The keyboard: a basic necessity for the computing world, and the main way in which we control our electronic devices. From cell phones to the keypads we call remotes, perhaps even one day to our automobiles, the keyboard is an essential in the electronic world, and thanks to Art Lebedev Studio’s the keyboard has taken a very futuristic turn.
The Optimus Maximus keyboard looks normal enough at first sight, sleek and flat with black keys and a white base, but upon further investigation these keys aren’t like any you have ever seen before. Instead of a fixed meaning in each key, these keys feature a screen behind every clear cap, allowing the symbols to change. By downloading the software, this keyboard change slide effortlessly through different languages including, among others, Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic and Quenya. Even when switching to languages with relatively similar alphabets, the Maximus makes the transition easier by allowing you to see the changes to the key meanings.
The Maximus uses OLED technology, allowing for miniature screens within the keys are able to change their display. The user can either change either the keyboard’s entire language, or just individual keys to incite certain frequently used characters, or even pictures. The keyboard is operational with both Windows XP or Vista and Mac OS X 10.5.1, 20 MB free and 256 MB or RAM.
The Maximus invokes the style and functionality of a “sensor display” keyboard. That is, a flat-panel board without clickable keys, but rather with the merits of a touch-screen computer. In fact, Lebedev Studio’s is also working on this concept keyboard called the “Optimus Tactus.” While the Tactus is not yet in production, if you wish you can purchase the Maximus for the hefty sum of $1,505.30 (US).
While the investment seems rather large, the Maximus appears to be just the beginning for the future of international and inter-cultural business, considering its design, which allows for flawlessly switch between languages and symbols. But more than this, it appears to be only the beginning for the future of keyboards as a whole.
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