Das Keyboard
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Das Keyboard is a high-end mechanical computer keyboard made in the Czech Republic. Its main feature is that it has no inscriptions on the keys; that is, the keys themselves are both completely black and blank. The name comes from the German word das (the in German) simply translated to "The Keyboard". Another reference to the German language is that the keyboard targets “Über-Geeks”.
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[edit] Selling points
The manufacturers claim five major selling-points, two of which relate to the keyboard's main feature, its lack of any key labels whatsoever:
- Typing Speed - it is claimed that Das Keyboard can allow the user to "type up to 100% faster in a few weeks" [1]. The reasoning behind this is that the lack of help from inscriptions forces the user's brain to memorize the key positions, eventually increasing typing speed and accuracy.
- "Geek factor" - the keyboard's total lack of inscriptions "reflect your status as one of the elite", according to the manufacturers. In other words, the board demonstrates users' 'elite' skills because they are able to type without using key inscriptions.
- Mechanical keyswitches - the new Das Keyboard II features high-end mechanical key switches that reportedly provide a feel and quality similar to the venerable IBM Model M Keyboard. In addition, the keys pressed by the pinkey and ring fingers have less weight, and are easier to press, than the keys with your middle and index fingers.
- USB Connectivity - the Das Keyboard connects via USB interface rather than a PS/2 connector.
- Scooped F and J Keys - the new Das Keyboard II features scooped F and J keys rather than the embossed dots or dashes on ordinary keyboards. The manufacturers claim that this allows the user's index finger to find home more easily.
[edit] Criticism
The original Das Keyboard has received criticism from some who feel that it is essentially just an expensive version of a standard quality dome-switch ("membrane") keyboard. The 'spongy' feel of the keys has also been unfavorably compared with keyboards using mechanical key switches; in addition, some feel the advantage of the weighted keys has been overstated.[citation needed]
Das Keyboard II, which sells for twenty dollars more than the original, addresses the above criticisms of the first version. It features gold-plated and clicky mechanical key switches made by Cherry which are similar, but not identical, to the "buckling spring" type key switches in the old IBM Model M keyboard.
[edit] History
The keyboard was designed by Daniel Guermeur, the founder of Metadot Corporation, an open source software company located in Texas. Daniel Guermeur noticed that hunting and pecking was not very efficient for someone spending most of his days typing on a computer. He was looking for a radical solution which would prevent him from looking at the keys. Thus he had a Chinese factory make his first blank keyboard. After a few seconds of using it, the low-cost, rubber-membrane keyboard was giving atrocious tactile feedback so he decided that blank keys were not enough to type fast; the keyboard component quality was paramount as well. He then had another factory make the best quality keyboard they could deliver and added the blank keys. After few weeks of usage Daniel doubled his typing speed.
Friends and colleagues asked him many times where they could buy a blank keyboard like his, but this was a one-of-a-kind keyboard. After he noticed a wide interest in this blank typing device he decided to launch a new product line focusing exclusively on providing the best quality keyboard equipment available on the market. The first week after the launch of the first Das Keyboard, the daskeyboard website got several million hits and was mentioned numerous blogs and newspapers including Slashdot and the New York Times.
