Optimus Maximus Keyboard Review
Hardly anyone can imagine the current computer without a keyboard - someone is scribbling on the command line, someone is in a text editor. Still others - communicate in ICQ or train the ten-finger printing method. In general, it is clear - nowhere without the keyboard.
Another thing - what is it, the keyboard. After all, there are disposable pieces of plastic for 150 rubles, and there are good ones. There are with a small keystroke and quiet when typing, there are all sorts of additional keys and other ryushechkami.
And there are a half thousand dollars, yes. Execution can not be pardoned? ;)
')
* This article is a copy of the original in my blog. Do not count for advertising, but I advise you to look at it for it - there are full-fledged pictures. I also insert reduced copies here, because big pictures are something very big :) There are also a lot of pictures on the subject at the end of the article. Links in the article to NNM may not work - on the site, as always, "work" :) *
You guessed it - it’s about the well-known keyboard from the well-known Artemy Lebedev . But I’ll say right away that in the discussion I don’t intend to watch the battles at the expense of Artemius himself, which is something that many people like to do (I judge my previous article about his other keyboard - Optimus Mini Three ). Is everyone warned? ;)
Full name - Optimus Maximus . Judging by the “ Press ” tab on the website about the keyboard, the last mention of it on the Russian-language Internet dates back to January 2008, and it seems there have never been any reviews — so you read, to put it mildly, the original source is perhaps the only review so far; )
I am not a rublioner and I don’t have any extra 44,000 rubles on the keyboard - I was kindly given to the test by our athlete Andrei Smirnov , who won first place in the running competitions held by Tema in the fall of 2008. From here, by the way, this main prize was drawn. Thank you for your trust - not everyone will trust the gadget for 44K to an unfamiliar Bumburum)
So, flew .
I did not get the keyboard in its original form - it was warmly wrapped in a blanket, it lay in two bags. But I also saw the packaging at the ceremony - it is just awesome.
Inside the box was :
- Keyboard;
- Device for removing keys;
- Wire for power;
- USB wire;
- Flash card 512 megabytes;
- Instruction;
- 2 spare buttons of standard size;
Not as thick as I would like - even in my keyboard ( Logitech diNovo Edge ) there was a branded cloth for wiping, a driver disk and other credit cards included.
Well, let minimalism be a friend of man. Then why is the keyboard just huge ?! :) She inspires confidence from the first seconds of dating. Dimensions (in mm): 537x173x38 - this is almost all of my worktop on the desktop. Apparently, the weight of the keyboard is deliberately not indicated on the offsite - as much as 1785 grams! We swing muscles, gentlemen.
Build quality is very good - nice plastic; during the first inspection, he did not notice any backlashes, heats of parts or cracks, from where the wind could blow. No squeaks, keys on the New Year shine from any light source :) Toli weight makes itself felt, toli some special kind of rubber in four legs on the back of the device - in general, the keyboard does not slide at all, which is undoubtedly good. On the back side there are: power connector, usb mother, Kensington lock hole, SD card slot and two USB 2.0 ports. On the sides of the keyboard - rubberized insert. At the front, near the logo, there is a light sensor - supposedly to adjust the brightness of the screens. But just as I did not cover it with my palm, as I didn’t shine a lamp, this had no effect on the brightness of the screens.
The keyboard is available in two colors - black and white.
Jokes with someone else's expensive device are bad - first I read the " instructions ". For some reason, it was evident that everywhere on the site is written YUSB, and in the downloaded documentation - USB. Similarly with “Windows” and “Windows” - to write like this in the same style :)
I am embarrassed by the following text from the manual:
“The warranty does not apply to cases where a product malfunction is caused by its use in conjunction with other products, software or accessories. The warranty also does not cover cases when the studio establishes that the malfunction is caused not by a defect of the product itself, but by something else "- it turns out that they have practically no warranty cases :) There is no warranty case - no problems.
Each of the 113 buttons consists of the following: The OLED-screen with a resolution of 48x48 (65,536 colors) of dots on a special contact is firmly fixed in a transparent plastic shell, which, in fact, plays the role of keys. Having carefully considered their device, it becomes clear that Tyome (or his techies) had to solve the following dilemma - either to move only the plastic shell around the screen, which will extend the life of the keyboard; or move the screen itself back and forth, winning in size. The first option was chosen, which is probably correct. Due to this, by the way, and we have fairly large button sizes, and in the aggregate - the size of the device. The lifetime of organic diodes in displays — about 20,000 hours with an average level of brightness — if you press on loaves 24 hours a day, then after 2.2 years the light of the screens goes out.
The size of the keys themselves is 20.2x20.2 mm, the stroke when pressed is about 5 mm. The visible area in the button is 10x10 mm (the viewing angle is 160 degrees), i.e. each screen is framed by a 5 mm black border. Why it could not be done less - guessing on the coffee grounds.
I draw attention to the fact that in addition to the usual letter keys and the numeric keypad, on the left side there are an additional two columns of buttons - they also influenced the final size.
I take the power cord - it is inserted into the outlet through the existing adapter, and the other side into the keyboard itself. Then I connect the device to the computer via the included USB cable (it is USBA-USBB, that is, not the most common. It would be much more convenient if it were USBA-USBminiB, which comes with most cameras, music players and other communicators ).
One by one, successively, white squares on each key start to light up - the whole process takes about 10-15 seconds. After that, you can work on the keyboard :) But not in full force.
Simply plugging in the keyboard, there is only one language on it by default - the rest available in the system will appear on the keyboard only after installing the software - it is called the “ configurator ”.
What again was guided by Artemy - it is not clear, but there were no drivers in the expensive box. Neither on a separate disk, nor on the bundled memory card.
I download software from the site, for Windows it is about 2.7 MB. Installing, appears in the tray icon. Double-clicking starts the configurator itself - about it a bit later.
So, in front of me 113 luminous buttons. The wife, near the glitter in her eyes, held her breath - this device was also SO impressed.
The first thing I want to do is press Shift. By clicking, I confirm - as in the demonstration videos, all the letters become large, the digits turn into special signs. The next thing I want to do is to quickly press Shift a couple of times in order to check how quickly the keyboard will respond. And it was not there - I was pleasantly surprised :)
Then I write to someone in ICQ something like “ Hi. You are the first to whom I write a message from the keyboard Optimus Maximus "- hell, I like it. Just magical!
But the good should be in moderation - apparently, this was the motto of the creators. Having printed for half an hour, my wife said, “ Enough, I don’t hear the TV, ” while the images on the keyboard were slowly redrawing :(
In fact, the keyboard “works” quite loudly - with my 400 characters per minute, at night you can wake up Ilyich in the Mausoleum, not to mention relatives and friends in the neighboring rooms. For comparison, I immediately tried to print on my diNovo - it seemed to me that it was silent.
Printing is not inconvenient - unusual. And once, having got used to Optimus, I again moved to my keyboard - like a bud I learned to walk anew. The distances between the keys and their dimensions themselves are unaccustomed, the depth and power of pressing are unaccustomed, the layout - everything seemed unusual. But still, at Optimus you can print more than quickly - checked.
Regular keys are pressed fairly well and evenly, which can not be said about large keys, such as the space bar. Although there are not so many of them, you need to get used to their pressing - it’s best to do it in the center, then you’ll probably click :)
And about the slowdown ... I don’t know what it is connected with, but after some time, noticeable brakes appear (as it turned out later, not only for me) - the whole keyboard when the Shift is pressed or when the layout is changed, the second 3-4 are redrawn. Especially terribly it turns out, when you type a word like “NoNaMe” for half a second, and then with your peripheral vision you see how Optimus spent 15 seconds his life. Or if you insert any device into the USB port of the keyboard, then we have the same effect. It helps in such cases restarting the configurator or the keyboard “off-on” - but is this the ultimate dream of any owner of this thing?
Having plenty of indulgence with the Russian and English layout, I launch Photoshop - it was there, judging by the clavs demo videos, I had to have an orgasm, and it was there that Subject surprised me again. Waiting for Photoshop to load, I notice that nothing has changed on the keyboard at all. NOTHING. Those. there are no eraser icons on the buttons, not even brushes or pipettes.
I call Andrei to find out where he is doing the layouts for the programs (“NOW, in the keyboard for a bag of money everything should be perfect, there is a 512 meter USB stick - there should be 512 meter layouts!” I killed myself). It turns out that he, just like me, did not experience an orgasm, because There were no initial layouts at all))) and there is still no such thing either on a flash drive, in the configurator, or even on Optimus's website! Carefully searching, I found a minimum - but I expected an incomparably more.
Remembering that I did not buy the clave, but I was just given it to the test, I calm down. I decide to make a layout for Photoshop on my own. What is there - a couple of icons, zabindil buttons and ready.
I studied the configurator manual , made a screenshot of Photoshop, cut out a couple of icons in it - I try. Remarkably - 16x16 icons, screens - 48x48. Delete. I scale the icon 16x16 to 48x48. Delete. Something more or less happened to me for the third time - when I made the screenshot scale not 100%, but more and re-screenshot - then the icons were not blurred and had clear boundaries. Carefully cut it all out, save it, paste it on the buttons in the configurator. Apply, switch to photoshop - hurray! Already something.
But here, not everything is smooth. Since the layer (read below) with photoshop icons in the configurator is needed ONLY in Photoshop (why does it, for example, in Winamp?), Then it is accordingly configured to be active only when the Photoshop is running and active. Those. when the focus is on photoshop, the buttons are my forced icons. Those. if I want to save a picture, I need to type her name in the save window in Photoshop with ICONS :) In general, the trouble is complete again.
Being in limbo, I do not know - to laugh or cry; I’m not losing hope, I’m looking for layouts, I’m looking for at least something ... but there aren’t any Optimus fanclubs on the Internet at all, apparently, there are not so many enthusiastic fans :)
Well. It remains to pick in the configurator. You can do it yourself by downloading it from the site. A small (4 pages) manual is attached to it, which tells about the principle of action, a “test” layout is made.
The bottom line is as follows:
Customization of keyboard layouts is based on layers - they contain information about the images and functions assigned to each key. Layers can be attached to a program or not depending on which program is active. The layout displayed on the keyboard is the result of merging layers. If any button in the layer is not defined, the function from the previous layer is used.
Those. it turns out this way - initially there is a lower level, just a system layout. Over it, layers are created that are assigned to certain applications (winamps, photoshop, opera, etc.) - each has its own buttons. As a result, it can be done beautifully and conveniently, theoretically, for any program. And considering that you can display almost any information (text, images, video) on each screen - everything will be limited only by your imagination ... and the inconvenience of the configurator :(
It is possible to display all sorts of indicators - system loading, weather, time, email notifications, text, links, keyboard shortcuts, icons, pieces of text (up to 255 characters long) - but all this is rather inconvenient.
Pampering, of course, but I wanted to make the girl nice - a kind of declaration of love)) until I turned off all the screens and wrote the cherished words on the right buttons - it took about 20 minutes. Accordingly, to create something really beautiful and useful, thinking about the nuances and elaboration of the details - it will take much more time.
I worked with version 0.0.15 and it is still the last. A lot of uncomfortable moments - even strange. In the project's blog, in the latest news, it is said that the second version of the configurator will be soon - 3.0, where everything will be redone radically - but as long as this is not the case. I hope that someone lucky ... and I give the keyboard;)
By the way. We have a mutual friend, the author of the wonderful program Mars Notebook and Mars WinCleaner - he has the same keyboard and, having found out that I will write a review, made his bug report, which he sent to me. Almost all of this list is the same for us, from where I can easily draw conclusions that it was not a crude beta version that came into my hands, but a serially released product. The only difference is that scuffs appeared on his mobile plastic caps of large buttons, which, apart from polishing, cannot be removed. And at me - the bright images on buttons flickered :)
Cons :
- Awesome price;
- Loud clacking;
- Very branded surface - and buttons and body;
- General inhibition after some time of work;
- A bouquet of all kinds of artifacts appearing with time (sticking, button skewing, scuffing, dimming of screens);
- You need to press the keys strongly, from above. Otherwise, it may not be clear if a key is pressed or not;
- A small screen in the gap is terrible. It would be great, it would be possible to display the names of the tracks in Winamp and RSS and anything else at all;
- Two wires stretch to the keyboard, which together look rather poor - in such a case and weight it was possible to fit the batteries for the whole service life;
- When the system starts, the keyboard does not work;
- Raw software (at least under Windows);
- Russian and English letters at the same time - so far only on ordinary keyboard :)
- Also, there was no possibility to change the layout, which would be if the configurator is NOT running;
- Lack of ready-made layouts, sensible support;
- Scanty equipment;
- In general, 12 kilobytes of text above :)
Pros :
- The idea is just 10 points on a 5-point scale. (I’ll dump everything at this point - the ability to create any layout, create any display, set of links or something else). To consider something in detail does not make sense - it will not make special weather. But still - bravo!
In the end, I am upset. I wanted to feel a unique device, and now I even regret a little that my hands were soiled :) No, the keyboard is undoubtedly good. More precisely, the idea is good, it is simply gorgeous! BUT. The first pancake came out lumpy - starting from the many nuances of the keyboard itself, ending with the dampness of the proposed software. A huge number of all sorts of layouts - this is what is missing at the moment, and that could be a couple of days to make five enthusiasts. But even if you fix a couple of thousand lines of code, there's nothing to be done with the iron.
As Artemy released such a raw product - I guess. I don’t have anything against Them - sometimes he does amazing things, and in Lynch I sometimes just sit for hours. And considering the images from the recently closed column “Process” on his website, he was often amazed how carefully he worked out every detail of what he undertook. Even if you look at the separate blog “ Optimus Project ” - you can see how carefully he approached working out many details. But here he obviously hurried somewhere - apparently, a vigorous developing competitors played a cruel joke, which at any moment could have produced something cheaper and worthwhile.
Immediately, nothing is worked out and for some reason I am more than confident that not all stones should be thrown into the designer's garden. One person cannot equally well design, program, write manuals and follow the technical process. His is probably only an idea (and that is not new ?) And general management, the rest is the “work” of people from the studio whom I would have deprived of prizes for a couple of years. And if you are in charge - lead like this, not “lead” :)
Probably, those who have already acquired a kilogram of plastic will agree with me - guys, hold on) Who knew) Later Andrey (the owner of the keyboard) told me that a week after me, he had a broken adapter and he moved to his old, time-tested keyboard And also a couple of times, in the area of ​​the buttons above the arrows, one of the buttons was stuck so that he resuscitated it with difficulty. Here is how.
I prophesied Optimus2 - because such an idea cannot remain without worthy of attention - sooner or later they will create a THING.And I really hope that even if it costs the same, it will take everything into account and everything will be perfect - from the bundle, software, functions, to support and prevalence. In the meantime, I will give advice - hide the money and just write something adequate in the comments;) And if you really want a great keyboard - take a look at the one I mentioned briefly in this article, its review was at the dock - you will be happy as a cat cream .
Such is the article without addiction. All success, Tyoma - shake your mustache and do not lay off your hands! ;)
In conclusion - a couple of pictures on the topic:
More .
PS: Interestingly, post a link to me in my press? :) For the first time posted.
PPS: Thanks again to Andrei Smirnov for the keyboard. Middle_Ho - for help with photos;)
PPPS: With the birth of my son :)
Another thing - what is it, the keyboard. After all, there are disposable pieces of plastic for 150 rubles, and there are good ones. There are with a small keystroke and quiet when typing, there are all sorts of additional keys and other ryushechkami.
And there are a half thousand dollars, yes. Execution can not be pardoned? ;)
')
* This article is a copy of the original in my blog. Do not count for advertising, but I advise you to look at it for it - there are full-fledged pictures. I also insert reduced copies here, because big pictures are something very big :) There are also a lot of pictures on the subject at the end of the article. Links in the article to NNM may not work - on the site, as always, "work" :) *
You guessed it - it’s about the well-known keyboard from the well-known Artemy Lebedev . But I’ll say right away that in the discussion I don’t intend to watch the battles at the expense of Artemius himself, which is something that many people like to do (I judge my previous article about his other keyboard - Optimus Mini Three ). Is everyone warned? ;)
Full name - Optimus Maximus . Judging by the “ Press ” tab on the website about the keyboard, the last mention of it on the Russian-language Internet dates back to January 2008, and it seems there have never been any reviews — so you read, to put it mildly, the original source is perhaps the only review so far; )
I am not a rublioner and I don’t have any extra 44,000 rubles on the keyboard - I was kindly given to the test by our athlete Andrei Smirnov , who won first place in the running competitions held by Tema in the fall of 2008. From here, by the way, this main prize was drawn. Thank you for your trust - not everyone will trust the gadget for 44K to an unfamiliar Bumburum)
So, flew .
I did not get the keyboard in its original form - it was warmly wrapped in a blanket, it lay in two bags. But I also saw the packaging at the ceremony - it is just awesome.
Inside the box was :
- Keyboard;
- Device for removing keys;
- Wire for power;
- USB wire;
- Flash card 512 megabytes;
- Instruction;
- 2 spare buttons of standard size;
Not as thick as I would like - even in my keyboard ( Logitech diNovo Edge ) there was a branded cloth for wiping, a driver disk and other credit cards included.
Well, let minimalism be a friend of man. Then why is the keyboard just huge ?! :) She inspires confidence from the first seconds of dating. Dimensions (in mm): 537x173x38 - this is almost all of my worktop on the desktop. Apparently, the weight of the keyboard is deliberately not indicated on the offsite - as much as 1785 grams! We swing muscles, gentlemen.
Build quality is very good - nice plastic; during the first inspection, he did not notice any backlashes, heats of parts or cracks, from where the wind could blow. No squeaks, keys on the New Year shine from any light source :) Toli weight makes itself felt, toli some special kind of rubber in four legs on the back of the device - in general, the keyboard does not slide at all, which is undoubtedly good. On the back side there are: power connector, usb mother, Kensington lock hole, SD card slot and two USB 2.0 ports. On the sides of the keyboard - rubberized insert. At the front, near the logo, there is a light sensor - supposedly to adjust the brightness of the screens. But just as I did not cover it with my palm, as I didn’t shine a lamp, this had no effect on the brightness of the screens.
The keyboard is available in two colors - black and white.
Jokes with someone else's expensive device are bad - first I read the " instructions ". For some reason, it was evident that everywhere on the site is written YUSB, and in the downloaded documentation - USB. Similarly with “Windows” and “Windows” - to write like this in the same style :)
I am embarrassed by the following text from the manual:
“The warranty does not apply to cases where a product malfunction is caused by its use in conjunction with other products, software or accessories. The warranty also does not cover cases when the studio establishes that the malfunction is caused not by a defect of the product itself, but by something else "- it turns out that they have practically no warranty cases :) There is no warranty case - no problems.
Each of the 113 buttons consists of the following: The OLED-screen with a resolution of 48x48 (65,536 colors) of dots on a special contact is firmly fixed in a transparent plastic shell, which, in fact, plays the role of keys. Having carefully considered their device, it becomes clear that Tyome (or his techies) had to solve the following dilemma - either to move only the plastic shell around the screen, which will extend the life of the keyboard; or move the screen itself back and forth, winning in size. The first option was chosen, which is probably correct. Due to this, by the way, and we have fairly large button sizes, and in the aggregate - the size of the device. The lifetime of organic diodes in displays — about 20,000 hours with an average level of brightness — if you press on loaves 24 hours a day, then after 2.2 years the light of the screens goes out.
The size of the keys themselves is 20.2x20.2 mm, the stroke when pressed is about 5 mm. The visible area in the button is 10x10 mm (the viewing angle is 160 degrees), i.e. each screen is framed by a 5 mm black border. Why it could not be done less - guessing on the coffee grounds.
I draw attention to the fact that in addition to the usual letter keys and the numeric keypad, on the left side there are an additional two columns of buttons - they also influenced the final size.
I take the power cord - it is inserted into the outlet through the existing adapter, and the other side into the keyboard itself. Then I connect the device to the computer via the included USB cable (it is USBA-USBB, that is, not the most common. It would be much more convenient if it were USBA-USBminiB, which comes with most cameras, music players and other communicators ).
One by one, successively, white squares on each key start to light up - the whole process takes about 10-15 seconds. After that, you can work on the keyboard :) But not in full force.
Simply plugging in the keyboard, there is only one language on it by default - the rest available in the system will appear on the keyboard only after installing the software - it is called the “ configurator ”.
What again was guided by Artemy - it is not clear, but there were no drivers in the expensive box. Neither on a separate disk, nor on the bundled memory card.
I download software from the site, for Windows it is about 2.7 MB. Installing, appears in the tray icon. Double-clicking starts the configurator itself - about it a bit later.
So, in front of me 113 luminous buttons. The wife, near the glitter in her eyes, held her breath - this device was also SO impressed.
The first thing I want to do is press Shift. By clicking, I confirm - as in the demonstration videos, all the letters become large, the digits turn into special signs. The next thing I want to do is to quickly press Shift a couple of times in order to check how quickly the keyboard will respond. And it was not there - I was pleasantly surprised :)
Then I write to someone in ICQ something like “ Hi. You are the first to whom I write a message from the keyboard Optimus Maximus "- hell, I like it. Just magical!
But the good should be in moderation - apparently, this was the motto of the creators. Having printed for half an hour, my wife said, “ Enough, I don’t hear the TV, ” while the images on the keyboard were slowly redrawing :(
In fact, the keyboard “works” quite loudly - with my 400 characters per minute, at night you can wake up Ilyich in the Mausoleum, not to mention relatives and friends in the neighboring rooms. For comparison, I immediately tried to print on my diNovo - it seemed to me that it was silent.
Printing is not inconvenient - unusual. And once, having got used to Optimus, I again moved to my keyboard - like a bud I learned to walk anew. The distances between the keys and their dimensions themselves are unaccustomed, the depth and power of pressing are unaccustomed, the layout - everything seemed unusual. But still, at Optimus you can print more than quickly - checked.
Regular keys are pressed fairly well and evenly, which can not be said about large keys, such as the space bar. Although there are not so many of them, you need to get used to their pressing - it’s best to do it in the center, then you’ll probably click :)
And about the slowdown ... I don’t know what it is connected with, but after some time, noticeable brakes appear (as it turned out later, not only for me) - the whole keyboard when the Shift is pressed or when the layout is changed, the second 3-4 are redrawn. Especially terribly it turns out, when you type a word like “NoNaMe” for half a second, and then with your peripheral vision you see how Optimus spent 15 seconds his life. Or if you insert any device into the USB port of the keyboard, then we have the same effect. It helps in such cases restarting the configurator or the keyboard “off-on” - but is this the ultimate dream of any owner of this thing?
Having plenty of indulgence with the Russian and English layout, I launch Photoshop - it was there, judging by the clavs demo videos, I had to have an orgasm, and it was there that Subject surprised me again. Waiting for Photoshop to load, I notice that nothing has changed on the keyboard at all. NOTHING. Those. there are no eraser icons on the buttons, not even brushes or pipettes.
I call Andrei to find out where he is doing the layouts for the programs (“NOW, in the keyboard for a bag of money everything should be perfect, there is a 512 meter USB stick - there should be 512 meter layouts!” I killed myself). It turns out that he, just like me, did not experience an orgasm, because There were no initial layouts at all))) and there is still no such thing either on a flash drive, in the configurator, or even on Optimus's website! Carefully searching, I found a minimum - but I expected an incomparably more.
Remembering that I did not buy the clave, but I was just given it to the test, I calm down. I decide to make a layout for Photoshop on my own. What is there - a couple of icons, zabindil buttons and ready.
I studied the configurator manual , made a screenshot of Photoshop, cut out a couple of icons in it - I try. Remarkably - 16x16 icons, screens - 48x48. Delete. I scale the icon 16x16 to 48x48. Delete. Something more or less happened to me for the third time - when I made the screenshot scale not 100%, but more and re-screenshot - then the icons were not blurred and had clear boundaries. Carefully cut it all out, save it, paste it on the buttons in the configurator. Apply, switch to photoshop - hurray! Already something.
But here, not everything is smooth. Since the layer (read below) with photoshop icons in the configurator is needed ONLY in Photoshop (why does it, for example, in Winamp?), Then it is accordingly configured to be active only when the Photoshop is running and active. Those. when the focus is on photoshop, the buttons are my forced icons. Those. if I want to save a picture, I need to type her name in the save window in Photoshop with ICONS :) In general, the trouble is complete again.
Being in limbo, I do not know - to laugh or cry; I’m not losing hope, I’m looking for layouts, I’m looking for at least something ... but there aren’t any Optimus fanclubs on the Internet at all, apparently, there are not so many enthusiastic fans :)
Well. It remains to pick in the configurator. You can do it yourself by downloading it from the site. A small (4 pages) manual is attached to it, which tells about the principle of action, a “test” layout is made.
The bottom line is as follows:
Customization of keyboard layouts is based on layers - they contain information about the images and functions assigned to each key. Layers can be attached to a program or not depending on which program is active. The layout displayed on the keyboard is the result of merging layers. If any button in the layer is not defined, the function from the previous layer is used.
Those. it turns out this way - initially there is a lower level, just a system layout. Over it, layers are created that are assigned to certain applications (winamps, photoshop, opera, etc.) - each has its own buttons. As a result, it can be done beautifully and conveniently, theoretically, for any program. And considering that you can display almost any information (text, images, video) on each screen - everything will be limited only by your imagination ... and the inconvenience of the configurator :(
It is possible to display all sorts of indicators - system loading, weather, time, email notifications, text, links, keyboard shortcuts, icons, pieces of text (up to 255 characters long) - but all this is rather inconvenient.
Pampering, of course, but I wanted to make the girl nice - a kind of declaration of love)) until I turned off all the screens and wrote the cherished words on the right buttons - it took about 20 minutes. Accordingly, to create something really beautiful and useful, thinking about the nuances and elaboration of the details - it will take much more time.
I worked with version 0.0.15 and it is still the last. A lot of uncomfortable moments - even strange. In the project's blog, in the latest news, it is said that the second version of the configurator will be soon - 3.0, where everything will be redone radically - but as long as this is not the case. I hope that someone lucky ... and I give the keyboard;)
By the way. We have a mutual friend, the author of the wonderful program Mars Notebook and Mars WinCleaner - he has the same keyboard and, having found out that I will write a review, made his bug report, which he sent to me. Almost all of this list is the same for us, from where I can easily draw conclusions that it was not a crude beta version that came into my hands, but a serially released product. The only difference is that scuffs appeared on his mobile plastic caps of large buttons, which, apart from polishing, cannot be removed. And at me - the bright images on buttons flickered :)
Control weighing.
Cons :
- Awesome price;
- Loud clacking;
- Very branded surface - and buttons and body;
- General inhibition after some time of work;
- A bouquet of all kinds of artifacts appearing with time (sticking, button skewing, scuffing, dimming of screens);
- You need to press the keys strongly, from above. Otherwise, it may not be clear if a key is pressed or not;
- A small screen in the gap is terrible. It would be great, it would be possible to display the names of the tracks in Winamp and RSS and anything else at all;
- Two wires stretch to the keyboard, which together look rather poor - in such a case and weight it was possible to fit the batteries for the whole service life;
- When the system starts, the keyboard does not work;
- Raw software (at least under Windows);
- Russian and English letters at the same time - so far only on ordinary keyboard :)
- Also, there was no possibility to change the layout, which would be if the configurator is NOT running;
- Lack of ready-made layouts, sensible support;
- Scanty equipment;
- In general, 12 kilobytes of text above :)
Pros :
- The idea is just 10 points on a 5-point scale. (I’ll dump everything at this point - the ability to create any layout, create any display, set of links or something else). To consider something in detail does not make sense - it will not make special weather. But still - bravo!
What is the result?
In the end, I am upset. I wanted to feel a unique device, and now I even regret a little that my hands were soiled :) No, the keyboard is undoubtedly good. More precisely, the idea is good, it is simply gorgeous! BUT. The first pancake came out lumpy - starting from the many nuances of the keyboard itself, ending with the dampness of the proposed software. A huge number of all sorts of layouts - this is what is missing at the moment, and that could be a couple of days to make five enthusiasts. But even if you fix a couple of thousand lines of code, there's nothing to be done with the iron.
As Artemy released such a raw product - I guess. I don’t have anything against Them - sometimes he does amazing things, and in Lynch I sometimes just sit for hours. And considering the images from the recently closed column “Process” on his website, he was often amazed how carefully he worked out every detail of what he undertook. Even if you look at the separate blog “ Optimus Project ” - you can see how carefully he approached working out many details. But here he obviously hurried somewhere - apparently, a vigorous developing competitors played a cruel joke, which at any moment could have produced something cheaper and worthwhile.
Immediately, nothing is worked out and for some reason I am more than confident that not all stones should be thrown into the designer's garden. One person cannot equally well design, program, write manuals and follow the technical process. His is probably only an idea (and that is not new ?) And general management, the rest is the “work” of people from the studio whom I would have deprived of prizes for a couple of years. And if you are in charge - lead like this, not “lead” :)
Probably, those who have already acquired a kilogram of plastic will agree with me - guys, hold on) Who knew) Later Andrey (the owner of the keyboard) told me that a week after me, he had a broken adapter and he moved to his old, time-tested keyboard And also a couple of times, in the area of ​​the buttons above the arrows, one of the buttons was stuck so that he resuscitated it with difficulty. Here is how.
I prophesied Optimus2 - because such an idea cannot remain without worthy of attention - sooner or later they will create a THING.And I really hope that even if it costs the same, it will take everything into account and everything will be perfect - from the bundle, software, functions, to support and prevalence. In the meantime, I will give advice - hide the money and just write something adequate in the comments;) And if you really want a great keyboard - take a look at the one I mentioned briefly in this article, its review was at the dock - you will be happy as a cat cream .
Such is the article without addiction. All success, Tyoma - shake your mustache and do not lay off your hands! ;)
In conclusion - a couple of pictures on the topic:
More .
PS: Interestingly, post a link to me in my press? :) For the first time posted.
PPS: Thanks again to Andrei Smirnov for the keyboard. Middle_Ho - for help with photos;)
PPPS: With the birth of my son :)
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/48543/
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