Art.Lebedev Studio’s next trick: 12-key Optimus Pultius

[NewsHottie]

The wellspring of spectacular tech ideas that is Art.Lebedev Studio has just come up with another dance along the lunatic fringe, and this one’s a smaller keyboard called Optimus Pultius. Positioned between the not-yet-shipping Optimus Maximus keyboard ($1877) and its diminutive (and now available) sibling, the three-button Optimus Mini Three ($183), all have a tiny OLED screen underneath each key, with the ability to customize the individual buttons.
This mid-sized 15-button keyboard would be used alongside your regular input devices, and you can program it with macros to make your life easier. Each tiny screen can display information, RSS feeds, videos or graphics.
Known as much for its design delays as for its magnificent creativity, Art.Lebedev says it’ll ship this new product sometime in late 2008/early 2009. No pricing has been announced, but this tech doesn’t come cheap. If Lebedev wants to sell it for around $500 — the price of a cheap laptop — it’s going to be hard to find many takers. But we applaud the courage and innovation of Art.Lebedev Studio, certainly an inspiration to the entire tech industry.
Art.Lebedev Studio Livejournal, via Engadget


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