Reinventing the keyboard

Rethinking the Keyboard

On the company blog, Keyboardio tells how at initial meetings, potential manufacturers suggested that the keys should be mounted on white plastic, or that the firmware should be protected as intellectual property. However, Keyboardio remained determined to produce a quality open source product, and, despite the manufacturing delay and the chaotic modification instructions, it has generally delivered.

True, without shipped instructions and a graphical interface, the Model 01 is less accessible than it should be. It is also true that other keyboards have some of its features. But the functionality is there, and no other keyboard offers anything near the Model 01's combination of ergonomics, aesthetics, capacity for customization, and quality hardware.

In the Model 01, Keyboardio shows how much can still be done to improve a piece of hardware that has changed little for several decades. That is no mean accomplishment and makes Keyboardio an outstanding example of what open hardware can accomplish.

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