Optimus Tactus Touchscreen Keyboard Concept
Art Lebedev, creator of the long awaited and highly anticipated OLED keyboard, has just posted a mock up of the Optimus Tactus keyboard concept. A Transformer of sorts, the design consists of a large touchscreen panel that would allow users / software to create keys and other interfaces in any shape or pattern. This forward-thinking use of touch technology would also allow multimedia to be displayed directly within the input interface! Imagine an intuitive keyboard with the ablity to change form in real-time, accept several input methods simultaneously and display high-resolution multimedia. Amazing, no? Since the technology needed to manufacture the Optimus Tactus already exists, there is really nothing stopping Art Lebedev from making it happen; or is there? The end user price for such a device would likely be more than many computers cost these days, but that actually might not be such a barrier. Think of the hardware that this beauty could potentially replace: keyboard, mouse, monitor (second display or even primary), tablet interface, digital pen, etc. Throw integrated Bluetooth and a simple pair of speakers into the mix and you’ve got an amazing local network PMP and an internet tablet as well. With the right marketing and a good amount of buzz there is a good chance that the Optimus Tactus could find quite a niche in the digital artist / tech-savvy communities. There is of course, just one thing. There had better be something "tactile" about the Tactus or we’re going to have a real problem about that name!
[Via Ubergizmo]
Finally a control panel like that on the Enterprise D!
I was thinking exactly that!
I hope it allows for modification of the layout.
Saw this on engadget yesterday. Where’s the juicy inside info on the next cell releases?
nice idea, but the keyboard is only half of it. The operating system needs to be updated to take advantage of such an input device.
I hope that it’s multitouch. Or else typing capital letters, for example, would be really awkward.
They have these at the Taco Bell drive up window
The Phraze-It Keyboard is the easiest for typing with your fingers on the touch screen of handheld devices. You don’t even need a laptop.
how much does this touchscreen keyboard cost?
I can see a lot of practical applications for this keyboard. If the layout and all can be programmed and altered, I can envision piano keys being displayed on the keyboard for audio programs. Photo editing could be aided if Photoshop tools could be displayed here and the keyboard could function as a drawing pad. You could then draw right on the image you want rather than a blank pad while looking at the screen.