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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: xsphat on Tue, 01 January 2008, 15:30:16

Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 01 January 2008, 15:30:16
They are keyboards, and they don't talk, but they are the highly regarded in China.

http://www.iqmore.idv.tw/blog/iqmore/2007/10/01/80/
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: zillidot on Tue, 01 January 2008, 18:20:36
Quote from: xsphat;2210
They are keyboards, and they don't talk, but they are the highly regarded in China.

http://www.iqmore.idv.tw/blog/iqmore/2007/10/01/80/

Very interesting! They look like the Majestouch, but have extra volume control keys (which apparently do work on Macs!) and come in blue, brown and black cherry flavours. Yum!

Does anyone know where we can buy one? :)
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: iMav on Tue, 01 January 2008, 18:36:58
Quote from: zillidot;2212
Does anyone know where we can buy one? :)

I'm guessing you'd likely have to go through a broker (like geekstuff4u (http://www.geekstuff4u.com/) or beNippon (http://benippon.com/)).

Speaking of these two brokers.  I actually have pending orders from both of them.  In a few weeks, I'll be able to speak from experience on their reliability.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 01 January 2008, 18:53:48
All I know is they are Chinese and probly even harder to get in the US than the Japanese keyboards.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: fkeidjn on Wed, 02 January 2008, 01:34:53
Quote from: xsphat;2214
All I know is they are Chinese and probly even harder to get in the US than the Japanese keyboards.


And I thought made in China products are easiest to obtain, lol...
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Wed, 02 January 2008, 02:39:43
funny. Maybe these are harder to get because they aren't made by children working for American companies.

I asked someone on Flickr about these 'boards and he said, well, here's the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaojeng/1455365093/
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: gas1123 on Sat, 05 January 2008, 01:38:09
Quote from: fkeidjn;2216
And I thought made in China products are easiest to obtain, lol...


No,No,No  It's Made in Taiwan
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Sat, 05 January 2008, 01:47:39
I heard about problems with the switches (see link above) is it true?
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: gas1123 on Sat, 05 January 2008, 02:19:37
Quote from: xsphat;2245
I heard about problems with the switches (see link above) is it true?


because the Cherry keyswitch   production line  is  inadequate  

P.S sorry my english is not so good
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Sat, 05 January 2008, 02:26:26
I don't know about Cherry lately, whats going on with them?
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: skyian on Sat, 05 January 2008, 06:13:14
Owing to the big order from India, Cherry don't offer enough switches to Taiwan factory. Hence the production of KBtalKing and GP-101 is not as smooth as they planned and the production line could not work until the cherry switches come to Taiwan.


In this way, many pre-order people (all of them have paid the total amount money of the KBtalKing keyboard they order) are still waiting for KBtalKing, but no one could guarantee a precise day when they could get the rest of the KBtalKing.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Sat, 05 January 2008, 10:46:50
That order for India, would that be for the TVS Gold? I had a feeling they used Cherry switches.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Tue, 08 January 2008, 04:54:20
I wonder if we are witnessing the closing of an era. Alps - gone.  Strongman Alps is but a pale imitation of the original.  NMB, Fujitsu - all gone.  Only Cherry left.  Now they seem to think that their Cymotion membranes are good enough for the most demanding applications - Cherry POS keyboards, none of which are mechanical. The ML is used in but a handful of products. The MX is more common, but mainly the linear version.  Could it be that once Cherry's production tooling of these switches is up for replacement, they may decide the cost not worth it?
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 08 January 2008, 05:14:28
But in Europe and Asia, clicky mechanicals are hot. I think they may die out a bit, but I hope they will make a comeback in the US.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: Nonmouse on Tue, 08 January 2008, 18:18:07
Quote from: Whiskey in the Jar-o;2273
...  Only Cherry left.  Now they seem to think that their Cymotion membranes are good enough for the most demanding applications - Cherry POS keyboards, none of which are mechanical.


Actually, both the 8113 and 8200 series POS keyboards uses MX switches.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Tue, 08 January 2008, 22:27:14
Quote from: Nonmouse;2285
Actually, both the 8113 and 8200 series POS keyboards uses MX switches.

Yeah, but the big boys don't: http://www.cherry.de/english/products/point_of_sale_16748.htm
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 08 January 2008, 22:48:08
Whiskey, who uses those keyboards at home? Not this boy. I am totally fine with 60 or 80 keys.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: Whiskey in the Jar-o on Tue, 08 January 2008, 22:57:47
Quote from: xsphat;2295
Whiskey, who uses those keyboards at home? Not this boy. I am totally fine with 60 or 80 keys.

True dat.  I was just making the point that even for very heavy duty applications, membranes are slowy replacing mechanicals.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: xsphat on Tue, 08 January 2008, 23:16:53
Sad that what you said is true, but it is. Stock up if you are into mechanicals, that's all I have to say.
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: chimera15 on Sat, 12 June 2010, 04:15:15
This must be where Ligo and his board came from.  We need someone who can talk Chinese to track this down. lol
Title: KBTalking brand keyboards?
Post by: quadibloc on Sat, 12 June 2010, 08:04:54
Quote from: skyian;59116
Owing to the big order from India, Cherry don't offer enough switches to Taiwan factory. Hence the production of KBtalKing and GP-101 is not as smooth as they planned and the production line could not work until the cherry switches come to Taiwan.
This is important information to have; thank you.

If the big order is for the TVS Gold, this is sad; that keyboard places the |\ key between += and the backspace, which makes that important key - which one often reaches for in haste after making a mistake - harder to reach. For me, at least, this spoils what would otherwise be a good keyboard.

Also, it perhaps explains why the posts for new keyboards, designed with the edge closer to the keys than the KBTalking keyboards, apparently from Taiwan, are being left as a tease. There will be a delay before they can ship product in any case for the same reason.

And this may also explain why the PCB is designed so it can accept ALPS switches. Given the bottleneck of Cherry availability, being able to switch production to ALPS would obviously be a benefit.