113 Custom Displays on your Keyboard
Monday, January 01, 1900
I while back I had a conversation with my co-workers about how computer keyboards could be so much more useful if people would just put a little thought into improving them. One idea I had was to put a small touch screen where the number pad is on a standard QWERTY keyboard and be able to customize its display with shortcuts to common tasks on your computer such as launching the internet, reading your email or going to Facebook.
Well it turns out that the people who designed the Optimus Maximus keyboard had a similar idea. This 113-key keyboard treats each key as 113 individual displays allowing you to customize your keyboard with the Roman alphabet, Hiragana, ancient Greek as well as assign custom shortcuts to keys that allow you to launch your favorite computer applications with the push of a button.
At $462 US, the Optimus Maximus is quite a bit out of the price range I would spend to trade in my $10 cheapy keyboard but I feel the idea is valid and may lead to new uses for, what may be, the most overlooked part of your computer.
http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/