Over the past few days, there has been a lot of interest in a new hardware item—the Optimus OLED keyboard. It is a prototype by a very creative design firm in Russia—the Art. Lebedev Studio which was founded in 1995. Now, before everyone gets all upset because they think I am knocking this particular bit of hardware, or the company in general, please know that I am not singling them out (in fact, I burned a few hours at their site and really enjoyed a lot of their work). I suspect that they did a design study and prototype and posted it in their portfolio where it was found by some sharp-eyed surfer and plastered all over the net.

Some are going to be yelling “vaporware”; or worse yet—think I am yelling “vaporware”! I am not saying that in the least—the company didn't even create this buzz. In fact, they are to be commended as a stand up company for stating clearly where the Optimus is as a potential product on the “path” to production.

Before I go any further with this editorial, let me be candid by saying that when I first saw the Optimus, I was just as excited as you were. “WOW, that is beyond cool” I thought, and even posted a link on our front page and in our forums. My friend and fellow Editor, Eric Hampton, who is often the voice of reason around here, had this to say in the forum thread:

“I would like to point out that this company consists of designers, not engineers. Judging from the other works in their portfolio, they are very creative and technically able—but still designers. What you are seeing is probably no more than a Digital 3D model at this time. That’s nothing new though as most all products are conceptualized before they are released. However, I question just how challenging is it going to be to implement the engineering phase? They say on their site that it’s in its initial stage of production, and they hope it will be released in 2006. Do not misunderstand me, these designers are very good at what they do, and I applaud their ingenuity as it is applied to objects we use everyday. But, I’m a bit skeptical that the finished product, if it arrives, will be exactly as they envisioned. I just don’t feel this keyboard is anything special, and definitely not worth a price tag over $50."

"One of my main concerns is ‘what’s the point?’—and 'what will that point cost?' They say it will cost less than a good mobile phone. That can be pretty steep for a keyboard. And sorry, but most gamers don’t look at their keyboard. If you are, you probably get killed—a lot. Why spend $150-$250 on a keyboard that you’re just going to hammer on while concentrating on the monitor to get that one last frag? You say it’s cool – well, so are 3D glasses, but you don’t see everyone jumping on that bandwagon. I have seen various forum threads and other sites tout this as something that all gamers will want to have, but I see absolutely no reason to have the keys display symbols of stuff for each application. Games clearly wouldn’t benefit from this feature at all."

"What about other applications? Well, maybe—but highly unlikely. I know not everyone can type and some people still hunt and peck. For them this may be a viable solution, but there is nothing that can beat the ability to type without looking at your keyboard. Some say this may help with hot keys and short-cuts in their favorite applications, but looking at the keyboard to hunt for it defeats the entire purpose of having a hot key or short cut! I do not see any justification for having the keys change or be animated beyond the cool factor, and that can only carry it as far as people are willing to pay."

"By now you can tell I am very skeptical about this keyboard. The ideas which have been conceptualized by the design team are very refreshing. However, I find that there is no use for the OLED keys on the keyboard at all. So—the keys can change, be animated and have colors—for a hefty price tag. I’m sure someone will point out that sports cars are the same way, and you’re right. There’s no truly good reason to have one besides the cool factor. I’m not saying the keyboard will totally flop if it comes out, but I don’t think it will be taking over the keyboard market by putting one in every household anytime soon. Particularly without a price tag that can match the current generation. Bottom line: don’t get caught up in all the hype before you actually think through the use/non-use of this keyboard. Until these hit the market and I have one in my hands to review, I will remain skeptical."

I then posted that he was “Peeing on our Parade”. But as I considered his points I had to admit he was right. When he mentioned how caught up everyone was in the buzz surrounding this keyboard, I came to the following conclusions: