Art Lebedev Studio closed on shipping its next wave of technology Tuesday. It has started taking pre-orders for the Mini Six, its six-key programmable LCD keyboard. Coming from Russia, it should cost $376 and serves as a companion tool for Macs or PCs to handle common tasks or show live status updates.
Art Lebedev followed a long silence on new hardware with word on Saturaday night that it was working on a new companion keyboard for this year. The Optimus mini six would, as implied, be a keyboard-side companion like the mini three but with twice as many keys. Few other details are ready, but it will use the same more efficient in-key screens of the Optimus Popularis.
Art Lebedev Studio today took the wraps from the finished design of the Optimus Popularis. The new design is much more compact than the Maximus but adds an always-active status bar below the F-keys; in an example, it shows common info such as weather, stocks and new mail. As hinted at earlier, the Popularis brings more efficient key design that has the customizable displays occupy nearly the entire key surface even as the area itself is smaller.
Art Lebedev Studio's namesake today said that the upcoming Optimus Popularis keyboard could actually be easier to use than its larger Maximus ancestor. While each key is fractions of an inch smaller in every direction, the actual touch surface will run nearly to the edge of the key. The change will guarantee that the keys, which each hide their own LCD displays, should be easier to hit as it will be virtually impossible to miss the sweet spot.
Optimus Maximus creator Art Lebedev Studio on Tuesday showed a new camera design that promises to rethink the traditional box-shaped body. The Fleximus could work solely as a goose neck with a lens and sensor at one end and a small viewfinder at the other. That eyepiece could be detached and replaced with a full-sized preview LCD and basic controls.
Art Lebedev Studios recently introduced its Luxofor traffic light prototype that will use a square lens lit up by superbright diodes to make it more visible to drivers and pedestrians. Traditionally, traffic lights have been round to allow the spherical light-bulb to light up the lens more evenly. Art Lebedev's new design offers more efficient packaging, as the square light fills up the same space taken up by a round lens more completely.
Art Lebedev Studio's namesake founder today noted that the company's Optimus AUX keyboard has been turned into a final prototype that hints at the production model. The 15-key OLED pad will use an anodized aluminum case and should have the same key style as the full-size Optimus Maximus. The AUX is a balance between the Maximus and the basic Mini-Three and is meant for content editors or frequent users who need a significant amount of visually customizable keys for specific tasks.
Art Lebedev, of Art Lebedev Studio fame, has updated his blog on Friday, announcing the previously reported Optimus Pultius customizable keypad will be called the Optimus Aux when it is released. The device is still under development, though it is a working prototype.
Art Lebedev Studios on Tuesday unveiled a new addition to its custom-faced keyboards, the Optimus Pultius, offering users 15 user-programmable, LCD-laden keys to sit beside their keyboard. The Optimus products have made waves in the industry due to their customizable LCD screens, making them ideal for Final Cut Studio or gamers who require quick access to hotkey functions. Lebadev did not mention pricing, but noted it would see release late this year or early next.
Art Lebedev Studio's founder on Friday revealed an early 3D prototype of his Optimus Popularis keyboard that sheds new light on the device. Despite saying that the keyboard won't use the OLED displays of the Maximus, Lebedev's rendering confirms that the keyboard will still have at least some keys whose symbols will change based on the relevant app. The design is already known to be smaller than the Maximus and support both Mac OS X and Windows systems.
Art Lebedev Studio's namesake founder today provided first details of Optimus Popularis, a new model in the company's lineup of display keyboards. Presented only as a mockup so far, the Popularis is billed as a smaller alternative to the Maximus that will shrink the design by moving the programmable keys to the top and shrinking the overall size of the keys themselves.
A version of the Optimius mini three input pad with touch input and a wireless link is in development, Art Lebedev says in an update for his self-titled studio. While still in the early planning stages, the new device would move from use of three, isolated OLED keys to just a single touchscreen. The advancement would not only make the devices simpler but potentially allow for more than three input zones or screens depending on the design, the Moscow designer adds.
Art Lebedev Studio today announced that it had at last begun shipping the Optimus Maximus. The anticipated keyboard builds OLED displays into the keys that can change depending on the context; Photoshop can replace normal letter keys with editing icons, for example. Also unique to the Maximus are ten keys designed just the Optimus' features and the ability to create custom profiles that can in turn be traded through removable SD cards. The controlling Mac OS X and Windows software, Optimus Configurator, also ships today.
Art Lebedev Studio today prototyped a keyboard design that could stand in as a completely flexible display. The Optimus Tactus would improve on the yet to be shipped Maximus keyboard with touch input; instead of an OLED screen built into a bank of traditional keys, the Tactus would use one giant touchscreen: the design would not only permit keys to change in size and function but would also allow features that have previously been impossible on keyboards, such as a video playback overlay.
Art Lebedev Studios today revealed that its Optimus Maximus keyboard has been delayed until late February. Although the company has nearly filled its capacity for preorders, which began earlier this month, the firmware that controls its unique features needs to be improved before the device can begin shipping in earnest, according to the Russian design house. The firmware flash method to update the keyboard's software also needs improvement before the final release.
