Keystone is the mechanical keyboard of the future

Whatever digital devices we are surrounded by, mechanical keyboards remain the most popular means of entering information. They are indispensable in working with automated design systems, in programming, in creating designs, in artworks and in gaming. Entering text of varying complexity also implies the use of keyboards. Touch devices, such as tablets and smartphones, are useful for communicating on social networks and performing simple tasks - sending messages, checking mail, demonstrating drawings and diagrams. Everything else is much easier and more convenient to do with the good old physical keyboard. There are many of them now, because progress is not in place. Today we head to San Jose (USA), where the Input Club was introduced with a Keystone mechanical keyboard that combines analog control and touch sensing, has hot-swappable base switches, with durability (up to a billion keystrokes) and received an RGB backlight.

Features of the novelty

Input devices should be intuitive, easy to operate, compatible with all operating systems and maximize performance. Some like the high keys, while others like the low profile, which makes it easier to move their fingers. Some keyboards can operate silently, while others give aloud clicks similar to those of a typewriter. There is also a separate category - specialized game models, which facilitate the gameplay.

Earlier, we talked about the South Korean company FUNDIAN Team's portable game controller Power Vessel, which combines a joystick, a QWERTY keyboard, a mouse, Hi-Fi audio, thanks to the connection of headphones via a mini-jack connector, and a gamepad. It is compatible with various operating systems for both gadgets and TVs - iOS, Android, Fire TV, Mii Box and Shield TV. It also features Hands-free and Camera Selfie (you can read more about it on the link below).

The manufacturer calls today's novelty a model of the future because it has no analogues in its price segment. Keystone is designed to make it easier for the user to adapt to the power of his or her push by using artificial intelligence. The keyboard is fully customizable and has an open source code, supplementing which you will be able to program on your own to solve your tasks. It combines two new features - analog control for fast moving games or applications and magnetic switches that use the Hall effect, which significantly extends its life (up to a billion clicks, an average of 20 times the average of keyboards in general).

Each user has their own system of keystrokes - some strongly press on each, others - only slightly touch. Most existing mechanical keyboards need to be sensitive to each key, otherwise they just will not respond to you. Sometime after use, the novelty remembers your input method and improves the click response rate by up to 1ms. Silo analog switches have a soft stroke and leave a pleasant tactile feel during operation. For the user it is possible to "hot" replace them simply in the process of operation, without the need to shut down or restart the system.

The Hall Effect is to use the magnetic field strength to track the pressure on the keyboard. The user independently adjusts the intensity of each click so that he does not get tired in the process. The manufacturer offers several choices of keys with different sound accompaniment: Linear (Red Slider), Quiet Tactile (Tan Slider) and Beam Spring (Blue Slider). The introduction of artificial intelligence also allowed the keyboard to adapt to your text input mode, offering you to create your own keyboard shortcuts to switch between functions (capital letters, for example).

Gamers especially like the presence of RGB-backlight, which will be presented in two variants - classic red and colorful. It can also be turned off altogether if it is not needed. The user can adjust the angle of the keyboard - 5°, 10° or 15°. There are two key layout options available - with the numeric block on the right (standard) or TKL (without it). The dimensions of the novelty were 460 * 144 * 35 mm (length * width * height) and weight - 1500 g.

Design and characteristics

Keystone is rectangular with high keys like standard mechanical keyboards. The color scheme is represented only in black body color. No other color variations are currently provided.

Specifications:

• Type - mechanical analog keyboard;
• Dimensions - 460 * 144 * 35 mm (length * width * height);
• Weight - 1500 g;
• Switches - Silo;
• Keys - Linear (Red Slider), Quiet Tactile (Tan Slider) and Beam Spring (Blue Slider);
• Additionally - RGB-backlight, tilt angle adjustment - 5 °, 10 °, 15 °, open source;
• Speed of response to pressing - 1 ms;
• Up to 1 billion clicks;
• USB Type C connection;
• Print mode - adaptive;
• Compatibility - Windows, Linux, Mac;
• Layout - ANSI-US;
• Color is black.

When it comes out and how much it will cost

The novelty raised 625% more money than it did had originally needed. Production is in the final stages of refinement before launch. The first deliveries are expected in February 2020. Nothing is known about the date of entry into international markets. The estimated retail price of a full-size model with a numeric keypad on the right is 199$, and the TKL variant will cost 169$. Models with additional switches will cost about 100$ more expensive than conventional ones.

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