Das Keyboard: Hit Any Key 479
Black hardware just can't help looking cool (think TIE fighters, NeXT Cubes, and the hard-to-find black SE/30 case you might have lusted for in 1994), but have you ever wanted an all-black keyboard? Das Keyboard, from Austin-based Metadot, fills the craving for those so afflicted, and by "all-black," I mean something very nearly that: except a small white label ("Das Keyboard") in the upper left corner and labels for the three usual indicator lights -- num lock, caps lock, and scroll lock -- there's nothing but black to see. The keys are unlabeled in any conventional sense, though the index-finger keys of the conventional home row (F and J) are marked with the usual small bumps; theoretically, this should make typing more accurate after a time, just because cheating with one's eyeballs isn't a possibility. It's the aesthetic opposite of the recently announced Optimus keyboard; this is high minimalism applied to the modern keyboard. The truth is, I wanted to like Das Keyboard. It looks cool, and the concept sounds, well, sound. The thing itself left me a bit disappointed, though; I've outlined my reasoning below.
The problem with inviting comparison
Metadot borrowed from the best in the design of their keyboard: dimensionally, it's just about a dead ringer for an IBM Model M. Compared to my 1984 Model M, Das Keyboard's chassis is less than a half-inch shy of the M's longest dimension, and that half inch is shaved off the the outermost edge; key size, curvature and placement are identical to that of the Model M, at least to the limit of the measuring instruments mounted to each side of my nose. (The underside looks quite a bit different, though: A fair amount of Das Keyboard's undercarriage is just empty space, because the plastic underneath follows the curve of the keys themselves, leaving a small wedge of air.) The board's 6-foot USB cable (nice and chunky) exits to the rear through a neat slot straight up from the Caps Lock indicator. However, the dimensions are unfortunately where the resemblance ends, because the great thing about older, mechanical-action keyboards like the Model M is not so much how they look, but how they feel beneath the hand. Instead of the clacking, snapping action of buckling-spring keyboards, manufacturers have mostly moved to cheaper, less-complicated membrane keyboards, some of which feel better than others. My impression on opening the box and giving the black keyboard a lengthy groping was that the Das Keyboard's action is a bit squishy. To be fair, in the current keyboard market, most of the competition feels no better, and many competitors feel worse. Some people prefer the feel of membrane keyboards, though, so don't take my word for it -- taste in keyboards is idiosyncratic at best. As membrane boards go, Das Keyboard is on the good side of average.About that extreme makeover ...
So what does the all-black color scheme do for one's typing speed? According to the company, by taking away the crutch of key labels, the user is forced to learn better typing skills and concentrate on their computer's screen.This may be true for some people, and it sounds like a good theory, but in several weeks of use, I never quite swam, and mostly sank. Whenever I'd hit a wrong key (which was often), I found myself either hunting-and-pecking or craning my neck to peek at a conventional keyboard a few feet away for guidance. I'm an untutored typist, but several years of moderately heavy keyboarding mean I'm at least not a newcomer to entering text with a keyboard -- I even rather enjoy it, most days. However, maybe I'm just a slow learner, but I haven't had as much frustration with a keyboard since I played with a Twiddler a few years ago. Maybe I glance at my keys more than I realize on my conventional keyboard, or maybe it's simply that I had a hard time getting used to the feel of the board, but in the end I ended up disappointed with my speed using Das Keyboard. That's not to say that a better typist would feel the same; maybe I'm just not to the threshold of typing skill that Das Keyboard requires.
According to a company representative, the keys on Das Keyboard are divided into several distinct groups, each with their own response. I tried in vain to detect the difference between keys in various groups, and think I faintly detected it, sometimes. But the difference between any two of the keys on this keyboard (harping, I know) seems far less than that between any of Das Keyboard's keys and its equivalent key on a mechanical-action board. An exception is the space bar, which really did take the promised extra effort to press down: this is a welcome change, and I hope other keyboard makers license (or at least copy!) the idea, because I tend to keep my thumbs on the space bar. (I'd like to see a mechanical-switch version of Das Keyboard, which would retain the neat looks but do away with the milquetoast response.)
Das Keyboard (Score:5, Insightful)
So... (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh FFS! (Score:5, Insightful)
In the war between style and substance, you are the losers!
Again? (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, it's been on ThinkGeek for a while.. (Score:4, Insightful)
How is this news?
While we're on the subject, I've been looking for one of the old black, metal keyboards from the 80's. But to no avail. Does anyone have any tips? PS/2, AT, whatever doesn't matter. Thanks.
happy hacking keyboard (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Top Ten (Score:4, Insightful)
Why ALL of the keys? (Score:5, Insightful)
I've got a keyboard that's essentially the same. It's a Canadian keyboard layout, which has a QWERTY layout, but all of the auxiliary stuff is labelled wrong (shift-2 is ", for instance). But I've got it on an English layout.
I can type on it - reasonably well. But sometimes I still have to guess as to where the | key is, or exactly which one is the ]. It hasn't really sped things up.
I would've preferred leaving labels on for the non-letter characters. Especially considering that not all special character layouts are the same on keyboards - especially laptops (where the heck is the delete key!).
Save your money (Score:3, Insightful)
I know the very idea of slashdotters learning something from being taught is wildly foreign, but figure I'd throw it out there anyway. This is a product with no real market outside of a handful of elite idiots whom you'd never want to meet anyway.
Re:Not hype enough (Score:2, Insightful)
Oh, boy, do I beg to differ on that point. I mostly do number crunching on spreadsheets all day. My job would be impossible to get done without a numeric keypad.
That said, my main keyboard is a black, USB Happy Hacking Keyboard Lite 2. For a numeric keypad, I plug a slim, IBM USB numeric keypad into one of the USB ports on the HHKB. It's the ultimate in ergonomics because I can position the numeric keypad in any position that feels comfortable.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So... (Score:4, Insightful)
When the company selling you a product tells you the product will help demonstrate your status as l33t or rich or cool or whatever it's probably a safe bet that they're ripping you off.
Re:"Compared to my 1984 Model M..." (Score:2, Insightful)
Now don't get me wrong I found your post pretty funny, but I just wanted to point out the obvious fact that keyboards have suffered badly from comoditization. They break more often, are so light they tend to bounce around on the desk, and most have truly AWFUL key feel.
This isn't so bad if you're a casual user or web surfer who rarely types anything of any great length, but when you're a programmer who types 8+ hours per day or are in any other job that requires long periods of typing, using a keyboard that costs more than $19.95 can really make a difference.
Of course, you have to actually find one that's worth the extra money...
Apt comparison... (Score:3, Insightful)
Dude, this is *slashdot*. Everybody here over 25 years old understands exactly what he's talking about with regard to the 1984 Model M's.
But your comparison is indeed apt. It's exactly like a car or a fine wine... only for nerds.
For people who sit in front of a computer 12+ hours a day, keyboards matter.
How expensive is Slashdot article advertising? (Score:4, Insightful)
Any any manufacturer saving money on screenprinting the keys can do this too - I guess the real innovation is to pass these savings in production costs on the customers as a premium price. No, wait, MS has been doing that for years.
Now, the Art. Lebedev keyboard really IS innovation, and guess what? It won't be terribly difficult to give that all black keys either. Just as pointless as "Das Keyboard" (yeah, saved money on branding as well) but at least it has some real innovation - and decent design.
Frankly, I can't wait to see the latter one go into production.