press the right one.
    • wellyuk, on 01/23/2008, -0/+11And if you want to go the completely opposite direction:

      http://www.daskeyboard.com/
      • Dochtuir, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1I have that. It rocks. And clicks!
      • saralk, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1if you really want, you could have that keyboard layout, such is the beauty of an OLED keyboard
    • ubergeek09, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1That was possibly the lamest comment ever. kthxbai
  • kingofinternet, on 01/23/2008, -70/+3OLED ORLY ZOMG LOL K THX BAI U *****
  • manogamez, on 01/23/2008, -22/+8I don't understand what the title reference. Can someone explain?
  • thebellmaster1x, on 01/23/2008, -3/+170Oh, pleeeeease be less than a bajillion dollars.
    • je12u, on 01/23/2008, -11/+5*Raises pinky to mouth*
      one million dollars
    • ziptnf, on 01/23/2008, -1/+8Hi, pay me a grand for a keyboard. Thx.
    • Microdot, on 01/23/2008, -0/+11yep. thats the only downside to arts idea. the optimus is actually a damn cool keyboard... but $1500 is just obscene. and this is coming from someone who spends what others consider insane amounts for keyboards/mice. i want the best in both quality and comfort as the faster and more productive i am, the more i make. so i'll spend $200-300. but $1500 is just stupid. (on a side note, whatever happened to the optimus being "the cost of an average smart phone"?) if united keys can hit the $300 target, i will buy immediately.
      • joshuabowers, on 01/23/2008, -0/+4You wouldn't want to know how much the custom keyboards done by the guy behind Datamancer go for: http://datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm
        • covertbadger, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3Ooohhhh, you BASTARD. Now I have to talk myself out of buying one of these to replace my boring normal Logitech wireless. Grr.
      • thewillard, on 01/23/2008, -0/+0Maybe they got concerned about how big of a consumer base they could originally get. Whenever people release new products that are really different they choose to either go for a skimming or penetration strategy.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_skimming
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penetration_pricing

        Something as frivolous as this keyboard doesn't seem like it could successfully use a penetration strategy. Whereas something like an iPhone with its more useful features and practical usage in a variety of settings could pull off a penetration strategy pretty well.
    • blackmage439, on 01/23/2008, -1/+2Why cost billions when it can cost... millions?
  • Xerces, on 01/23/2008, -7/+27Talk about ugly
    • Nerfdude, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2that keyboard, like, totally clashes with my allover print t shirt. who would accesorize... i mean, uh, type... with that thing?
    • comradeTJH, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Yeah and it looks HUGE like it'll take your whole desktop.
    • Audacitor, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Ya, you'd think the industry would take a leaf out of Apple's book. Their keyboards are ***** thin, man.
  • TheFiestyFaun, on 01/23/2008, -2/+58Although this one's a little more in my price range, the optimus is waaaaaaayy cooler.
    • clickwir, on 01/23/2008, -1/+6.... for about 5 mins. It's got tons of "wow factor" but really.... how many people need 101+ "screens" under their fingers?
      I know I don't. I'll admire it and ohh at it for a few mins, then remind the person that has it that I'm better at my $10 keyboard than they are with their $4365234263 Optimus.
      • eplawless, on 01/23/2008, -0/+12and with the press of a button, they'll have a Russian keyboard and will start berating you in Russian.
        • FluffyArmada, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2я говорту по–руский!
          Yeah, I'm fairly certain I spelled something wrong, but i don't care.
    • wafflez, on 01/23/2008, -3/+1ahah ask yourself if this is actually useful...when you use the computer, see how many times you actually look at your keyboard >_>.
      EDIT: LOL i didn't see Y3T1's comment just below.
  • Y3T1, on 01/23/2008, -4/+58I dont even look at the keyboard while I type, I don't get the big deal is with these, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I cant justify spending 400$+ (or w/e it is) on a keyboard I'll rarely look at when its meant to be looked at :/
    • Mysk, on 01/23/2008, -0/+7I agree, although this would be useful for applications that have several keyboard short cuts. For development environments, graphic artists, and the like.
      • manitoba98xp, on 01/23/2008, -0/+12True, but most people who use those applications for a living (which is the only way that amount is justifiable) tend to memorize those shortcuts pretty quickly, anyways. It's a solution looking for a problem, really.
      • cawpin, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3It's not necessarily the looking at of the keyboard but the COMPLETE customization of the keys. You can make ANY key do ANY function, or group of functions.
        • gfnw, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1There is software that allows you to do that already.
    • bejayel, on 01/23/2008, -1/+12I would like being able to switch between dvorak / qwerty and cooler images for my games. Its nicer looking at a grenade picture than a number 4 all the time.
      • FKnight, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1"I would like being able to switch between dvorak / qwerty"
        I'm curious to know what circumstances would require you to switch between these two. Are some things easier to type on Dvorak while other things are easier to type on QWERTY? Not sure why one wouldn't just pick a keyboard format and stick.

    • clickwir, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3I agree. Having 100+ little screens for you to type on just doesn't seem that useful. Sure there's a lot of "neato"-ness to it, but the only practical use I can think of is if you want to switch layouts.
    • Hellothere123, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1I agree with you. I changed all the keys on my keyboard using a program called "Keyboard Layout Creator", so if i press "Q" on my keyboard, ";" will be displayed on my screen. $1500 for a keyboard is too high, even if it is the best possible keyboard for me.
      • whatsgoodike, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1what if / how the hell did you just type a Q then?
        *so confused*
        • Prismatic, on 01/23/2008, -1/+0; obviously
        • Hellothere123, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2I customized my keyboard based on the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard layout, pressing X maps Q. My point is, I would rather memorize my keys than pay $1500.
    • thebellmaster1x, on 01/23/2008, -0/+5Well, I can see where you're coming from in reference to regular typing, certainly. However, if I'm typing in Japanese, for example, it's not my native language, so I'll do it slowly enough that looking at the keyboard to find hiragana may actually help; as well, using a Photoshop layout would be helpful in that you don't have to switch tools so often that having the tools assigned to certain buttons wouldn't assist your speed.
      Of course, this goes for the Optimus. The United Keys one, as far as I can see, has OLEDs on just the function keys, which I would personally find next-to-useless.
      • KyleGoetz, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Most Japanese people I knew when I lived in Japan didn't even type in hiragana: they typed phonetically. That is to say, when they wanted 俳優 to show up, they typed "haiyuu" and hit spacebar until the correct kanji came up. Relatively few people in Japan that I know use the kana input method, in which they would type "fe84" and hit spacebar (the keys f, e, 8, and 4 correspond to は, い, ゆ, and う -- ha, i, yu, and u -- on the Japanese keyboard).

        If you can type in English without looking at the keyboard, you ought to be able to type in Japanese without looking at a keyboard.
    • Nerfdude, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3i scraped the letters off my keyboard. i never look at it, and i enjoy watching other people try to type when they use it. if i could get an oled keyboard for a very low price point, i'd just put some sort of animated screen saver on it, or maybe have it fade or colorchange which keys i use the most over time, or something neat like that, because i don't need to be told which key is which anyway.
    • tgc1, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3Anything over 20 bucks is overkill in my books. You use it to input things. Why not spend the money you're pissing away on a bigger display, or more Memory, or, I don't know... something MORE ***** USEFUL.
      • KyleGoetz, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Carpal tunnel, sound, feel; that's like saying spending a hundred bucks on a sweater is ridiculous because you can buy a cheaper one. Sure, you can. But the quality is not as high.
        That said, I think the Optimus is unnecessary. It's cool for a couple minutes, but then you never look at it again.
  • blazes816, on 01/23/2008, -3/+13Maybe if they wouldn't have bragged about it for years without releasing anything they would have had a jump on he market.
    • KyleGoetz, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1To be fair, Art. Lebedev is a design company. They originally had no intention of actually MAKING one of those keyboards; it was merely a CONCEPT. They originally designed it to have a design, and only when it was clear that there was a market did they attempt to capitalize on the demand.
  • drunkenirish, on 01/23/2008, -3/+6What's more interesting is the cell phone and tv remote(?) next to the keyboard on the site.
  • carpespasm, on 01/23/2008, -8/+1Why do they insist on using OLED? It seems to me that to cut the cost and R&D nessisary, it would be better to set up they keys as clear lenses with an LCD panel under the keys. Designing a button you can see through would seem to be an easier task than designing a robust screen small and cheap enough to put in keyboard keys.
    • dsmx, on 01/23/2008, -1/+4I think someone has already done that it's called a touch screen, except that has the innovation of not having any keys.
    • aldenhg, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Because this way it looks consistent from every angle.
    • subterfuge, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1if they used LCDs, every single key would need its own backlight to function. OLEDs need no blacklight.
    • Abomonog, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Also OLEDs can be made much smaller than LCD crystals. Small enough to where those key could be hi-def if the developers chunked the money into it.
  • eviltwnn43, on 01/23/2008, -4/+1wtf?
  • seldon452, on 01/23/2008, -13/+64Sweet! A $10000 keyboard for my $500 computer. I half expect it to be an apple product.
    • gplpark92, on 01/23/2008, -0/+22you stole that comment from Engadget
      • RockLobstah, on 01/23/2008, -1/+5Maybe he made both and is trying to maximize his e-popularity gain.

        But probably not.
      • seldon452, on 01/23/2008, -4/+10Excuse me, I did not steal it. I borrowed it. Then I Changed some numbers and added some words.
        • brad3378, on 01/23/2008, -3/+1Be a good little digger and put it back when you're done.
    • je12u, on 01/23/2008, -4/+1Even more sweet!! Getting to read essentially the same comment twice!

      Steven M @ Jan 22nd 2008 3:11PM
      fun, another $3600 keyboard for my $350 Presario
  • doctordbx, on 01/23/2008, -8/+4Jesus engadget is just Apple spam... look at the featured articles on the right.
    Oh and nice looking keyboard :-)
  • heynoop, on 01/23/2008, -1/+11i don't think the Optimus has anything to worry about - this thing is ugly as hell.
    • Nerfdude, on 01/23/2008, -2/+3yeah, and since my computer is a showpiece with which i impress people and not, you know, a tool, it should be as faaaaaabulous as possible.
      • kazamx, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Don't laugh at the guy just because his computer is pimped with about 50 different neon lights and a smoke machine.
  • mikesbaker, on 01/23/2008, -2/+24F Keys being OLED != to the entire keyboard
    • Nerfdude, on 01/23/2008, -10/+3"!=" = "not equal to"
      you = redundant
      • DarkPhoen1x, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3What? He made a valid point. You made no point XD
    • dfeifer, on 01/23/2008, -0/+0Actually there is only 1 thing that worries me. How log will it take for some spam writter to come up with a way to start pushing advertisements, spam, and malware to your keyboard.
    • thugok, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Exactly and this still doesn't match the flexibility my $60 Logitech G15 has.
  • antiorblkflag9, on 01/23/2008, -0/+10My keyboards get so dirty, I really don't know how much I would want to spend on one.
  • cyborg, on 01/23/2008, -1/+7"The timing for the keyboard is late summer, 2007. Again, this is a real production unit built by a top keyboard manufacturer. It will include the software you need for user-customization. Thank you for your interest, and we'll stay in touch."

    It's about a year late.
  • AmericansRevolt, on 01/23/2008, -3/+1i think the reasoning behind oled for keyboards is power... they can draw enough power off a ps2 port, even if its a usb keyboard lots of people still use ps2 adapters.
  • thomashallock, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2"all these display keyboards are finally going from vapor to reality"

    "United has just announced that it's signed a deal with FoxConn to build a gaming keyboard with several OLED function buttons, and thats it's aiming to ship by summer."

    *holds breath*
    • dafragsta, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Yeah, it almost sounded like they were planning to skate by on their coattails.
  • Naryuu, on 01/23/2008, -2/+12does this mean no more tricking noobs into believing "alt-f4 for godmode" :(
    • tendonut, on 01/23/2008, -1/+11I swear to ***** god, for 3 hours, I convinced one of the guys at a LAN party that Alt-F4 did exactly that. He tried and tried and tried, but always with the same result. Isn't that the definition of insanity?
    • swoopdog, on 01/23/2008, -7/+2what the ***** is godmode?
      stupid gamers hurrr i is 1337durpadurpa
      • ubergeek09, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Were sorry that you have a IQ below 50, but we really can't help you.
  • thomashallock, on 01/23/2008, -0/+8What amazes me is that even with the display keys, they still couldn't resist putting that stupid row of media / shopping / whatever keys along the top.
  • garfonzo, on 01/23/2008, -0/+4I really don't see the need for these types of keyboards (personally). Is it that much easier to click a button on your keyboard versus clicking an icon on the screen? I don't know if I see the value yet.
    • osbjmg, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1I'm with you partially. I also don't see the need for pay-per-download ringtones, but there are a few people getting rich off an idea they probably don't even find useful. I do prefer keyboard shortcuts to mouse movements though, but at the same time I don't look at my keyboard either.
  • zaxnyd, on 01/23/2008, -0/+31Any "gamer" who has to look at their keyboard fails.
    • tgc1, on 01/23/2008, -0/+0I've tutored REALLY slow people, people who didn't know how to ***** type. Even THEY didn't really look at the keyboard.
  • Monstradamus, on 01/23/2008, -5/+3In Soviet Russia, keyboards are better: http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-tactu ...

    here is the non-concept version: vhttp://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/
    • tendonut, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Wow, the production version looks about as far from the concept version as possible. ***** Awesome > Every keyboard in existance
    • RayMagini, on 01/23/2008, -2/+1In Soviet Russia, keyboard watches you!
    • brainflakes, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Optimus Tactus - Finally we can create proper TNG touchscreen consoles!
    • cphelps, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1It's not possible to screw up the Soviet Russia meme anymore than you did.
      • Monstradamus, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1You, sir, fail at understanding. The meme you are referring to is based on reversing word order. What I posted did not contain any reversed word order, hence, it was not Russian Reversal.
  • insomniac8400, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3I hope this is something just to test the patent waters and a full keyboard is on the way. These people will easily beat the russians to a viable cheap product.
  • jefferygomer, on 01/23/2008, -0/+4Step in the right direction. There needs to be more people trying to develop this, at the very least to drive the price down.
    Now don't make it so fugly.
  • AZooYorkMystery, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3Remember the good old days? Back when printed keyboards were good enough?
    Ahh, those were the days.
    • ufia, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2You're laughing but I'm still using an old IBM keyboard without the windows keys. It probably predates the internetz era, but this thing is build like a tank and still kicking ass, it could crush the newer flimsy keyboards just from its own weight.
  • RadiantBeing, on 01/23/2008, -2/+3They took a simple, elegant design and added a bunch of crap to it.
  • gungaroo22, on 01/23/2008, -0/+6Keyword: Several.

    Several function keys.

    Not the whole keyboard. You get what you pay for.
  • psygnisfive, on 01/23/2008, -2/+4Right, because 12 OLEDed keys is really competition for a whole ***** OLEDed keyboard.
  • rancidpony, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2I wonder what the non-obvious patentable item is... Programmable keys? Nope. Been done for a long time... Displays screens. Nope been around for a while. Display screens on keyboards? Seems a little obvious. The only thing thats held it off is the drop in prices to make it feasible.
  • BookmasterIce, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Well, i think the whole O.L.E.D. keyboard thing is over rated. Hot keys and Custom key layouts get the job done in software.
    • eryximachus, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1You don't seem to understand what these keyboards do. They aren't just for stupid games, although your lack of vision may lead you to that conclusion. Suppose one day I want to type in English and another day I want to type in Russian? OLED keyboards will let me do that. Obviously, you can configure keys to be whatever you want, but it is an entirely different matter if they key itself changes the symbol emblazoned upon it.
  • ikrit2006, on 01/23/2008, -0/+5I would like to patent the process of using the thoracic diaphragm to inhale and exhale air.
  • clinton1550, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1I can hardly see the point of it. Just get an Optimus!
  • Kyosume, on 01/23/2008, -0/+0I want one of these so bad....

    ....and i have no idea why.
  • colonel62359, on 01/23/2008, -0/+3Am I the only one who finds it strange that, OLEDs aside, the shape and layout of this keyboard is almost identical to ye olde Microsoft Internet Keyboard?
    • Th3Hamburgler, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1You are not. They learned from teh bestest
  • squegie, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2Me? I'm more interested in the Optimus Tactus keyboard
    http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-tactu ...
    but... I want feedback
    http://www.redferret.net/?p=9533
    • Th3Hamburgler, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1is nice
    • Llanowar, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1Mommy, I've been a nice boy this year. Can I get a new keyboard please?
  • twodayslate, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1http://www.unitedkeys.com/
  • AgentAce, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1All of these companies need to either take their ***** or get off of the pot.
  • crichards7, on 01/23/2008, -2/+1I have a G15 gamers keyboard that has a row of programmable macro-buttons. I rarely use more than a couple of them because you simply can't remember what you'd programmed, say, g7 to do. Now if it's picture changed to resemble it's function then I can see the usefulness in that.
  • Th3Hamburgler, on 01/23/2008, -1/+2Fuglish.. it looks like a surfboard with buttons on
  • kinggimped, on 01/23/2008, -3/+1Sweet Jesus on a stick, that's an ugly ***** keyboard, OLEDs or not.

    I still want one, though.
  • supermanred, on 01/23/2008, -1/+2I don't see why they would bother with a billion little screens when all they would have to do is make one huge touch screen and put some tactile overlay on it, that would make the cost of these keyboards much less, and then every inch of the keyboard could be skinned with any image you want.

  • ethos, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1it would be even more awesome if the keys could display video and you could use them for scene selection on a movie
  • jonr, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1I went in the exact other direction. Das Keyboard FTW!
  • homesickalien, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1I hope PC gaming lasts long enough that I'll get to try this keyboard out.
  • emcea, on 01/23/2008, -0/+1This design is pretty smart and actually makes the oled keyboard concept a bit more practical. It sort of combines that cop out "mini three" launch pad with a normal keyboard. I really don't need the entire keyboard to be oleds.... just a few along the top or to the side would be prefect to map to the currently running app. It would also have the benefit of making this thing more affordable and closer to being a "real" product.

    Come on Microsoft... just steal the idea already!
  • jimcavoli, on 01/23/2008, -1/+1The Optimus is a way more compatible keyboard. This is just a decent Windows keyboard with some OLED keys tossed on as an afterthought. The Optimus supports Mac + Windows, and is a better designed keyboard; flatter surface, smaller key travel. I would just as much put the money to an Optimus for the quality and added flexibility - it features 10 extra customizable OLED keys too.
  • darksydxx, on 01/23/2008, -0/+2I would put my wife's face on th CTRL key and I would put my face on the ESC key. I'm sold
  • OrangeyTang, on 01/23/2008, -1/+2I wished logitec would add this to their fabulous G15 keyboards. G-Keys with OLED buttons
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