optimus

So it finally happened. The "Optimus Maximus"--the most-hyped keyboard of all time--is now for sale to the consuming public as promised. To which we have only one response: ThinkGeek?

We don't have anything against the gadget peddler, mind you--it was just a little surprising to see a $1,589.99 product being sold by a retailer that's better known for such products as USB rocket launchers. On its "What's New" page, for instance, the vaunted Maximus is sandwiched between a "Dueling Space Marines Copter Set" and a pair of "… Read more

Now that the "Optimus Maximus" has been proven to be more than vaporware, interest is bound to rise for other products by Russian creator Art Lebedev--especially for those who want something a tad more affordable than the uber-keyboard, which can cost up to $1,564 for a fully customizable version. If someone just wants a few programmable buttons, for example, maybe something like the "Optimus Mini 3.0" might make a lot more sense.

Like its predecessor, the new version of the Mini will include three customizable OLED buttons (instead of all 113 keys on the … Read more

We're almost reluctant to post this because it's been promised (and not delivered) for so long. But, with our luck, the Optimus Maximus OLED keyboard will come out on schedule, and we'll be lambasted for not having passed along the news.

"We begin shipping Optimus Maximus keyboards to those who ordered it last year," creator Art Lebedev announced today on its Optimus Project blog. To further show they mean business, according to Gizmodo, the first "Optimus Configurator" software is now available for download, for both the Mac and PC. All hail the most-hyped keyboard … Read more

We really don't like posting about the "Optimus Maximus" keyboard. There, we said it. Despite our admitted fascination with odd keyboards, the hype over this one got out of hand long ago.

Still, we aim to please here at Crave. So even though we've resisted posting every incremental detail about this Russian-made peripheral, we feel obligated to pass along this report that the Op-Max can be had for much less than the original $1,564 price--$462.27 to be exact, according to Gizmodo.

The difference in functionality is more than cosmetic, however: Instead of 113 … Read more

The most interesting thing about Yamaha's new speakerphone isn't its VoIP technology, which Engadget notes is actually trailing the competition. Nor is it the 1.25-pound size, though that's certainly preferably to the spaceship-sized models that still dominate so many conferece rooms. And its USB connection? What doesn't have a USB connection these days?

No, what we like most about the PJP-25UR is its Transformer impersonation. In its compact form, the unit appears to be an innocuous triangular box, maybe a USB hub. But look! It has two arm-like microphones that swing out to reveal its … Read more

This might not be worth mentioning if it were any other product, but it seems that every incremental development involving the "Optimus Maximus" keyboard is followed in excruciating detail. So proving that Crave is a full-service gadget blog, we dutifully report that the famed peripheral will be shipping in white, according to its official blog.

And leave it to its iconoclastic designer, Russia's Art Lebedev Studio, to buck trends once again. As computer and electronics makers have fallen in love with glossy piano-black finishes or stuck with the conventional silver, the studio has taken a completely different … Read more

Now that the Transformers movie debut has long past, you might have expected some welcome relief from the torrent of product merchandizing that led up to the release. Not so fast, Sparky.

The "Optimus Prime Convoy" iPod stereo dock has only just begun to ship in Japan for the not-so-cheap price of $150, according to SlashGear. For that kind of money, though, we thought it only fair that the entire system transform; apparently only the truck cab becomes robotized. We're no Transformer experts (thank goodness), but that seems to be cheating a bit. Maybe it's an … Read more