I've been looking for a programmable keyboard, s

[dochogan]

I've been looking for a programmable keyboard, so that I can use option key combinations with a slate/hybrid-in-slate-mode. Almost all of the gfx apps I use need modifier keys (Alias Maya, Photoshop, ZBrush, etc).

Here's what I've found so far:
Pro USB 58 Key Programmable Keypad
This actually looks *really* good. It also seems possiblyto be a rebrand of this:
Kinesis Savant Professional 58-key Programmable Keypad

The only things I don't like about this/these:
- I'd *much* prefer a BlueTooth model (or a BlueTooth model that *also* works over USB)
- It doesn't seem to be profile based, so no *quick* changes of layouts (not really an issue, since most option keys will be common (alt, ctrl, etc))
- Keycap grid. I *thought* I had found replacable keycaps for this (2-wide, 2-tall, 4-wide, 2-square, etc), but I can't locate them anymore...might have been a different keypad

TigerDirect also show a 20-key version of the XKeys

Anyone else using a decent programmable keypad? Which one? This one's okay, but doesn't scream "I'm perfect!"

[darklyndsea]

I saw one on Thinkgeek.com the other day. Dunno if it's what you want though.

[dochogan]

This is *insanely* cool!

[j.c.]

I have one of these:

Belkin Nostromo n52 SpeedPad

It's USB, though. It's nice and compact, and you can create and use any number of profiles for it. It doesn't have as many keys as the ones you've linked to, but you can assign a key to toggle between three different key "layers".

[dochogan]

Here's a link to the manufacturer's e-commerce site for the DX1 Input System (linked to thinkgeek above). This is the absolute most awesome programmable keypad EVER!

http://www.ergodex.com/mainpage.htm

j.c.: I had considered the Nostromo; in fact, it's been on my mind as a backup for a few years. Unfortunately, it's simply too small for my hands :( Not good for extended se

[j.c.]

Wow, you must have huge hands! My hands are pretty big and I don't have any problems with the Nostromo. Actually, I like how my fingers don't need to travel much at all to get from one key to the next. When I'm not using it with my TPC, I'll often hook it up to my desktop for hotkey use. I find it much easier to use than a full-size keyboard for this purpose and the profiles allow me to set up my keys in a consistent manner from app to app.

Personally, I like to keep my mobile setup as compact as possible. I just couldn't see myself toting around another large keyboard just for hotkey use.

P.S. If you happen to get one of those DX1 keyboards, be sure and post a review. It does look pretty cool!

[dochogan]

quote:Originally posted by j.c.
Personally, I like to keep my mobile setup as compact as possible. I just couldn't see myself toting around another large keyboard just for hotkey use.

I'm actually thinking that the formfactor of this thing lends itself to being velcro'd to the *back* of a slate (I don't have a TPC yet, but I'm looking for ways to make a Motion LE1600 a total system for me); this would put the keys in position to be manipulated with the cradling hand *while holding* the TPC. Just tear it off to set the system down and work on the table.

Then it takes up no more space, really, than a Hardtop Keyboard. Plus, it seems like it will fit into most any carrier bag easier than the Nostromo.

Other advantages: on-the-fly key- and macro-reprogramming, auto-switch to appropriate profile based on current application, fully re-arrangable keys, label-able (is that a word?) keycaps, and an underlay system so you can print out useful diagrams for the whole surface or design graphical "themes" and skin the harware itself.

Grantes, it's not quite as cool as this keyboard (which looks like a future "muust have" when it's released). But it's damned close

[j.c.]

quote:Originally posted by dochogan
Grantes, it's not quite as cool as this keyboard (which looks like a future "muust have" when it's released). But it's damned close

Very, very cool, but I wonder how much that thing will cost??

[Robert Carnegie]

Every keyboard is programmable on Windows XP. You can reassign keys by changing the scan code map, and you can use a tool like AutoHotkey to intercept keystrokes and make them do different things. However, I haven't really got to grips with Ctrl yet in AutoHotkey... should.

[j.c.]

I use AutoHotkey and think it's a great little utility, but a permanent system key remap isn't what he's after. He's looking for a keypad that can be programmed, on an app-by-app basis, to temporarily access hotkeys that already exist on the PC's main keyboard.