I wonder what is the "fully customizable" about this product.
Can you choose the shape of the keyboard? No Can you choose the position of the keys? No Can you choose the size of the keyboard? No
What does this so called "fully customizable" product boil down to? The freedom to omit installing a few keys to make it even less useful? Hey, you can do that with a cheap stock keyboard, a screwdriver and a soldering iron.
You can customize the layout, which is awesome. Want an "emacs" control? You can flash that to the keyboard and use it like that on any computer. Want dvorak? You can do that too, and that is a feature that is hard to come by.
Sure, there's more customizable boards (the Phantom amd GH60, both community-developed, spring to mind), but they're in limited quantities, and due to the massive number of plates required, not really feasible commercially.
You can do that with every regular keyboard as well. Aside from supporting a huge number of predefined layouts it is not all that hard to map each and every key to whatever you fell like.
I fear that "fully customizable" is a rather over-generous term when applied to this product.
Do enlighten me, because besides various programs and and the preinstalled layouts, only registry edits can change those layouts.
And besides, these are hardware changes. You map the keyboard for, say, dvorak on one computer and it is dvorak on all computers. I'm also assuming that the software would let you program key combos for any computer to use. Sure, there are keyboards that are more cumstomizable, but I don't think you really get what makes this special.
The ability to plug it into any machine and achieve the same layout is much less shiny when you consider how infrequently that ever comes up. The difference between the layout being determined in hardware and software is functionally meaningless in almost every situations - Between applications like AutoHotkey, more sophisticated macro programs available with most high end keyboards (designed for gaming but just fine with any other application too) and the built in basic layouts.
And that's kinda the thing here - No-one is ever going to build their own completely custom layout anyway, they are just going to make a slightly tweaked version of whatever they used already (bold guess - QWERTY), and in doing so create something no-one else can use and that costs more than it needs to.
If you need macros then what you need is more keys, not less. If you need to work on multiple machines then you are going to need to use whatever keyboards they have a lot of the time since you can't carry this everywhere and no matter.
This is yet another in a long line of 'nerd cred' products that have been showing up more and more. It's a way to show your bros how much nerdier you are than them, because nerdy is cool nowadays. You wanna show how hardcore a coder you are, then obviously coding on a blank keyboard with a custom layout makes you twice as hardcore as anyone else! After all, we all know that all those schlubs who code just using the normal shortcuts or macros on other keys or enabled through software is clearly faking it. Thing is, this doesn't make you a better coder. It just makes you shallow.
You want a custom keyboard? Make one yourself, from the circuit diagram up. Fabricate every part by hand and you'll get something genuinely awesome.
still the keyboard doesn't even come assembled. someone is making a huge profit margin. from the looks of the Bill of Materials, your looking at maybe $50 in parts, and that's being rather generous on the cost of Cherry MX Switches.
these are coming straight off the surface mount soldier machine, bagged up, and sent directly to you. So metal frame + PCB with MX Switches (not that many in a 60% keyboard)
Yes, someone is making a profit, but I don't think you appreciate the fixed costs that go into manufactured items. Set up costs, equipment costs, etc that normally might be spread across hundreds of thousands or millions of units are only spread over a hundred or so units here.
but this is no special parts. Keyboard caps have been around forever, so have the switches. The only tooling needed is for the metal frame and PCB printing. all which exist on existing keyboard lines.
Unless you're buying in bulk (i.e. thousands or even hundreds of thousands of switches), Cherry MX switches will cost roughly $1 each. So just for the switches, that's $63 for the Infinity. Now you need the keycaps, and while I can't guarantee compatibility for every keyboard out there it looks like you can pick up a set of blank keycaps for $30 or so (but missing a few keys, as the set I found on eBay only has 58 caps). So right there, we're looking at nearly $100. Add in the circuit board, which includes a custom controller that can be reprogrammed to support any layout you might want (i.e. adding multiple layers and such) and essentially the price of $135 + shipping isn't bad at all.
Again, as I note in the article, I'd be far happier with a full keyboard with 10-key, or at least an 87-key compact with dedicated function keys and document navigation keys. But not everyone feels the same and some people really like the idea of a programmable/customizable interface. The Ducky Mini 3 gets you backlighting and nearly all of the features of the Infinity for a slightly lower price, but that's just it: "nearly all" is not the same as "all". I'd still prefer the Ducky Mini as I really like backlighting, but even better for me would be something like the Rosewill (http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Illuminated-Mechani... as I don't really need the customization options.
If you're gonna sell 100, then they need to charge more per product than if they sold 10,000. It is not surprising. My guess is that you're not going to be a customer and that is fine.
I'm not for a variety of reasons. I have no desire to build my own keyboard.
Surface Type Cover is only $129. I mean, obviously some people prefer larger keys and mechanical switches and all that, but I'd love to find a way to turn the Type Cover into a USB keyboard that works on all computers.
I don't see the Surface covers as substitutes for mechanical switches, but as a Surface Pro 2 owner they're much better keyboards than you'd expect from their thinness. (Though the trackpad is just awful.)
I could handle tenkeyless with a separate numpad, but there's no way I could go back to a non-backlit keyboard. Every Massdrop custom design I've seen so far doesn't add the pads to allow LEDs to be inserted through regular MX switches.
I want a fully customizable keyboard, like a large touchscreen with an incline lag on the back that can sit at any angle and be reversable, and a wrist rest to match. Then give me software to customize the keyboard for each program. I'd have it laid out like LCARS unless I was actually in a position to type something, and then a keyboard would pop up. WoW and STO would have stats that would show up on the keyboard kind of like Logitech's G series. To top it off, it would have a built in USB 3 hub and it's own power supply.
So essentially you want something like the Optimus Tactus concept? They've been showing of variations of that theme for almost 10 years now. It's too bad that the few keyboards they have sold cost $1k+.
Essentially, yes, that's what I'd like, and I know it can be produced at a LOT lower cost than the prices Optimus wants to charge. The people behind Optimus want to charge that much because they are elitists, not because it would cost that much to develop and build. People are building $100 Windows tablets. The touchscreen shouldn't be that expensive to build.
The concept of such a thing goes all the way back to Star Trek The Next Generation. They should NOT be allowed to patent it. They can keep their IP on how they implement it, but not on the idea itself.
The problem is you're talking about around a 100 touch-screen LCD panels on those Optimus keyboards that cost $1k+, so it's not nearly the same thing as a tablet.
If you're talking about something like the Tactus concept, then you're essentially talking about a virtual keyboard, little different than the one you already get on your tablet and smartphone. Which largely defeats the point of having a separate physical keyboard. A virtual, touchscreen keyboard sucks; it doesn't matter if its on your tablet or a separate peripheral. People complained quite a bit about the Surface Touch Cover (NOT the Type), but even that is a huge improvement over a virtual keyboard.
Why the heck would anyone need a 100 point touch screen for a keyboard? A five point touch low res screen, like the ones used in a $100 tablet, would be just fine.
Some people like 60% keyboards. I mean, the Happy Hacking keyboard has done very well for itself. I'm looking at a board of this size for my backpack. A TKL is too big.
I guess if you have some special fetish about assembling your own keyboard this could be your thing. I for one would prefer my keyboard to be bulletproof for that price. And BTW the CODE keyboard is not really what it's hyped for and I'm not much a big fan of clear switch apparently. For what it's worth I recommend CM QuickFire Rapid or CM Storm like someone suggested. For your reference I have tried DAS, CODE and Rosewill as well, and my favorite is Brown though I'd take Blue if I want to annoy the people around me with my typing.
96 Fully programmable key positions (8x16 row and column layout) Alphanumeric layout available Color coded keys increase operator speed Etched lables on keys completely customizable for intuitive operations Keyboard can easily be reconfigured on site to match ongoing software changes
Integrated Options:
Three Track MSR Touch Pad Five Position keylock Smart Card Reader
Additional Options:
Any color for 500 units or more Customized Logo Color keys with wear resistant etched symbols Double and Quadruple size keys
Features
96 programmable (8 x 16 keys) and relegendable key positions Integrated options include: Bi-directional 3 track MSR, 5 position key lock, Smart Card Reader and Touch Pad Alpha layouts available Interface: USB Liquid Dust Resistant IP 54 rated OPOS, JavaPOS and WEPOS drivers available Windows, Linux, DOS and Mac compatible Programmable using WinProgrammer Software 3 Year Warranty Avalaible Color: Black or White
"The sample I received came with Cherry MX Clear (White) switches,"
Clears and whites are two seperate switches, and definitely different enough to not be able to be bunched together. Whites have a clicking slider like blues, but are quieter, use a heavier spring, and are pre-lubed from the factory. They are most similar to greens, really.
My only experience with whites is in a Race 75% keyboard, and the feel and click right out of the box between the switches was very inconsistent. It's probably due to the pre-lubing that you mentioned, but it made me think that there was a QC issue with whites.
I suppose I have to ask how you differentiate Whites from Clears; these are definitely "Clear" -- as in, they feel much like Browns and aren't clicky -- but the switches look pretty darn White to me. Clear should be more like this: http://tinyurl.com/ptyspdy
Anyway, I've edited the text to clarify things. :-)
http://imgur.com/a/cXuls I pulled out a couple of my keyboards because I wasn't sure myself. The stems on Whites are completely opaque, while those on Clears are slightly translucent.
Well, it's technically whatever you want it to be. Ironically, the layout on my keyboard was pre-programmed and so I don't even know what all of the layers are set to, and the layer editor isn't live yet. Once that's live, I'll see about reprogramming a few of the keys to my liking. I believe the "Fn" key is currently mapped to both the key to the right of the right shift, as well as to the key second from the right on the bottom row.
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flyingpants1 - Friday, October 17, 2014 - link
Sooo customizable.austinsguitar - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
*spits coffee!* did i just read that price right? it is 1 am you know.... maybe i'm delusional? holy cow!ddriver - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
As with everything else, the price is according to the chump.ddriver - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - link
I wonder what is the "fully customizable" about this product.Can you choose the shape of the keyboard? No
Can you choose the position of the keys? No
Can you choose the size of the keyboard? No
What does this so called "fully customizable" product boil down to? The freedom to omit installing a few keys to make it even less useful? Hey, you can do that with a cheap stock keyboard, a screwdriver and a soldering iron.
Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
You can customize the layout, which is awesome. Want an "emacs" control? You can flash that to the keyboard and use it like that on any computer. Want dvorak? You can do that too, and that is a feature that is hard to come by.Sure, there's more customizable boards (the Phantom amd GH60, both community-developed, spring to mind), but they're in limited quantities, and due to the massive number of plates required, not really feasible commercially.
ddriver - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
You can do that with every regular keyboard as well. Aside from supporting a huge number of predefined layouts it is not all that hard to map each and every key to whatever you fell like.I fear that "fully customizable" is a rather over-generous term when applied to this product.
Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Do enlighten me, because besides various programs and and the preinstalled layouts, only registry edits can change those layouts.And besides, these are hardware changes. You map the keyboard for, say, dvorak on one computer and it is dvorak on all computers. I'm also assuming that the software would let you program key combos for any computer to use. Sure, there are keyboards that are more cumstomizable, but I don't think you really get what makes this special.
LostAlone - Sunday, November 23, 2014 - link
The ability to plug it into any machine and achieve the same layout is much less shiny when you consider how infrequently that ever comes up. The difference between the layout being determined in hardware and software is functionally meaningless in almost every situations - Between applications like AutoHotkey, more sophisticated macro programs available with most high end keyboards (designed for gaming but just fine with any other application too) and the built in basic layouts.And that's kinda the thing here - No-one is ever going to build their own completely custom layout anyway, they are just going to make a slightly tweaked version of whatever they used already (bold guess - QWERTY), and in doing so create something no-one else can use and that costs more than it needs to.
If you need macros then what you need is more keys, not less. If you need to work on multiple machines then you are going to need to use whatever keyboards they have a lot of the time since you can't carry this everywhere and no matter.
This is yet another in a long line of 'nerd cred' products that have been showing up more and more. It's a way to show your bros how much nerdier you are than them, because nerdy is cool nowadays. You wanna show how hardcore a coder you are, then obviously coding on a blank keyboard with a custom layout makes you twice as hardcore as anyone else! After all, we all know that all those schlubs who code just using the normal shortcuts or macros on other keys or enabled through software is clearly faking it. Thing is, this doesn't make you a better coder. It just makes you shallow.
You want a custom keyboard? Make one yourself, from the circuit diagram up. Fabricate every part by hand and you'll get something genuinely awesome.
Morawka - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
still the keyboard doesn't even come assembled. someone is making a huge profit margin. from the looks of the Bill of Materials, your looking at maybe $50 in parts, and that's being rather generous on the cost of Cherry MX Switches.these are coming straight off the surface mount soldier machine, bagged up, and sent directly to you. So metal frame + PCB with MX Switches (not that many in a 60% keyboard)
MadMan007 - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
Yes, someone is making a profit, but I don't think you appreciate the fixed costs that go into manufactured items. Set up costs, equipment costs, etc that normally might be spread across hundreds of thousands or millions of units are only spread over a hundred or so units here.Morawka - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - link
but this is no special parts. Keyboard caps have been around forever, so have the switches. The only tooling needed is for the metal frame and PCB printing. all which exist on existing keyboard lines.JarredWalton - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - link
Unless you're buying in bulk (i.e. thousands or even hundreds of thousands of switches), Cherry MX switches will cost roughly $1 each. So just for the switches, that's $63 for the Infinity. Now you need the keycaps, and while I can't guarantee compatibility for every keyboard out there it looks like you can pick up a set of blank keycaps for $30 or so (but missing a few keys, as the set I found on eBay only has 58 caps). So right there, we're looking at nearly $100. Add in the circuit board, which includes a custom controller that can be reprogrammed to support any layout you might want (i.e. adding multiple layers and such) and essentially the price of $135 + shipping isn't bad at all.Again, as I note in the article, I'd be far happier with a full keyboard with 10-key, or at least an 87-key compact with dedicated function keys and document navigation keys. But not everyone feels the same and some people really like the idea of a programmable/customizable interface. The Ducky Mini 3 gets you backlighting and nearly all of the features of the Infinity for a slightly lower price, but that's just it: "nearly all" is not the same as "all". I'd still prefer the Ducky Mini as I really like backlighting, but even better for me would be something like the Rosewill (http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Illuminated-Mechani... as I don't really need the customization options.
eanazag - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
If you're gonna sell 100, then they need to charge more per product than if they sold 10,000. It is not surprising. My guess is that you're not going to be a customer and that is fine.I'm not for a variety of reasons. I have no desire to build my own keyboard.
mkozakewich - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
Surface Type Cover is only $129. I mean, obviously some people prefer larger keys and mechanical switches and all that, but I'd love to find a way to turn the Type Cover into a USB keyboard that works on all computers.Jeffrey Bosboom - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
There's a Bluetooth adapter available: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/har...I don't see the Surface covers as substitutes for mechanical switches, but as a Surface Pro 2 owner they're much better keyboards than you'd expect from their thinness. (Though the trackpad is just awful.)
edzieba - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
I could handle tenkeyless with a separate numpad, but there's no way I could go back to a non-backlit keyboard. Every Massdrop custom design I've seen so far doesn't add the pads to allow LEDs to be inserted through regular MX switches.iTzSnypah - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
The price is way too steep. For just over half that you can get a Cooler Master Quick Fire Rapid which is a rebranded Flico unit.labrats5 - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
This might be a bit of a polarizing comment, but everyone who is even a little computer savvy owes it to themselves to set up homerow navigationhughlle - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
why?dgingeri - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
I want a fully customizable keyboard, like a large touchscreen with an incline lag on the back that can sit at any angle and be reversable, and a wrist rest to match. Then give me software to customize the keyboard for each program. I'd have it laid out like LCARS unless I was actually in a position to type something, and then a keyboard would pop up. WoW and STO would have stats that would show up on the keyboard kind of like Logitech's G series. To top it off, it would have a built in USB 3 hub and it's own power supply.That's what I call a customizable keyboard.
QChronoD - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
So essentially you want something like the Optimus Tactus concept? They've been showing of variations of that theme for almost 10 years now. It's too bad that the few keyboards they have sold cost $1k+.dgingeri - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link
Essentially, yes, that's what I'd like, and I know it can be produced at a LOT lower cost than the prices Optimus wants to charge. The people behind Optimus want to charge that much because they are elitists, not because it would cost that much to develop and build. People are building $100 Windows tablets. The touchscreen shouldn't be that expensive to build.The concept of such a thing goes all the way back to Star Trek The Next Generation. They should NOT be allowed to patent it. They can keep their IP on how they implement it, but not on the idea itself.
kyuu - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - link
The problem is you're talking about around a 100 touch-screen LCD panels on those Optimus keyboards that cost $1k+, so it's not nearly the same thing as a tablet.If you're talking about something like the Tactus concept, then you're essentially talking about a virtual keyboard, little different than the one you already get on your tablet and smartphone. Which largely defeats the point of having a separate physical keyboard. A virtual, touchscreen keyboard sucks; it doesn't matter if its on your tablet or a separate peripheral. People complained quite a bit about the Surface Touch Cover (NOT the Type), but even that is a huge improvement over a virtual keyboard.
dgingeri - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Why the heck would anyone need a 100 point touch screen for a keyboard? A five point touch low res screen, like the ones used in a $100 tablet, would be just fine.Samus - Sunday, October 19, 2014 - link
I'd be all over a *FEW* of them if they were only 6-row :(Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Some people like 60% keyboards. I mean, the Happy Hacking keyboard has done very well for itself. I'm looking at a board of this size for my backpack. A TKL is too big.SteelRing - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
I guess if you have some special fetish about assembling your own keyboard this could be your thing. I for one would prefer my keyboard to be bulletproof for that price. And BTW the CODE keyboard is not really what it's hyped for and I'm not much a big fan of clear switch apparently. For what it's worth I recommend CM QuickFire Rapid or CM Storm like someone suggested. For your reference I have tried DAS, CODE and Rosewill as well, and my favorite is Brown though I'd take Blue if I want to annoy the people around me with my typing.Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Not really a fetish, but some people love doing this stuff...I still have a keyboard I need to source switches for to assemble.BerndG - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
This is CustomizableFlexibility
96 Fully programmable key positions (8x16 row and column layout)
Alphanumeric layout available
Color coded keys increase operator speed
Etched lables on keys completely customizable for intuitive operations
Keyboard can easily be reconfigured on site to match ongoing software changes
Integrated Options:
Three Track MSR
Touch Pad
Five Position keylock
Smart Card Reader
Additional Options:
Any color for 500 units or more
Customized Logo
Color keys with wear resistant etched symbols
Double and Quadruple size keys
Features
96 programmable (8 x 16 keys) and relegendable key positions
Integrated options include: Bi-directional 3 track MSR, 5 position key lock, Smart Card Reader and Touch Pad
Alpha layouts available
Interface: USB
Liquid Dust Resistant IP 54 rated
OPOS, JavaPOS and WEPOS drivers available
Windows, Linux, DOS and Mac compatible
Programmable using WinProgrammer Software
3 Year Warranty
Avalaible Color: Black or White
Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
"The sample I received came with Cherry MX Clear (White) switches,"Clears and whites are two seperate switches, and definitely different enough to not be able to be bunched together. Whites have a clicking slider like blues, but are quieter, use a heavier spring, and are pre-lubed from the factory. They are most similar to greens, really.
JLQ - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
My only experience with whites is in a Race 75% keyboard, and the feel and click right out of the box between the switches was very inconsistent. It's probably due to the pre-lubing that you mentioned, but it made me think that there was a QC issue with whites.JarredWalton - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
I suppose I have to ask how you differentiate Whites from Clears; these are definitely "Clear" -- as in, they feel much like Browns and aren't clicky -- but the switches look pretty darn White to me. Clear should be more like this: http://tinyurl.com/ptyspdyAnyway, I've edited the text to clarify things. :-)
JLQ - Wednesday, October 22, 2014 - link
http://imgur.com/a/cXulsI pulled out a couple of my keyboards because I wasn't sure myself. The stems on Whites are completely opaque, while those on Clears are slightly translucent.
dorion - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Whats the key to the right of the right shift?Inteli - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Probably a function key.JarredWalton - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link
Well, it's technically whatever you want it to be. Ironically, the layout on my keyboard was pre-programmed and so I don't even know what all of the layers are set to, and the layer editor isn't live yet. Once that's live, I'll see about reprogramming a few of the keys to my liking. I believe the "Fn" key is currently mapped to both the key to the right of the right shift, as well as to the key second from the right on the bottom row.