Keyboard!

[DJA]

Andrew Lentvorski wrote:
> Stewart Stremler wrote:
> 
>> We had discussed the idea (at Denny's one night, perhaps?)  of a 
>> keyboard with LEDs on the keys so you can easily remap the keys...
>>
>> Well, someone is going to do that:
>>
>> http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/
>>
>> -Stewart "As mentioned on Slashdot" Stremler
> 
> 
> FAQ: It *will* be too expensive.  *Especially* with OLED.
> 
> FAQ: There is *no* market for it.

(Frequently Asked Question?)

> I actually went through this analysis with someone who came up with this 
> idea 18 months ago.
> 
> Each key has to be independently powered, each key needs a controller 
> chip for the display, each key needs a display in it, each key needs a 
> backlight in it (although you might be able to just backlight the 
> keyboard, but then each key needs some light pipes/fiber optics), etc.

 From what I've read about OLED, its main advantage over current LCD 
technology is that it does *not* need to be back lit (and thus consumes 
*less* power than LCD) and is even easily viewable in daylight.


> You need all that for around $1.00 per key to even hope to be 
> competitive.  You can't even buy a passive black and white LCD for $1.00 
> at 32x32 resolution (they are showing close to 64x64 in color).

Of course OLED technology will more expensive at first, but it is 
supposed to actually lower the overall costs of LCD applications 
significantly.


> In addition, nobody wants multiple keyboard layouts.

Nobody constitutes a pretty big sample.


> First, it breaks your muscle memory.

Musicians are often proficient in multiple instruments with wildly 
different key/string configurations. Why should this be any different? 
In any case, I believe muscle memory is a non-factor in typing. In fact, 
I don't think muscle memory is even applicable to typing.

If you are referring to this,

   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memory>

then I think you are overstating its importance in touch typing. With 
the fingers of most touch typists resting on the keyboard, 
proprioception doesn't really come into play. Touch typing is not like 
the way a pianist uses a keyboard, where the musician's perceptual 
system (including arm and hand muscles) "knows" where specific keys are 
on the keyboard even though he is neither resting his hands on the 
keyboard nor looking at it.

Muscle memory may be a minor factor in the case is which a touch typist 
can lay their hands on the keyboard at the proper position without 
looking (although usually still requiring the presence of the Home Key 
tits to verify that the position is indeed correct).


> Second, how many of customers really work in 2 
> languages roughly equally (if you only use one occasionally, the 
> keyboard makes no sense)?

You imply that few people are multi-lingual. That's more of an 
Americanism than a truism.


> While this looks cool, the economics don't back it up.  OLED or E-Ink 
> needs to come *way* down in price first.

Duh. It's called Economics of Scale.


> They do good Photoshop, and I do love their Mac-centrism.  (Look at the 
> bottom keyboard row).
> 
> -a

And if they had showed a PeeCee keyboard, someone might have said "I do 
love their PC-centrism".

-- 
    Best Regards,
       ~DJA.