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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: Matias on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:41:59

Title: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:41:59
Just announced...

http://matias.ca/ergopro

http://matias.ca/ergopro/pr

Let me know if there are any questions.  :-)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: jwaz on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:48:35
Where can I try one?? :P

Seriously, that looks awesome.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: kmiller8 on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:49:06
Where can I try one?? :P

Seriously, that looks awesome.

Vegas trip to CES?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: metalliqaz on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:50:03
This is exciting news.  Pretty cool.

That "better" navigation cluster makes me cringe a little bit though.  I would have done something like this, at least.
[attachimg=1]

But probably just putting Home/End/PgUp/PgDn as Fn layer on the arrows is best
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:51:35
I'm also into this design and that tenting is cool. Jwaz, roadtrip?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Halverson on Wed, 08 January 2014, 11:52:49
I hear that Matias is pretty close to me, why not just...come on over here guys :p
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Wed, 08 January 2014, 12:01:20
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

So close, yet so far. I tried the Quiet Pro at Micro Center yesterday, and I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE their switches. Seriously, they feel amazing.

But, COME ON MATIAS. Staggered layout? Ugh....

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to modding the ErgoDox PCB to support Matias switches. Until then, I'll have to pass :(
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: bueller on Wed, 08 January 2014, 12:19:11
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

So close, yet so far. I tried the Quiet Pro at Micro Center yesterday, and I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE their switches. Seriously, they feel amazing.

But, COME ON MATIAS. Staggered layout? Ugh....

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to modding the ErgoDox PCB to support Matias switches. Until then, I'll have to pass :(

Ughhh no, I can't stand unstaggered, I have to use different keyboards all the time for work and all it does is screw my typing up.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: CPTBadAss on Wed, 08 January 2014, 12:24:53
I hear that Matias is pretty close to me, why not just...come on over here guys :p

TO Meetup Part 2?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Wed, 08 January 2014, 12:32:34
thousand dear :(  :-X think like ergodox/columnar
or maybe symmetrical stagg :confused:
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: BucklingSpring on Wed, 08 January 2014, 13:42:45
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

So close, yet so far. I tried the Quiet Pro at Micro Center yesterday, and I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE their switches. Seriously, they feel amazing.

But, COME ON MATIAS. Staggered layout? Ugh....

Maybe one of these days I'll get around to modding the ErgoDox PCB to support Matias switches. Until then, I'll have to pass :(

So you are not happy with the keys lining up and their respective height?

(http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc/resources/images/FK403-Left-890.jpg)

vs

(http://ergodox.org/Images/ErgoDox_001_L.png)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: cherpalla on Wed, 08 January 2014, 13:44:36
Ooooooh. Looks nice!
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 08 January 2014, 13:48:24
(http://matias.ca/ergopro/pc/resources/images/FK403-Left-890.jpg)


Cough...  cough.... Tp4 likes this ^^(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/bye2-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862494)

Could you make independent tilt angles... x and y axis?

Will there be "wired mode" available,  Not charging wireless mode... FULL-wired mode.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Wed, 08 January 2014, 16:51:39
Thanks for the comments...

Sorry for the confusion, but this is fully wired with a USB 2.0 hub built-in.  The cables are not shown in the photo.

We went with staggered to minimize the learning curve for typists coming from a regular keyboard.  The ErgoDox exists for users who want non-staggered.

The screw holes for the palm supports are standard tripod mount size, so you can rig up any other understructure you like, using off-the-shelf parts.  Needless to say, you can also mount it on a tripod.  :)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Elrick on Wed, 08 January 2014, 16:57:03
We went with staggered to minimize the learning curve for typists coming from a regular keyboard.  The ErgoDox exists for users who want non-staggered.

The screw holes for the palm supports are standard tripod mount size, so you can rig up any other understructure you like, using off-the-shelf parts.  Needless to say, you can also mount it on a tripod.  :)

Thanks Matias, who thought there were no decent keyboards made today......?  I haven't yet bought any of your updated version's but I think this new keyboard model of yours is the one to get.

Don't listen to the ErgoDox Lovers because they're just plain jealous of what you've done here  :thumb: .
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Wed, 08 January 2014, 17:04:10
Thanks Matias, who thought there were no decent keyboards made today......?  I haven't yet bought any of your updated version's but I think this new keyboard model of yours is the one to get.

Don't listen to the ErgoDox Lovers because they're just plain jealous of what you've done here  :thumb: .


Thanks, we've had lots of requests for ergo, so I'm happy to be finally offering it.  I have to say though, this one was a bit of a nightmare to design.  I didn't realize ergonomic keyboards were so tricky, and the 3/4-spaced keycaps were an adventure in themselves.  :)



Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Wed, 08 January 2014, 17:46:17

[quote  author=Matias link=topic=53183.msg1185178#msg1185178 date=1389202919]
Just announced...

http://matias.ca/ergopro

http://matias.ca/ergopro/pr

Let me know if there are any questions.  :-)
[/quote ]

Congrats Matias. Now we know what's keeping you busy for the past few months: this and the Secure Pro. Good products serving a market that none has touched or required very specialize skills to set it up. Now it's commercially available.

I have not used a Ergo keyboard and I don't touch type ie putting both hands on the keyboard and then having each finger typing specific character so I really doubt the ergo is for me. But still! This is awesomely cool. I wonder what is tp4issue comment since he's the resident ergo supporter in Gh.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:21:18
So you are not happy with the keys lining up and their respective height?

Height has nothing to do with it, and those keys definitely do not line up. The annoying part about staggered layouts is that they're asymmetrical. Both hands extend up and to the left for the upper row, and down and to the right for the lower row. This makes for very awkward hand motions that are unnatural. Most people don't give it a second's thought because that's all they know. But you can't really call it ergonomic:

Quote
er·go·nom·ic - ərgəˈnämik
adjective
1. (esp. of workplace design) intended to provide optimum comfort and to avoid stress or injury.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:34:07
Thanks for the comments...

Sorry for the confusion, but this is fully wired with a USB 2.0 hub built-in.  The cables are not shown in the photo.

We went with staggered to minimize the learning curve for typists coming from a regular keyboard.  The ErgoDox exists for users who want non-staggered.

The screw holes for the palm supports are standard tripod mount size, so you can rig up any other understructure you like, using off-the-shelf parts.  Needless to say, you can also mount it on a tripod.  :)


Picture of underside?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: 1pq on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:38:48
This is awesome! Can't believe tp4's not outraged at it being staggered, though.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:39:11
Upon reading the full website, instead of via phone earlier, I realise it is us$200 and FREE SHIPPING WW! That is so so cool, Matias. I was just thinking of WASD V2 with MX Greens and the keyboard cost $150+shipping $50, and at this price, one could get an ergonomic keyboard. Your pricing is excellent!

I wonder how much is a typical MS Ergo keyboard? Around that price range too, right?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: ideus on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:41:54
This is exciting news.  Pretty cool.

That "better" navigation cluster makes me cringe a little bit though.  I would have done something like this, at least.
(Attachment Link)

But probably just putting Home/End/PgUp/PgDn as Fn layer on the arrows is best


I can confirm that. I am using an FC660 with that FN layer ans it is just awesome.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: tp4tissue on Wed, 08 January 2014, 18:47:42
This is awesome! Can't believe tp4's not outraged at it being staggered, though.

I've never been against staggered, exclusively.. Only rectangle + staggered..
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: dorkvader on Wed, 08 January 2014, 19:21:06
This is excellent! I also think you've nailed a sweet pricepoint at $200. As usual, Matias comes through with excellent innovation.

About stagger: You can't please everyone. This KB is certainly better than most, and should help out a lot of people. Heck, I'd rather game ona KB like this. Including options like a good mounting support further takes this KB to good design.

Thanks for this, Matias! I'd love to do a teardown on it and see if the interior engineering is as good as the exterior. Thus far, it looks to be one of the nicer keyboards out there.

Edit: from matias' PR page on this (link in OP)
Quote
Price & Availability
Both PC and Mac versions of the Ergo Pro will be available for $200 (US) from Matias and authorized resellers.

Pre-order now from matias.ca and receive FREE shipping worldwide, for delivery in August.


http://matias.ca/ergopro

Bit of a wait for some, but well worth it, I imagine!
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: funkymeeba on Wed, 08 January 2014, 20:44:50
Matias, you're one smooth mother****er. The kind of a smooth mother****er who is probably going to be getting some more money from me as a result of this keyboard.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: WhiteFireDragon on Wed, 08 January 2014, 20:44:59
I'm here in Vegas right now, I'll stop by the Matias booth :)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: epzy on Wed, 08 January 2014, 20:47:55
I'm here in Vegas right now, I'll stop by the Matias booth :)

Cool! Wish I could do the same...
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Wed, 08 January 2014, 23:57:22
Who am I kidding. I'll probably end up getting one.

But please, please, please, Matias, make this programmable! Even if it voids the warranty!! Just give us the option :)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: mooswa on Thu, 09 January 2014, 01:08:55
Who am I kidding. I'll probably end up getting one.

But please, please, please, Matias, make this programmable! Even if it voids the warranty!! Just give us the option :)

^This
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Oobly on Thu, 09 January 2014, 01:32:18
Soo.... Is this the "60%" board Matias has been promising? If so, "I am disappoint".

If not, I eagerly await the announcement of the real one...
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Thu, 09 January 2014, 02:21:52
Soo.... Is this the "60%" board Matias has been promising? If so, "I am disappoint".

If not, I eagerly await the announcement of the real one...
This is not.

But he did say that the navigation cluster is the same as the one shown in the ergonomics pro.

Matias, if this is the case, does it mean the 60% while have bigger modifiers i.e. fatter Win key, Shift and Space, much like this ergonomic one?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Thu, 09 January 2014, 02:27:36
Soo.... Is this the "60%" board Matias has been promising? If so, "I am disappoint".

If not, I eagerly await the announcement of the real one...
Yeah,i hope this 60% ;D
and matias make real ergo board sym sgg at least :))
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: bbl on Thu, 09 January 2014, 02:38:13
A bit more expensive than Kinesis Freestyle 2 but with Alps switch.  Worth considering.

Please show how the tenting feet work.  Could the angle be adjusted.

Please also show how the keyboard looks if the palm rests are removed.

Any photo with legend keycaps?  Laser-etched?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Oobly on Thu, 09 January 2014, 02:43:19
Soo.... Is this the "60%" board Matias has been promising? If so, "I am disappoint".

If not, I eagerly await the announcement of the real one...
This is not.

But he did say that the navigation cluster is the same as the one shown in the ergonomics pro.

Matias, if this is the case, does it mean the 60% while have bigger modifiers i.e. fatter Win key, Shift and Space, much like this ergonomic one?

Awesome!

Those short keycaps really interest me... I hope they'll become available as aftermarket items.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: bueller on Thu, 09 January 2014, 03:05:57
Very cool layout, love the styling as well. You've got my money!
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: terran5992 on Thu, 09 January 2014, 03:14:58
Too bad it uses alps
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Thu, 09 January 2014, 03:26:27
Too bad it uses alps
Why? :-X i think alps better  than MX, espicially tactile
any someone says better than thopre, but i want try both :)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Thu, 09 January 2014, 03:33:15
Too bad it uses alps
I love alps. The Quiet Pro switches feel a lot like MX Clears. I have both so I know. The only bad thing about alps is that there are no after market key caps but Matias said this is going to change in the future as they are offering replacement key caps.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Thu, 09 January 2014, 03:39:30
Too bad it uses alps
I love alps. The Quiet Pro switches feel a lot like MX Clears. I have both so I know. The only bad thing about alps is that there are no after market key caps but Matias said this is going to change in the future as they are offering replacement key caps.
Really? matias tactile like MX tactile(Clears/greys)? i hope not :mad:
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Thu, 09 January 2014, 04:21:08
Yes it does - why are you angry? You hate MX Clears too?  :))
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Thu, 09 January 2014, 04:29:56
Yes it does - why are you angry? You hate MX Clears too?  :))
Saya punya greys, tapi i tidak suka feelnya meskipun saya sudah menganti springnya
jika matias sama saja, saya akan pergi dengan thorpe :))


<mod edit>
machine translated from indonesian
Quote
I have grays, but i do not like the feel though I've changing springs if matias same, i would go with thorpe
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Thu, 09 January 2014, 04:35:09
Hmm, I am not familiar with Greys, but Clears is just a stiffer Browns. So, it looks like you prefer lighter switches then. The Matias alps switch is around 60±5 gf (from their website)... Topre may work for you too because of its lighter 45g (HHKB).
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Thu, 09 January 2014, 04:44:45
I think you can malay languange :))
I actually do not like the feel, unimportant lighter / stiffer :)
I think the rubber dome better than plastic if Matias like MX :)) :))
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Thu, 09 January 2014, 15:55:13
Hmm, I am not familiar with Greys, but Clears is just a stiffer Browns.

no, no, no, no, no. they are much different beasts.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: tp4tissue on Thu, 09 January 2014, 15:58:47
I read in the Other thread that the left space bar is "not" programmable..

What design limitation has made it is such that ANY of the keys is "not - programmable" ?

(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/onion/efb50fe2.gif)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Sat, 18 January 2014, 16:19:01
Congrats Matias. Now we know what's keeping you busy for the past few months: this and the Secure Pro. Good products serving a market that none has touched or required very specialize skills to set it up.

Thanks.  :)  That's been pretty much our strategy... offer ALPS boards for which Cherry options either do not exist, or are impossible to do.



About stagger: You can't please everyone. This KB is certainly better than most, and should help out a lot of people. Heck, I'd rather game ona KB like this. Including options like a good mounting support further takes this KB to good design.

Yes, I'm also surprised that gamers don't use Ergo KBs.  Would seem to a be a perfect solution for them.



Thanks for this, Matias! I'd love to do a teardown on it and see if the interior engineering is as good as the exterior. Thus far, it looks to be one of the nicer keyboards out there.

It's a little different from our previous efforts.  We've eliminated the hooks, and now use just screws, most of which are not visible from the outside.  Ergo boards need more internal support structures.



But please, please, please, Matias, make this programmable! Even if it voids the warranty!! Just give us the option :)

Well, the keyboard isn't officially programmable, but the IC in it is programmable, so you may see firmware hacks appear.



But he did say that the navigation cluster is the same as the one shown in the ergonomics pro.

Matias, if this is the case, does it mean the 60% while have bigger modifiers i.e. fatter Win key, Shift and Space, much like this ergonomic one?

Yes, it will have the same navigation cluster, and surrounding keys will be similar.



Those short keycaps really interest me... I hope they'll become available as aftermarket items.

Yes, they will.

Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: davkol on Sat, 18 January 2014, 16:32:22
Maybe one of these days I'll get around to modding the ErgoDox PCB to support Matias switches. Until then, I'll have to pass :(

czarek has some pictures of "stock" ErgoDox w/ Matias ALPS at Deskthority (maybe even here, IDK)... dunno, if it actually works though. It would be lovely, but I don't really care, because I prefer clears and linear switches TBH.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Sat, 18 January 2014, 17:32:44
Maybe one of these days I'll get around to modding the ErgoDox PCB to support Matias switches. Until then, I'll have to pass :(

czarek has some pictures of "stock" ErgoDox w/ Matias ALPS at Deskthority (maybe even here, IDK)... dunno, if it actually works though. It would be lovely, but I don't really care, because I prefer clears and linear switches TBH.

Just saw that... been giddy with excitement all day about it.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Linkbane on Sun, 19 January 2014, 18:05:07
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Mon, 20 January 2014, 03:29:43
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.

Well, thinking it through logically...

If we thought there was a better layout, don't you think we'd have chosen that one?

Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: mrmillsy on Mon, 20 January 2014, 05:21:46
Regarding gaming, I don't want a keyboard which will move independently of its component parts.  I don't want to have to look when I quickly shift my hand from wasd+mouse to keyboard to type "pwned n00b" or "gank mid dd rune incoming".  So a fixed plate keyboard will be significantly better every time.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Findecanor on Mon, 20 January 2014, 11:24:45
I still have not read: Will there be an ISO version, and when will it be available for preorder?

I think I could adjust if the right Ctrl could be remapped to the key beside left Shift on ISO, but real ISO would be preferable.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Linkbane on Mon, 20 January 2014, 12:47:53
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.

Well, thinking it through logically...

If we thought there was a better layout, don't you think we'd have chosen that one?

Absolutely not. This is not an ergonomic layout, only insofar as the board can be separated. Don't kid yourselves, please, the Kinesis, Dox, and Maltron are real ergonomic layouts, not just a half-baked staggered.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Mon, 20 January 2014, 13:17:26
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.

Well, thinking it through logically...

If we thought there was a better layout, don't you think we'd have chosen that one?

Absolutely not. This is not an ergonomic layout, only insofar as the board can be separated. Don't kid yourselves, please, the Kinesis, Dox, and Maltron are real ergonomic layouts, not just a half-baked staggered.

It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Also, there's a strong case to be made for the Kinesis Advantage & Maltron NOT being ergonomic. Rib cages come in various shapes and sizes, yet those keyboards impose a fixed separation distance on you — nothing ergonomic about that.

Even the ErgoDox is open to criticism... It imposes a fixed position for the Space key (the most important key!). If your hand is too big or too small, it's completely unusable — like putting a size 10 or size 5 foot in a size 8 shoe.

Ergonomic keyboards are a very personal choice. If you find one you're happy with, be thankful, but it's misguided to think that it's "the one true egonomic keyboard" just because it fits your physique and workflow preferences.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Linkbane on Mon, 20 January 2014, 13:24:54
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.

Well, thinking it through logically...

If we thought there was a better layout, don't you think we'd have chosen that one?

Absolutely not. This is not an ergonomic layout, only insofar as the board can be separated. Don't kid yourselves, please, the Kinesis, Dox, and Maltron are real ergonomic layouts, not just a half-baked staggered.

It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Also, there's a strong case to be made for the Kinesis Advantage & Maltron NOT being ergonomic. Rib cages come in various shapes and sizes, yet those keyboards impose a fixed separation distance on you — nothing ergonomic about that.

Even the ErgoDox is open to criticism... It imposes a fixed position for the Space key (the most important key!). If your hand is too big or too small, it's completely unusable — like putting a size 10 or size 5 foot in a size 8 shoe.

Ergonomic keyboards are a very personal choice. If you find one you're happy with, be thankful, but it's misguided to think that it's "the one true egonomic keyboard" just because it fits your physique and workflow preferences.

It's certainly a personal choice, and, having admitted that, it would seem nonsensical for you to say that yours was the 'best' layout. Also, there is a considerably amount of research into keywells, and the effect they have on movement of the fingers is both immediate and massive. This design doesn't reduce finger travel by nearly as much, but perhaps it is 'better' for people who happen to want to move their fingers more?

Hand size could be an issue. But it's not much of one considering that almost everyone has hands large enough to use any of the aforementioned ergonomic keyboards, so the argument of not fitting enough people seems rather moot when you consider that it helps as many people and to a greater extent.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: SpAmRaY on Mon, 20 January 2014, 13:26:56
It annoys me that you'd say 'best layout', but it's a good looking ergo board nonetheless.

Well, thinking it through logically...

If we thought there was a better layout, don't you think we'd have chosen that one?

Absolutely not. This is not an ergonomic layout, only insofar as the board can be separated. Don't kid yourselves, please, the Kinesis, Dox, and Maltron are real ergonomic layouts, not just a half-baked staggered.

It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Also, there's a strong case to be made for the Kinesis Advantage & Maltron NOT being ergonomic. Rib cages come in various shapes and sizes, yet those keyboards impose a fixed separation distance on you — nothing ergonomic about that.

Even the ErgoDox is open to criticism... It imposes a fixed position for the Space key (the most important key!). If your hand is too big or too small, it's completely unusable — like putting a size 10 or size 5 foot in a size 8 shoe.

Ergonomic keyboards are a very personal choice. If you find one you're happy with, be thankful, but it's misguided to think that it's "the one true egonomic keyboard" just because it fits your physique and workflow preferences.

It's certainly a personal choice, and, having admitted that, it would seem nonsensical for you to say that yours was the 'best' layout. Also, there is a considerably amount of research into keywells, and the effect they have on movement of the fingers is both immediate and massive. This design doesn't reduce finger travel by nearly as much, but perhaps it is 'better' for people who happen to want to move their fingers more?

Hand size could be an issue. But it's not much of one considering that almost everyone has hands large enough to use any of the aforementioned ergonomic keyboards, so the argument of not fitting enough people seems rather moot when you consider that it helps as many people and to a greater extent.

Matias, obviously your research staff deserves to be fired, they have failed the ergonomic keyboard gods. And you need to hire this guy already, he obviously knows more than you do.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: davkol on Mon, 20 January 2014, 13:45:07
It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Speaking of the learning curve, people managed to adjust to the Maltron physical layout in about 10 hours, or at least Malt's 1977 paper reads so.

OTOH people are afraid of changes and I have absolutely no doubt that sticking with staggered layout and therefore maintaining status quo is a marketing move. Not a big deal, especially if you can use your current tooling, but claims about being "the best"... well, whatever... I've seen even more daring marketing.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: tp4tissue on Mon, 20 January 2014, 15:37:17
It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Speaking of the learning curve, people managed to adjust to the Maltron physical layout in about 10 hours, or at least Malt's 1977 paper reads so.

OTOH people are afraid of changes and I have absolutely no doubt that sticking with staggered layout and therefore maintaining status quo is a marketing move. Not a big deal, especially if you can use your current tooling, but claims about being "the best"... well, whatever... I've seen even more daring marketing.

It can't be marketing..  I don't even think most people would notice column layout vs staggered when they go buy a keyboard..

Like they'll stare at a picture.. and probably not notice.. until they get their hands on it..

It's not obvious... and ultimately, it doesn't matter..

also, it's not obvious if your hand will fit on the ergodox.. because when I first looked at it and made a print out.. I didn't think it fit my hand at all..

But when the keyboard is "tented"... it's very different...


When I first put hands on my ergodox,  I got up to 100wpm right away... then when I switched my layout up a bit more, moved 3 different keys... my wpm only dropped to 70wpm for a few hours..

I got back to 100 within the next day.. then in a week or so i can burst my old speed 120-130, over the course of a month I pretty much have everything felt out.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Mon, 20 January 2014, 16:22:25
It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Speaking of the learning curve, people managed to adjust to the Maltron physical layout in about 10 hours, or at least Malt's 1977 paper reads so.

It's been ages since I read that paper, but I recall that she also had a new keyboard layout that was different from QWERTY and Dvorak.

Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Mon, 20 January 2014, 16:23:22
I still have not read: Will there be an ISO version, and when will it be available for preorder?

I think I could adjust if the right Ctrl could be remapped to the key beside left Shift on ISO, but real ISO would be preferable.

We have nothing to announce at the moment, but there's a good chance you'll see one.

Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: davkol on Mon, 20 January 2014, 16:50:36
It depends on how far you wanna go... There's always a trade-off between how ergonomic something is vs. how long the learning curve is. We opted for a shorter learning curve.

Speaking of the learning curve, people managed to adjust to the Maltron physical layout in about 10 hours, or at least Malt's 1977 paper reads so.

It's been ages since I read that paper, but I recall that she also had a new keyboard layout that was different from QWERTY and Dvorak.

Yup, Maltron keyboards usually have hardwired two layouts: QWERTY and Maltron. There wasn't enough data on learning the latter at the time of presenting that paper; anyway, there was "software" and physical layout mentioned separately (for the record, it's on the last page).
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Belfong on Mon, 20 January 2014, 18:25:32
Well, Matias is in this for business. I guess if you are only selling keyboards as your main business, you gotta make something as main stream as possible. And remember their market are Apple users and those consumers who frequent big retails like Best Buy and such. I would imagine that these consumer will be surprised to see a Ergonomics keyboard that they could understand and use the instant they saw it. And with the $200 price range, it is pretty affordable too. Truth be told, even though I don't rest my ten fingers on the board while typing (read: I poke with my tall and middle fingers), I find these Ergo Pro pretty enticing myself. And if it sells tons of keyboards and do help people reduce RSI, more power to Matias, isn't it?

Of course this is GH and it is a keyboard enthusiasts forum and people do get critical over the design of the keyboard - much like how Apple stuff is often loathed at some purist forums, but hey, it's business.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: yasuo on Mon, 20 January 2014, 22:38:07
I think pure business//market,people are still afraid to change the usually :)
though JUST symmetrical with left hand reverse :rolleyes: i think it most simple of all ergo design :p
symmetrical staggering no need adaption not like ergo dox/maltron/kinesis adv.etc :rolleyes:
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Polymer on Mon, 20 January 2014, 22:49:18
People are getting way too caught up in "the best".

On the site it says

"We also think it has the best layout of all the ergonomic keyboards so far."

That is their opinion and how they feel.  You can disagree with them but that doesn't mean that isn't their opinion. 

They also call their switches "the best"....

Personally I think it is a pretty good implementation..there are a few things I wish they changed but overall it is pretty good...It'll also appeal to a LOT more people than a Maltron and Kinesis which I think is the point. 

It is very similar to an Ergodox..and like tp4 said, staggered won't be a huge difference...I think the Ergodox has a bit more flexibility but it also isn't something easily available to most. 
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: SonOfSonOfSpock on Tue, 21 January 2014, 01:59:00
Anybody who claims Matias didn't go far enough is not being fair, it is not a flip of the switch to adjust to a new keyboard layout. Their design has the easiest learning curve I've seen. At least that's what my experience with a Kinesis Freestyle tells me. I'm a bit biased since I'm pretty sure Id have one if they were available.

What's the reason people are complaining so much? Did he put sugar in your gas tank?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 21 January 2014, 02:39:00
I think it looks great: take the basic idea of the Kinesis Freestyle, and then just execute much better [more thoughtful layout, much more solid build quality, much nicer switches and keycaps, etc.]. It’s not my dream keyboard, but I think it’ll be a winner, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone used to standard ANSI keyboards asking about something more ergonomic or pleasant to type on. Looks like the learning curve is basically zero.

That said, Matias, if you’re setting up some possible switchable settings [like ctrl/caps swap, etc.] I definitely recommend looking into the ability to make one of the spacebars work as backwards delete. Getting the delete key directly under the hands is one of the biggest and easiest ergonomic improvements to make, and doesn’t require much practice to learn.

Alternately, using one of the thumb keys for shift, and using the shift keys for something else, such as delete or Fn, is also quite nice. [But probably takes more time to learn]
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Tue, 21 January 2014, 03:00:55
That said, Matias, if you’re setting up some possible switchable settings [like ctrl/caps swap, etc.] I definitely recommend looking into the ability to make one of the spacebars work as backwards delete. Getting the delete key directly under the hands is one of the biggest and easiest ergonomic improvements to make, and doesn’t require much practice to learn.

Alternately, using one of the thumb keys for shift, and using the shift keys for something else, such as delete or Fn, is also quite nice. [But probably takes more time to learn]


Okay, I'm going to see what we can do as far as switchable settings.  Please chime in here as to what you want.  At the moment we have...

1)  Switchable Caps Lock/Ctrl
2)  Switchable PC/Mac
3)  Switchable L-Spacebar/Backspace

Any others?


Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 21 January 2014, 03:06:43
1)  Switchable Caps Lock/Ctrl
2)  Switchable PC/Mac
3)  Switchable L-Spacebar/Backspace

Any others?
How about switchable R-spacebar / Backspace? :p That’s the one I personally use. [Because when using the mouse in the right hand, with the left hand on the keyboard, e.g. in Photoshop, it’s still nice to have access to the spacebar.] Then again, since I’m probably not actually going to buy one of these for myself, maybe don’t make decisions based on my usage. :-)

Also, caps/fn swap (or caps/ctrl/fn 3-way swap) could be very useful for some folks, e.g. for easy access to numpad.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: davkol on Tue, 21 January 2014, 04:15:17
Esc/something (maybe tilde?) swap. I remember some people (not only Vim users) were upset about this kind of Esc placement on sidewinder X6.

I guess the PC/Mac switch swaps left Alt and Win. Then I'd appreciate an option for Win/Alt swap to get bottom row like this: Ctrl-Alt-AltGr-space-space-AltGr-...
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Linkbane on Tue, 21 January 2014, 10:39:50
Okay, I'm going to see what we can do as far as switchable settings.  Please chime in here as to what you want.  At the moment we have...

1)  Switchable Caps Lock/Ctrl
2)  Switchable PC/Mac
3)  Switchable L-Spacebar/Backspace

Any others?

Perhaps if you could make switchable right spacebar and backspace? Dvorak only uses left spacebar, so it'd be really nice to see a backspace instead. Thanks for the new features, I applaud the innovation.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Polymer on Tue, 21 January 2014, 10:58:48
Yeap..I think having the option to turn either of the space bars into something useful is a good idea (like backspace). 

Looking forward to seeing this in action soon...
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: daerid on Tue, 21 January 2014, 11:33:25
That said, Matias, if you’re setting up some possible switchable settings [like ctrl/caps swap, etc.] I definitely recommend looking into the ability to make one of the spacebars work as backwards delete. Getting the delete key directly under the hands is one of the biggest and easiest ergonomic improvements to make, and doesn’t require much practice to learn.

Alternately, using one of the thumb keys for shift, and using the shift keys for something else, such as delete or Fn, is also quite nice. [But probably takes more time to learn]


Okay, I'm going to see what we can do as far as switchable settings.  Please chime in here as to what you want.  At the moment we have...

1)  Switchable Caps Lock/Ctrl
2)  Switchable PC/Mac
3)  Switchable L-Spacebar/Backspace

Any others?




Programmability. But you've already subtly intimated that it is going to be possible.

So yeah, hardware Caps/Ctrl switching would be fantastic.

Also, I'm going to be in the minority here, but having Insert on a FN layer is really annoying. There's a ton of usefulness in that key as a binding key for macros and such (I use the crap out of it for Resharper's "Insert [item]" templates).

Also, in a lot of terminals, shift+insert is the only viable way to paste via the keyboard.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: SonOfSonOfSpock on Tue, 21 January 2014, 17:34:00
I could see people wanting to swap in different things for left space. Backspace makes the most sense, but shift/ctrl/alt could be good candidates. Maybe provide a setting to make it some random key nobody uses that you could use software like AutoHotKey to switch out.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Matias on Thu, 23 January 2014, 01:15:50
Okay, we're designing in 4 DIP switches for adjustable user settings.  Tentatively, they will be...

     1)  Alt/Win keys  =  PC / Mac

     2)  Swap Ctrl / Caps Lock

     3)  L-Space  =  Space / Backspace

     4)  R-Space  =  Space / Backspace

We're positioning them under a keycap, so they'll be hidden after you set them to what you like.

Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Findecanor on Thu, 23 January 2014, 07:48:44
Any others?
If you are sure that you won't make an ISO version, then for making the right Ctrl key into the "ISO Backslash" (USB HID usage page 0x07 code 0x64).
Someone might wish that it was 'B'. ;)
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Tue, 18 February 2014, 09:40:29
How soon should I pre-order for free shipping? Trying to hold off as long as I can, especially since it may cost less if I wait, depending on the exchange rate at the time.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Sat, 22 February 2014, 06:42:08
 :-\ :-\
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: dgreekstallion on Sat, 22 February 2014, 19:32:13
Quick question:

Will you charge when we order, or when the item actually ships?

Thanks.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Sat, 22 February 2014, 22:28:50
I cannot work out what postal thing to choose, it's meant to be free shipping yet if I choose the Asia/Australian one it wants to charge me an extra $5? :P
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Pacifist on Sat, 22 February 2014, 22:30:40
There's a GB for these?
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: MissMurd3r84 on Sat, 22 February 2014, 22:42:45
There's a GB for these?
There's a pre-order for them via the link on first page.
Title: Re: CES News: Matias debuts pro-grade Ergonomic Mechanical Keyboard at CES
Post by: Findecanor on Sun, 23 February 2014, 07:25:09
There's a pre-order for them via the link on first page.
order link (http://matias.ca/order/#ergopro).
At $200 USD including shipping (worldwide  shipping!), it is cheaper than the ErgoDox or the Truly Ergonomic when they were last available on Massdrop. (The ErgoDox at $199 did not come with keycaps)