20 replies to this topic

[englishmen]

Any one know where i can buy one of these, cheers.

I'm in the UK by the way

[DjLizard]

OMFG

[englishmen]

DjLizard do you have a link to OMFG and how much do they go for there?

Joking obviousley, why did you say OMFG, whats up.

[Andavari]

I searched high and low for it yesterday using Google and some online stores and couldn't find jack. Perhaps you should contact the people who wrote the article for information about it.

[englishmen]

Andavari, on Jul 15 2005, 01:39 PM, said:

I searched high and low for it yesterday using Google and some online stores and couldn't find jack. Perhaps you should contact the people who wrote the article for information about it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I read the story again and apparently the peeps who make the keyboard are waiting on a patent before they release it. Thanks for your efforts anyway Andavari much appreciated.

[Eldmannen]

That keyboard has hit many computer news websites. I dont think that it is out in the stores yet.

When it will be, be ready that it might cost pretty much money.

You should wait a little and read article by people who actually have used it. I think that maybe it's not as good as it first appears.

Maybe you need drivers and only few applications/games work with it, or applications/games have to be specially written for it or that the quality of the displays on the buttons are bad or are very sensitive?

[rridgely]

Who really needs that though? Every pc game has about the same controls (FPS's do anyway) and who really needs a button on their keyboard to open up Itunes? The only way I could see that being of use is if your can speak many languages and you want the keys to show up in arabic or chinese or something. Sure its kind of cool to look at but its probably a pain in the ass to program as well.

[Tarun]

rridgely, on Jul 15 2005, 11:31 AM, said:

Who really needs that though? Every pc game has about the same controls (FPS's do anyway) and who really needs a button on their keyboard to open up Itunes? The only way I could see that being of use is if your can speak many languages and you want the keys to show up in arabic or chinese or something. Sure its kind of cool to look at but its probably a pain in the ass to program as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I doubt it, they give software to let you setup the keys.

[DjLizard]

It's infinitely awesome because you can program the characters to be any graphic. QWERTY et al can be in a different font every day, if you so desired.

Illmannered, you just have something bad to say about everything, don't you.

And keyboards are controlled by operating systems, not applications/games, fruit. The quality of the displays is evident, and excellent. What do you expect in a few millimeters of space anyway, 1200 dpi?

[Tarun]

DjLizard, on Jul 15 2005, 07:51 PM, said:

And keyboards are controlled by operating systems, not applications/games, fruit.  The quality of the displays is evident, and excellent.  What do you expect in a few millimeters of space anyway, 1200 dpi?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tut tut. Multimedia keyboards need applications loaded for the extra keys to work. My old Gateway keyboard needed this Multi-function keyboard software to have all the extra buttons work.

Quote

Multimedia System Software and the GWHotKey Control Panel application for Gateway's Multi-function Keyboard are currently standard equipment on Gateway multimedia desktop and laptop computers. This application controls all the extra keys you see on the top of the keyboard, including the green or transparent bars you'll see displayed when you change the volume. The CD/DVD controls have been expanded to control most of the popular CD Players, DVD Players and even most of the popular MP3 applications.

[DjLizard]

No, the keyboard needs drivers (installed as a filter driver, as either a service (NT/Me/2k/XP only) or a background process (95/98)). You need an application, to be a front-end to the driver/service. The operating system still ends up handling it. Other applications and games don't give a crap about extra keys, although if there was a common interface to multimedia keys, they could catch events from them if they were so inclined.

But since there's not, most apps and games don't give a crap about extra keys; 'only a few applications/games work with it' is therefore kind of an odd statement. You can theoretically program any key of the keyboard to do anything a user could do (by talking to the window handle, etc). It's just a matter of how, and the method a given filter driver uses to communicate.

[Andavari]

I would only be interested in it if it were a split keyboard design. After seven years of using a split keyboard I can barely type on a standard one since my hands aren't used to the layout.

[englishmen]

More news on the Optimus keyboard, apparently it will be out in about a year and should be less then $200(£114).

http://www.engadget....34000873050764/

[Smiley_101]

I bet like most other cool things it will have a negative effect on the user. Most likly because of the LEDs in the keys it will give you some type of cancer or something.....but that s just me

[Capman]

Never heard of anyone getting cancer from LED's before, (but I do know fluorescents are bad).

Oh no, my keyboard has three LED's, one for num lock, one for caps lock and one for scroll lock, I better not touch it anymore...............

[Smiley_101]

dude im not saying it will give you cancer im just saying that you might get something bad from it....like most cool things ..bad things happen from them

[rridgely]

Smiley_101, on Aug 4 2005, 07:56 PM, said:

dude im not saying it will give you cancer im just saying that you might get something bad from it....like most cool things ..bad things happen from them

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dude, he was just joking. Also dude what bad thing could a keyboard with lights in it do to you?

[Andavari]

You're more likely to get carpal tunnel from a keyboard versus cancer, unless of course you've been smoking a whole pack of cigarettes at one time Cone Heads style whilst typing.

[Grungle]

I'd love one of these. I often have to type in short sections of text in other languages and can never remember where the specail characters are. I've considered buying some cheap keyboards and stickers for the keys and putting them on a switch.

[bpm3k]

I am surprised that no one posted a link to the Optimus keyboard homepage and faq:


Product Homepage
Keyboard FAQ


Quote from FAQ: We hope it will be released in 2006.