X-bit labs

Art Lebedev Runs “Second Test” of Optimus Maximus.

Category: Multimedia

by Anton Shilov

[ 08/09/2007 | 10:16 PM ]

Art Lebedev design firm has showcased functionality of Optimus Maximus keyboard for the second time, demonstrating flashing lights as well as the form of a key. The demonstration emphasizes that electronics part of the keyboard works without major issues.

A new video that Art Lebedev posted on the popular YouTube web-site demonstrates functionality of the numeric keypad part of Optimus Maximus. Based on photos of the keys with embedded screen , the quality of the latter is at least acceptable, a good news for those, who pre-ordered the device.

It is also interesting to note that Art Lebedev has changed the form of the keys to provide better ergonomics. Earlier the design firm received critics over the form of its keys. Typically, keys on the keyboards feature a kind of a ramp to allow users to point exactly in the middle of the button and do not touch the keys nearby. Additionally, keys usually feature trapezium-like form, whereas Art Lebede’s Optmius keys featured cube-like form, according to pictures released by the company initially. Nevertheless, the actual form of the keys seems to be more user-friendly.

Optimus Maximus is a full-sized 113-keys keyboard with colour OLED screens located inside each key. The screens are 10.1mm² large and have 48x48 pixels resolution, according to its developers. Specially designed software will be able to change images on the colour screens depending on the program running.

Art Lebedev started accepting pre-orders on its Optimus keyboard on the 20th of May and it took the company 12 hours to pre-sell 200 keyboards that cost $1564 each.

The company planned to ship the first batch, or 200 pieces, of Optimus Maximus starting 31st of November. The company promised that in December, 2007 and January, 2008 it will ship another 200 and 400 units, respectively.