Hands down the Optimus keyboard is the coolest sounding gadget I have heard of in a long time. What self respecting geek would not want a keyboard with each individual key top being its own self contained OLED display.

Makes me drool just thinking about being able to customize my keyboard with my own icons for every application I use. I bet you could train an entire pack of geeks to salivate by simply waving the Optimus keyboard over their heads.

The coolness we could wrought with our own Optimus keyboards. Want to switch between QWERTY and DVORAK on the fly? Want to have a cool custom layout and icons for Quake 4 that allows you to remember which key you actually bound the commands to on the keyboard? I do! I do!

If you go to the site of the designer, Art. Lebedev Studio, you can see the really cool looking images that are apparently as fake as certain parts of Pamela Anderson's body, and I don't mean her personality.

The geek world has been talking about the Optimus keyboard for months now and it seemed that everywhere I looked, every one was speculating on if it was real or vaporware. The ultimate consensus was and is, that no one really knows.

To try and satisfy my own curiosity I decided to interview the designer, Artemy Lebedev, and see if I could get some answers. Below is the transcript of the email interview we conducted.

Q: I read from a few sources that the keyboard is set to launch on February 1, 2006, is that correct?

A: I cannot be specific on what will happen on Feb 1. I just don't want anyone to be disappointed or happy before this day. But expect good news.

Q: How soon after launch will the Optimus be available to purchase?

A: See #1

Q: Any confirmed reseller's as yet?

A: Not at this time.

Q: This keyboard seems to scream gamer to me, will you be releasing specific arrangements for different games, or will you be leaving that up to the users?

A: Some layouts will be made by us, but most of the possibilities should be explored by the users themselves.

Q: I have also read that you will have an SDK and some sort of app for users, can you elaborate on the user application at all?

A: It's a key-mapping and rearranging utility.

Q: Images make the keyboard look large, do you have product dimensions you can share?

A: Not at this time.

Q: Does the Optimus have any USB or audio jacks built in?

A: Optimus is a USB device. No audio jacks for sure.
Note from Shane: The conspiracy theorists among us may see the answer to this question as Freudian Slip, the Optimus IS a USB device not WILL be.

Q: I have read that you expect the Optimus to price around $200-$300 USD, is that still an accurate cost assessment?

A: I like to compare the price with one of a mobile phone.
Note from Shane: Talk about vague, I wonder if this guy is in politics. Good is very subjective, my old Motorola v180 is good and cost me $19.99 with a two year agreement, then again a sweet new Treo 700W is definitely good and will set you back around $499.99.

Q: What led you to design the Optimus?

A: I couldn't find anything like it in stores :-)

So I came out of that interview with absolutely no more or better information than when I went in. I like to think Stone Phillips would have fared no better.

The closest thing to answers I could get from Mr. Lebedev was a reference to a cryptic statement on their site, that has been slightly reworded since our interview a few weeks back. The mocking statement reads "Look out for news February 1 on the main page."

So it appears the real answers will have to wait a few more weeks. Should this thing turn out to be vaporware, they can add me to their little cast list on the Optimus keyboard page of their site as the "Shooter of Middle Fingers".