tema ([info]tema) wrote in [info]optimus_project,
@ 2007-04-24 23:21:00
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Optimus Maximus OLED News
So, after having the worst news (right after the CeBIT our display supplier died) we have the best news.

We've found new OLED maker who agreed to work with our specs. And now I'm pleased to announce that within existing key dimensions we'll have larger viewing area (10.1 mm) and 48x48 pixels resolution (instead of 32x32 px @ 9x9 mm).

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-24 07:57 pm UTC (link)
Sweet!

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-24 08:24 pm UTC (link)
Just to clarify;
SWEET!

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-24 08:25 pm UTC (link)
congrats!

i myself wont be using optimus maximus for two reasons: a) i only use ergonomic kb and b) i just have no need for it

having said that, there's undoubtedly market for this keyboard. contrary to active whining by some its nowhere near too expensive. and, of course, it is insanely cool.

i wish you all the best with it.

btw, do you have eta on verbarius (http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/verbarius/)? now, that toy i'll be indulging myself to as soon as it is out ;)

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-24 11:23 pm UTC (link)
Will be available for sale on November 1. Price until September 1st—158.25 US$, after September 1st—183.12 US$

http://store.artlebedev.com/catalog/office/verbarius/

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-26 04:55 am UTC (link)
i'll brainwash my wife into getting me one of those for christmas ;)

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[info]armitige3
2007-04-24 08:33 pm UTC (link)
That's awesome! Will the increased size and resolution affect the projected price any?

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[info]shaun_a_m
2007-04-24 08:45 pm UTC (link)
Shiny! Too bad this will be too expensive for me to ever consider buying.

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[info]chanelius
2007-04-24 09:22 pm UTC (link)
Nice!
How this will reflect on the date of staring taking preorders and release date?

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Cool
(Anonymous)
2007-04-24 10:08 pm UTC (link)
Congrats, that is very cool!

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[info]bevicarious
2007-04-25 12:42 am UTC (link)
the old displays were going to be 0.9 millimeters?

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 11:04 am UTC (link)
no, the pixels were .9mm

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Price per pixel ?
[info]doub.myopenid.com
2007-04-25 12:50 am UTC (link)
Wow, that 2.25 times more pixels. Will the price grow accordingly ?

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Re: Price per pixel ?
[info]unv
2007-04-25 01:28 pm UTC (link)
The question is - will refresh rate decrease in 2.25 times?

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 02:41 am UTC (link)
Don't you mean the old size was 9.0x9.0mm?

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 07:59 am UTC (link)
Hmm, that would mean 120 ppi (compared to previous 90 ppi), right? That is actually very nice. Normal monitors usually have about 96 ppi.

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[info]funkeymonky
2007-04-25 09:14 am UTC (link)
you are the best

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 11:38 am UTC (link)
That's great!

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 12:09 pm UTC (link)
really nice! :)

btw. did you think of another Keyboard Layout for German/European Users?

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 05:19 pm UTC (link)
Umm, Hello... the entire point of this keyboard is that it can be anything you want it to be.

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-26 04:15 pm UTC (link)
You seem to forget (or simply don't know) that a German keyboard for example has also a different number of keys per row. There are for example 3 keys between L and Enter, and an additional key between left shift and Y.

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 02:01 pm UTC (link)
fantastic!

I just hope the price stays the same as before, or maybe a $100US increase for the full keyboard....i could live with $1600US for better displays :P

Another question though, weren't the keys going to be 20mmx20mm? which means there is a border of 5mm on each side? Cause that's a pretty big border!

Actually 1cmx1cm screen is looking kinda small :( *crys* ohwell :P

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OLED
(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 03:01 pm UTC (link)
Which OLED manufacturer can make these OLEDs? Hopefully this OLED company dosen´t die.
A good OLED Info site: http://www.oled-display.info

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 04:07 pm UTC (link)
20mm^2 is a large key, I hope not.
But I think the plastic cover over the OLED does some magnifying so the border looks smaller.

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[info]gkarydis
2007-04-25 03:25 pm UTC (link)
LONG LIVE THE NEW OLED SUPPLIER!

I am standing by to preorder two of these babies, money all saved and waiting...

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(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 04:13 pm UTC (link)
great news, hope this time the project goes to production.

But I think it needs some price cut to fit my budget - after all, it´s still a keyboard!

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Gizmodo
[info]tphanich
2007-04-25 04:41 pm UTC (link)
I have no effin idea what this is. Gizmodo hijacked me and sent me here.

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Re: Gizmodo
[info]bevicarious
2007-04-25 05:36 pm UTC (link)
Er, try reading the previous posts before you comment. And stop going to Gizmodo, those good-for-nuthin haters.

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Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]spokehedz
2007-04-25 05:34 pm UTC (link)
will ultimately decide on if this product succeeds or fails.

I've said before, if you make this compatible with Linux (get the driver in the kernel, and make the protocol for communication with the device open, or at least documented) then you will have a sale here.

But without those things, I just don't see the average-Joe user needing this. I don't see people who work photoshop needing this either, as they already know what keys mean what... So your target is people who like shiny and niche things. Linux fits that bill, perfectly.

I would love to have a terminal running on my keys. I wouldn't need a monitor anymore.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]bevicarious
2007-04-25 05:47 pm UTC (link)
This isn't a keyboard for average joes and linux geeks who want a novelty. It's for audio/visual professionals, programmers, and gamers with a lot of money. Maybe some day when something like this costs $100-300 it will be more of a niche thing, like high end video cards and 5000 dpi mice are, but right now the only people I see buying this are the ones who really need it. So price.. not really a problem for the target audience, if its durable enough to last in studio environments. Compatibility.. windows driver will cover 80% of the people who buy this and the rest can come later. Availability.. you order it from their website and it arrives at your home in a few weeks. I don't see a problem there.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]spokehedz
2007-04-25 05:59 pm UTC (link)
It's not for audio-visual professionals, they already have dedicated systems setup that have a much more application-specific interface already.

Lets break it down: It is a keyboard, that connects to a computer.

As I said in my previous post, people who use photoshop--and programs like that--already know the keyboard shortcuts for all the things they use it day in and day out for. They went to school for that, or at the very least have enough experience with the programs to know where they are at.

So they are right out.

As are people who type for a living. Document processors touch type--they don't look at the keys at all. Most would outright laugh at you if you said you could give them a keyboard where they keys change to show you the font. Most of them don't even have letters on their keyboards anymore, as they have worn them right off with constant use.

So people who type for a living are out as well.

Video editing. Why would you need a slow, tiny, display on your keyboard? Again, they already have dedicated systems, that are much more purpose-designed, and are already in place.

So those guys are out.

Studio/audio editors. Same deal as with the video. The setups are already in place, and if your looking to spend 1200 bucks on something, it's not going to be a keyboard--unless it has 88 keys, and they are white and black, and has "Korg" written on the side.

Nobody 'needs' this keyboard. I stand by my previous statement of a niche product. This is designed for rich people, or people who like toys. Unfortunately, it will be too expensive for people who just like toys, and if there's no compatibility with Linux it loses all appeal to me--and a fast growing section of computer users.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 06:29 pm UTC (link)
But at least you could make this keys black an white and having one with "Korg" on it^^

SCNR

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]bevicarious
2007-04-25 06:56 pm UTC (link)
I'm not talking about audio engineers who have hundreds of dials, sliders, and pushbuttons in front of them. There are plenty of people who do that kind of work on PCs or Macs, and could benefit from having a quiet, tactile, information rich keyboard at their command.

With respect to graphics professionals, you are thinking "inside the box" here. A keyboard like this wouldn't be used to simply display icons of tools on the keys, there is much more it is (theoretically) capable of. As someone who does this work for a living, and works in 3-4 different programs each with different workflows and key commands, this keyboard would pay for itself rather quickly.

I'd imagine there are a dozen uses for this kind of keyboard to programmers and others who type for a living, but I am not one of them so I'll leave that one alone. If they want to pay $250 for a happy hacker keyboard, thats fine with me.

And for video editing - I didn't imply that the keys could or should be used for video previews, LOL - assuming that is what you were referring to by the lack of need for a "slow, tiny display." Not all video editors have "dedicated systems" to their work - ever hear of Final Cut Pro?

In any case, any one of those examples would make far better use of the optimus than a terminal on your keyboard.

If they can maintain the quality of the keyboard they are shooting for, this will be a welcome addition to many setups.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
(Anonymous)
2007-04-25 07:14 pm UTC (link)
"With respect to graphics professionals, you are thinking "inside the box" here. A keyboard like this wouldn't be used to simply display icons of tools on the keys, there is much more it is (theoretically) capable of. As someone who does this work for a living, and works in 3-4 different programs each with different workflows and key commands, this keyboard would pay for itself rather quickly."

What you are saying is, you don't know your keyboard shortcuts. That sucks, 'cause I learned them within a couple of minutes of training myself--with every program I use.

"And for video editing - I didn't imply that the keys could or should be used for video previews, LOL - assuming that is what you were referring to by the lack of need for a "slow, tiny display." Not all video editors have "dedicated systems" to their work - ever hear of Final Cut Pro?"

Yes, and I know that it has plenty of keyboard shortcuts that speed up editing significantly. If your job is to know this program, then you should know where they are already.

We are arguing two sides of the same coin: You can point out all the uses that this will have, and I can point out that those uses are already solved by a normal keyboard already. All without costing thousands of dollars.

The keyboard will not change what a program has mapped to the keys. They are merely displays, that another program sets/changes based on what program is currently is accepting input. It's basically the electronic equivalent of putting stickers that tell you what shortcut that key maps to.

Yes I know that it can do more than that, but if it's not widespread then programmers won't make their programs aware of it and that's what it will have to be used as.

Niche toy, for people with more money than brains--at this point. We will have to wait and see, if this takes off. I doubt it, because much like the PS3 it will be too expensive, too niche, and nobody will make things that take advantage of it's unique approach because it's not worth the time and effort to cater to that minuscule segment of the population. It will have to be at least half the cost, to even have a chance.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]bevicarious
2007-04-25 08:49 pm UTC (link)
What you are saying is, you don't know your keyboard shortcuts. That sucks, 'cause I learned them within a couple of minutes of training myself--with every program I use.

Actually that is absolutely NOT what I am saying, and if you read and comprehend what I wrote you would know that.


Yes, and I know that it has plenty of keyboard shortcuts that speed up editing significantly. If your job is to know this program, then you should know where they are already.

Again you are thinking inside the box. You are still stuck in the paradigm of a keyboard as an input device. The Optimus is an input/output device, and that distinction changes EVERYTHING. If the only benefit of having screens as keys was remembering shortcut keys, I doubt Art would have bothered designing it and no one would bother buying it.

We are arguing two sides of the same coin: You can point out all the uses that this will have, and I can point out that those uses are already solved by a normal keyboard already. All without costing thousands of dollars.

What I am arguing is nothing close to what you are talking about. The keyboard opens a wide range of options that a standard keyboard cannot, so its not so much about solutions to problems, but different approaches to your workflow.

The keyboard will not change what a program has mapped to the keys. They are merely displays, that another program sets/changes based on what program is currently is accepting input. It's basically the electronic equivalent of putting stickers that tell you what shortcut that key maps to.

That about sums up what is wrong with your thinking. It's more than just electronic stickers on your keys. Although what I have in mind for the optimus is a lot more dynamic and interactive, this post, conceptually, is a small hint of the types of things a screen-key keyboard could do that alter the fundamentals of keyboard input: http://community.livejournal.com/optimus_project/24400.html

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
[info]icywolfy
2007-04-27 12:02 am UTC (link)
The company I work for has budgeted for one for the general testing computer just for the fact that you can see what the hell letter each key is mapped to.

Mainly because half the developers use Dvorak, half use Qwerty, and because of communication requirements, sometimes the keyboard is international English. (the most commonly confused trio) The other cases are a bit more obvious as the display changes language with the keyboard layout (Russian, Greek).
It's a small annoyance to sit at a computer, alt-shift to English, and then start typing, not the characters you want, ctrl-shift, test type the quote to see if it's a dead key (yes/no - ctrl shift again to find the US).

Small annoyance. Easily worked around. But enough of a lingering itch that management bought into it immediately.

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oh no
(Anonymous)
2007-04-26 06:40 am UTC (link)
What you are saying is, you don't know your keyboard shortcuts. That sucks, 'cause I learned them within a couple of minutes of training myself--with every program I use.


Hahahaha.... I'm sorry that comment just made you look 10 years old in my mind.You are saying you learnt all the shortcuts to a graphics editing program in a couple of minutes?? That's like saying you read the LOTR's trilogy by just reading the blurb on the back covers.

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Re: Price, compatibility, and avaiablity...
(Anonymous)
2007-05-21 05:33 pm UTC (link)
I would love one of these keyboards. I'm a technical communicator, formerly in Geophysics software (for ten years), now in medical diagnostics.

I have a QWERTY keyboard at work and an AZERTY keyboard at home.

I can almost touch type on both US and French layouts (well, with about one error in fifteen keypresses), so the Optimus Maximus wouldn't be a great help to me for English or French (or Polish, for that matter).

But when I have to work in Greek or Russian, those OLED keycap displays would be wonderful!

As it would be if, at some point, I needed to quickly update some kana in a Japanese text.

But $1500 is too high a price for that occasional convenience.

I would get almost as much benefit from having one of those virtual keyboards laser-projected onto my desk surface.

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[info]spoonard
2007-04-26 03:51 am UTC (link)
Awesome! I expect a hefty price hike as well to go along with this larger display as well, hmm? I won't have it unless I can pay OVER $2,000 for this.

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Open doors
(Anonymous)
2007-04-26 03:24 pm UTC (link)
I like this message, that sometimes bad news can open up new opportunities. I'm dealing with a lot of bad news at the moment, and it is nice to think that something good might come out of all of it.

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[info]posicat
2007-04-29 05:58 pm UTC (link)
If only they'd make a kit to modify the IBM Model-M keyboard, that'd be the best of both worlds.

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Tom
(Anonymous)
2007-05-20 05:41 am UTC (link)
I haven't seen the keyboard myself on the CeBIT but a friend told me the keys were quite large, which IMHO would seriously limit the usability.

Now, since here is a new OLEd supplier which can suddenly provide more pixels on the same area I have two considerations:

1. Was the right OLED supplier found in the first place? Appearantly there were better ones. And is this now the best supplier?

2. If there was room for more pixels, would there have been room for reducing the size instead? However, I understand that if the plastic work is already on its way, it is very costly to change things and this option is not really preferrable.

Well, we'll see in time.

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