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Peripherals
Nikkai OLED Buttons Are Like Little Scraps of Optimus
Posted by John Herrman at 7:10 PM on October 1, 2008
For those who don't need a whole keyboard full of OLED buttons, Nikkai is showing off standalone units at CEATEC. The buttons are bulkier than anything on an Art Lebedev product, and seem to have three input states: depressed, tilted left and tilted right (or up and down, depending on orientation) which makes makes for what amounts to a highly versatile and communicative switch. A second type of button is a simpler in/out configuration, albeit with a larger screen.
I'm sure there's a highly practical application for such technology, but for the demonstration Nikkai just built them into a giant, OLED-infested control panel that looks to have been ripped from the basement of the Kremlin, circa 1985. Despite being too big to integrate into a traditional keyboard, the buttons will likely shine in the hands of DIYers if they're ever made available to consumers. [Akihabara]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
StarChaser Tyger
Posted 8:17 PM 1/10/08
Nifty. Would love to have a load of them but no idea what I'd do with them, other than possibly an oversized WoW keyboard...
StarChaser Tyger
wpns
Posted 9:44 PM 1/10/08
Oh, very nice! Plus or minus driver complexity and cost, I want several of each size!
wpns
Ayeco
Posted 11:23 PM 1/10/08
This does a very good job at explaining the problem with touchscreen - your finger is in the way. I can understand these buttons if there is limited space for a button AND screen. But if there is room for a button and and a screen, there's no point in having a button that you have to remove your finger from to see the choices.
Same as touchscreen - the great thing about a mouse and stylus is that you're not blocking what you're trying to look at and work with. You're disconnected.
Ayeco
JEmlay
Posted 3:33 AM 2/10/08
I could think of tons of uses for this. Push down for ON/OFF. So no need to see what it says so your "finger in the way" isn't an issue. Then the rocker can toggle settings. I already have the same setup on a couple KVMs without the toggle giving me any feedback and a separate ON/OFF button.
JEmlay
P3TER
Posted 4:15 AM 2/10/08
I have also have 3 states: depressed, up, and down. Does this tell you anything about my orientation?
P3TER
terebakashi
Posted 5:38 AM 2/10/08
@P3TER:
The question is if anyone wants to press your buttons.
terebakashi
FiveLiters
Posted 6:17 AM 2/10/08
@terebakashi: ...and he left out the "versatile" part.
FiveLiters
brutek
Posted 1:32 PM 2/10/08
@Ayeco: Apple has an outstanding patent with the touchscreen on the BACK of the device while showing a transparent representation of where your fingers are located on the front display. This solves your issue and keeps the endocrine hidden on the bottom of the device (this is why I think Apple is keeping smudgey backs on their current iPod/iPhone line--to get people used to the idea!).
brutek