Coolest. Keyboard. Ever!

innerSpaceman · 01-12-2006, 02:08 PM

Oh, I can see it being useful for gamers. I am not one. Some people think I'm a tool for buying the computer I just bought because it's a gamers wet dream ... but I happen to believe it will prove very useful to me as well, being beyond the kind of computer you can buy off the shelf.

Optimus seems gamer-only. Less than optimus for me, that's all.

Alex · 01-12-2006, 03:14 PM

I am a gamer (to some degree) and I still don't see it being useful for me. I don't know, maybe I just have a good memory for these things but even in World of Warcraft where just about every key is bound to three or four different commands and I have dozens of macros, I still touchtype the game, never looking at my keyboard.

I've tried those custom game keyboards you can buy (for those who don't game, you can buy special keyboards that have been designed specifically for a particular game) and always end up back at the regular keyboard.

But conceptually it is very cool. Particularly if what it displays can be contextualized to what you see on the screen. If you can do that, then the keyboard becomes a power point of contact user-interface guidance in moving novice users through a series of tasks.

For example, in filling out a form, the first question might be for your name, so all the numbers and most punctuation keys go dark and disabled (reducing data entry errors). The next question is SSN and every key but the numbers goes dark. The next question asks if this is your first time filling out the form and only two buttons are active, one saying "Yes" and the other saying "No."

I can see this being a very useful solution and potentially much cheaper than the touch screens currently used in many similar situations.

Ghoulish Delight · 01-12-2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

But conceptually it is very cool. Particularly if what it displays can be contextualized to what you see on the screen.

Now there's a good thought. If each program could interface automatically with the keyboard, loading a profile at application install, there are some real possibilities. Install and launch a game, and voila you've got the shortcuts right there, the very first use. Even if you're good at retaining them in the long run, that would surely speed the learning curve. Or, launch any MS Office application, hit "ctrl", and icons for all the keyboard shortcuts appear. Again, the key to that being useful would be the ability for the application installer to create and activate the varying layouts automatically, rather than the user tediously having to hunt down icons and assign them manually for each application they want to use.

Moonliner · 01-12-2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Oh, I can see it being useful for gamers. I am not one. Some people think I'm a tool for buying the computer I just bought because it's a gamers wet dream ... but I happen to believe it will prove very useful to me as well, being beyond the kind of computer you can buy off the shelf.

Optimus seems gamer-only. Less than optimus for me, that's all.

Alright you tease, enough already, spill it. Preferably with pictures.

01-12-2006, 02:08 PM	#1
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Oh, I can see it being useful for gamers. I am not one. Some people think I'm a tool for buying the computer I just bought because it's a gamers wet dream ... but I happen to believe it will prove very useful to me as well, being beyond the kind of computer you can buy off the shelf. Optimus seems gamer-only. Less than optimus for me, that's all.
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01-12-2006, 03:14 PM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I am a gamer (to some degree) and I still don't see it being useful for me. I don't know, maybe I just have a good memory for these things but even in World of Warcraft where just about every key is bound to three or four different commands and I have dozens of macros, I still touchtype the game, never looking at my keyboard. I've tried those custom game keyboards you can buy (for those who don't game, you can buy special keyboards that have been designed specifically for a particular game) and always end up back at the regular keyboard. But conceptually it is very cool. Particularly if what it displays can be contextualized to what you see on the screen. If you can do that, then the keyboard becomes a power point of contact user-interface guidance in moving novice users through a series of tasks. For example, in filling out a form, the first question might be for your name, so all the numbers and most punctuation keys go dark and disabled (reducing data entry errors). The next question is SSN and every key but the numbers goes dark. The next question asks if this is your first time filling out the form and only two buttons are active, one saying "Yes" and the other saying "No." I can see this being a very useful solution and potentially much cheaper than the touch screens currently used in many similar situations.
	Submit to Quotes