• more about #optimus more comments →
    bagellord: I love my aluminum Apple Keyboard, wired of course. Looks nice, has USB, and I can type hella fast when I need/want to. Only gripe is that I can't use... more »
    spannu: They already make keyboards with blank keys for people who are learning touch-typing, want to customize them, or whatever. #keyboard more »
    Kaiser-Machead: I took a typing class once. I killed my search-n-peck ways, while our key-Nazi blindfolded us and had us type dictation for half an hour. Let's DO THI... more »
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate®: No, this keyboard has keys. Steve's keyboard is a glass, multi-touch trackpad affair. The next line of MacBooks will have it in place of their keybo... more »
    Chimaera: Of course, the next evolution is just around the corner... #keyboard more »
    DirtyDogg: way to many buttons more »
    ripfire: I don't get it. It's not Das. #keyboard more »
    Benguin: I get that it's not supposed to be usable and it's just an art piece, but I still don't get it. "I put wheels on a keyboard. This is my art." Umm, alr... more »
    Bos'un's Mate: It's a great trick board; you should see me turn a kicking BSOD into the three fingered hammer. #skatekeyboard more »
    nutbastard: no mouse? how am i supposed to click-flip this then? #skatekeyboard more »
  • #oled

    United Keys OLED Keypad: The Optimus' Schlubby Cousin

    Engadget got themselves a United Keys OLED Keypad, which may remind you of a crappier Optimus Aux keypad. And, well, they found it to be a crappier Optimus Aux keypad. More »
  • #artlebedev

    Art Lebedev Design for the Rest of Us: Pixelated Mouse-Pointer Fridge Magnets

    When they're not designing $1,500 OLED keyboards or hot WiMax phone concepts, it's good to know the guys over at Art Lebedev Studio like to keep the common folk in mind, sometimes. The common folk who will like to pin up printouts of Gizmodo posts to their fridge with these pixel-art mouse-pointer magnets. They're about 2.5-inches tall and will run you $4 in the Art Lebedev store. [Art Lebedev via Pocket Lint]
  • #optimusmaximus

    The First US Optimus Store Is a Kiosk in NY

    Optimus' first offline retail location in the US has just been opened in New York, but unlike their gigantic Optimus Maximus keyboards, their meatspace location is tiny. Locals can run down to the RCS Computer Experience on 575 Madison Ave. and E 56th Street to try out an Optimus Maximus for themselves, or to check out many of the other various computer accessories they carry. In a sense, it's good that they're starting slow rather than to go through what Gateway stores did in the early '00s (and Dell kiosks did recently). Now those were some bad decisions. [Optimus Blog]
  • #review

    Ten Things You Need to Know About the Optimus Maximus Keyboard Hardware

    It's been three months since we first got a true hands on with the Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard at CES, and we've had plenty of time to experience this innovative gadget by blogging with it full time over the course of three weeks. And by logging hours and hours with the keyboard—much like you would if you purchased one—we've come up with ten things you need to know about the Optimus Maximus keyboard's hardware. More »
  • #gadgets

    Art Lebedev Designing Wireless Optimus Mini 3 3.0

    Art Lebedev and his Lebedevites are hard at work designing a follow-up to the Optimus Mini 3, a smaller, three-buttoned version of the Maximus keyboard we saw at CES. Here's what they're thinking: wireless, possibly Bluetooth, maybe AC-powered. People use this to control PowerPoint presentations (good idea, you can see what's coming up before others do) and would like to have it not tethered to the computer. No actual renders of prototypes yet, but Art says they're coming soon. [Optimus Blog]
  • #optimusmaximus

    Optimus Maximus Keyboard Now Shipping (At Last!)

    It's a day some of us never thought would come. Art Lebedev's Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard is finally shipping to everyone who pre-ordered it. Icing on the OLED cake, the Configuator software is available now, too. If you bought one w/ passive keys, you've still got another month though. [Optimus Project]
  • #optimusmaximuskeyboard

    Optimus Maximus Keyboard on eBay Already

    We got our hands-on with the Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard back at CES, but now you can get your own on eBay. What? Apparently some guy received one of the earlier shipments of the keyboard (the one with unfinished software support) and is now hocking it. It's unclear which model this one is (we think it's the $1500 one, though you should email the seller to be sure), but if you can manage to get it for less than cost, this is a cheap way to grab an Optimus for yourself. [eBay]
  • #handson

    Hands On With Optimus Maximus Keyboard

    We've had video and pictures of the Optimus Maximus keyboard, but now we've got the first hands on with the mythical layout-changing input device. Is it as good as all the hype's built it up to be? No. It's better. More »
  • #conceptvaporware

    Optimus Tactus Touch Keyboard Should Be Called Optimus Retardus

    While we love touch surfaces, as people who type hundreds of thousands a word each week we know that there is a limit to them: keyboards. Like this Optimus Tactus, an extruded shape/touch surface/keyboard concept by Art.Lebedev. We really like the soon-to-be-released Optimus keyboard Art but, seriously, how often do you type on your computer? More »
  • #rumorsmashed

    Rumor Smashed: Optimus Keyboard Not Delayed, Was Always Shipping in February [Updated]

    We're not sure where Impress.jp got their info that the Optimus Keyboard was delayed until late February '08, because from all the info we've got from Art.Lebedev in the past few months (here and here) says that's the targeted ship date. More »
  • #keyboards

    Optimus Keyboard Goes Sub-$500 and Sub-$1000, But Gimped at Launch

    The Optimus keyboard team brings good news and bad news today, with word that they're going to have sub-$500 and sub-$1000 models (not just one $1564 keyboard), but the software will not be ready for launch. That's not to say that you'll buy a $500 keyboard that you can't use; it's just "functionally limited," and will get firmware updates every month or so until it gets up to the point where you're getting all the features you were promised. Apparently the keyboard is so popular that the first pre-order lot is completely sold out. However, the first pre-order lot was only 200 units, so it's not that great of an achievement. If that's you, you'll get your keyboard in the latter half of February '08. [Optimus Blog]
  • #keyboards

    Fairlight $28,000 Xynergi Keyboard Makes Optimus Look Cheap

    These $28,000 keyboards from Fairlight aren't made for you, they're designed for media professionals who need different keys for different tasks. It's the world's first "Self Labeling Illuminated Computer Keyswitch Technology," beating the full-sized Optimus keyboard to market by a good few months. Of course, that price tag is prohibitive to all but the wealthiest of Giz readers (unless you work at a job where this is necessary), so watch the video after the jump and dream about the day when you can have a keyboard that changes its keys for a reasonable price. More »
  • #itsstillexpensive

    Optimus Keyboard Gets Priced: $1564

    We already knew that we were going to be forking out about $1500 for the Optimus uber-keyboard, but now they've got a finalized number. $1564 (Shakespeare's birthday). Fantastic. More »
  • #peripherals

    Optimus 103 Loses a Little Vapor, to Debut at CeBIT

    As first reported on Gizmodo, the Optimus 103 is a joke, or so we thought. After more than a year of speculation, mockups and rumors the Optimus keyboard will actually be a reality when it debuts at CeBIT in the coming weeks. CeBIT is a consumer electronics tradeshow held in Germany. The Art.Lebedev guys are hard at work prepping the key sizes and whatnot, but from what it sounds like there will actually be a working model live at CeBIT beginning on March 21. –Travis Hudson More »
  • #software

    Optimus Configurator Screenshots Continue to Tease

    The Optimus 103 keyboard is still nowhere to be found—same as when we looked last week, but they've just released a set of screenshots for their bundled configurator. More »
  • #peripherals

    Optimus Keyboard Now Has Swappable Keys, Various Models

    Ok, we lied. We're not bored of the Optimus Keyboard yet. Now Art Lebedev, the Russian equivalent of the Duke Nukem creators, have announced that the Optimus keyboard will have swappable keys. What does this mean to you? More »
  • #peripherals

    Optimus Mini 3 Comes in Another Box

    Epiphan, a video signal processing, broadcasting, recording, and printing company, has worked with Optimus to put the latter's Mini 3 keyboard into one of the former's boxes. More »
  • #peripherals

    Exclusive: Video of Optimus Mini Keyboard Doubling as Slot Machine

    I got my hands all over the first Optimus Mini Keyboard—you remember, that one with screens inside each button. Here's the first video of the little fella in action. I set the buttons up to show world time, control firefox and WMP. Then I set it up as a slot machine. Jackpot! The hardware is a little bigger than what I expected, and it's kind of expensive at $160. But there's really nothing else out there like it. Who are we to argue with your keyboard fetishes.– Brian Lam More »
  • #optimus

    Optimus Mini Three Keyboard: First Unboxing, Hands All Over

    Remeber this guy? Supposedly vapor? Well it's not. In case you forgot, this is a little 3 Button Keyboard that uses programmable OLED screens as buttons. So you can put icons of your favorite apps on their faces, and launch them by punching down. The USB keyboard's little screens can even show dynamic images like live webcam feeds, CPU usage, and the time. And, since there are only three buttons, you'll want to make good use of the 6 presets that you can hotkey through. We've been waiting for this one for quite some time, so we're excited to say it's here..sort of. It officially drops in September. Thinkgeek has an unboxing, screenshots, and more details. More images and info, after the jump. More »
  • #gadgets

    Optimus Three Finally Shipping

    More »
  • #peripherals

    Optimus mini three Keyboard Delayed Again

    The saga of Art.Lebedev Studio's Optimus mini three keyboard goes on. The three-button device with OLED screens underneath each button, which the company says might someday be expanded out to a full keyboard, has been delayed again, now pushed back from June 1 to August 15, 2006, because of, according to its developer, "additions and improvements we thought need to be made." Tipster Jeff was one who was seduced by the mini three OLED keyboard:
    "I actually paid for the $100 prepay before April 1st when it became $120. Now the ship date has gone from June 1st, to August 15th and it looks like the price went up from $120 to now $160. However, those of us "smart" enough to get in on the ground floor won't have to pay a dime more (of course not, they can't refund the money; they've spent it). Here's to being optimistic, but I'm pulling out. It's vaporware in my book. Oh yeah, 5% extra off of any additional purchases. Wow."
    The changes cited by Lebedev were the addition of an OLED brightness control for the screens, and extension of the lifetime of the screens to 8000 hours and 100,000 button pushes. The company also announced that development and production of the device were relocated from continental China to Taiwan. More »