Some of you might remember the Optimus Maximus keyboard from Art Lebedev. It had LED keycaps that displayed a tiny image on top of each key, but it was pretty pricey. Well, the E-Inkey Keyboard by designers Maxim Mezentsev and Aleksander Suhih is kind of the same idea, but even more practical.
The point of the e-ink keycaps on this concept design is for the keys’ image to change depending on function. You could have certain symbols that show up when you hit the Ctrl, Alt, or Caps Lock keys, or have displays that are app-specific. You could even change the layouts depending on your international region or whether it’s hooked up to a Mac or a PC.
The E-Inkey Keyboard sort of combines the keyboard of the iPad, but with actual keys and a touch of an e-reader screen, like the Kindle.
It’s a pretty cool idea, even if it never actually becomes a real shipping product.
