Optimus Popularis Keyboard
The Optimus Popularis Keyboard
What would make you spend more on a keyboard than you normally would? Simple: a superior one. Even simpler: one designed and created by Art. Lebedev. The Optimus Popularis keyboard, to be more precise.
Ever since word got out about the Russian design company coming out with “a million keyboards in one”, there were a lot of mixed reactions, especially when it seemed that the product would be worth more than $1000. Why, that is even more that what one would normally pay for a computer! However, there are a lot of reasons why the Optimus Popularis is going to be worth every cent of its $1000+ price tag.
The compact Optimus Popularis
Art Lebedev describes the Optimus Popularis as a “compact keyboard with each key displaying any image and being assigned any function”. Measuring 11.5 x 7.3 x 0.74 inches (293 x 186 x 19 mm, l x w x h), this aluminum-and-plastic keyboard would definitely suit the taste of users who value space-efficiency.
The ultra-thin Optimus Popularis
The ultra-thin Optimus Popularis
Its functionality is certainly no joke, since it could be used in just about any creative or artistic field. The Optimus Popularis is so user-friendly that designers, typesetters, and just about any profession engaged in these creative fields will find so many uses for it. Instead of the usual alphabets and symbols on the keys, you can configure its layout to use any language or symbol. You want the keys to show Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, musical symbols, or even images of your choice? Have at it. You can even set it to a Photoshop layout if you want. Aside from static images, you can also set up the keys with gifs or mov files. That level of freedom in customization isn’t something anyone would find easy to turn down.
The Optimus Popularis English layout
The Optimus Popularis Dot Dot Dot layout
If you’re wondering how it is possible to switch layouts or customize the keys, wonder no more. You can play with the settings through the Configurator.
The Optimus Popularis Configurator
With 262,144 colors and a backlit LCD screen, this compact keyboard weighs 3000 g. Art Lebedev Studio now has it up for preorder at $1,086.00, with the first lot expected to ship out on December 1, 2012.
I’ve been following this keyboard – and Lebedev’s other work – and virtually every alternative keyboard – for years looking for the perfect one. I had high hopes for this one and almost pre-ordered one. The Maximus was way too expensive and I read that the key action was pretty bad making it tiring to type on. Also, I wanted a keyboard without the number keypad so my mouse could be closer to reach. Unfortunately, they went to far with the Popularis, adopting a laptop/Macbook-like layout. For all the code editing I do, I need the cursor/page up/down/home/end section of a keyboard and also alt/opt, win/cmd, and control keys on each side of the spacebar.
The new Razer keyboard ( http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-deathstalker-ultimate )looks almost perfect with the layout I want, a touchpad on the right, and 10 Optimus-style function keys on the right with displays behind them like the Popularis. Problem is that there’s no Mac support, which is something that Lebedev has been good with. Oh well – the search goes on.