UBOTIE colorful keyboards - What's all the hype about? Or IS there any?

[smarmar]

I was perusing my local online marketplace and ran across someone selling a new UBOTIE keyboard for 10 bucks. It's the first time I've heard of the brand and they seem to be all the rage with the Walmart mom crew or something. They look like they could be totally awesome or completely horrible, just going by looks, alone. I think they're rubber dome-based. I'm almost tempted to buy it just to quelch my curiosity. I might regret it though But it comes with a cute li'l mouse!

Does anyone have any experience with these?

https://www.amazon.com/UBOTIE-Typewriter-Full-Sized-Dropout-Free-Black-Colorful/dp/B087JCGH49

[Maledicted]

They're dome boards.



I doubt anybody here has ever used one.

Caps with no sculpting and/or round shapes like that rub a lot of people the wrong way. I have one of the Azzio retro boards with typewriter-ish caps like that, and I can say they're definitely odd to type on (I haven't used it daily, so my experience is limited). Some people have a problem typing accurately with them. If you look really closely, with the right set of Easter/pastel colors, it does at least look like the F and J keys do have the proper home row bumps for touch typists.

Modern dome boards can range from horrible to bargain bin Happy Meal Topre (I like some more than anything MX). I know I wouldn't play that lottery myself, but to each their own.

This question and answer says more than I need to know:

[smarmar]

HA! I noticed that little "clicky clicky" comment, too. I'm just wondering why they're selling for $40+ --maybe the gimmicky novelty aesthetic?

I also noticed one reviewer saying that the printed characters rubbed off after some use. So, I think you and I just talked me out of even trying one out. I'm pretty sure I'll be disappointed if I try it and have yet another kb I'll probably never use again.

[Maledicted]

HA! I noticed that little "clicky clicky" comment, too. I'm just wondering why they're selling for $40+ --maybe the gimmicky novelty aesthetic?

Well, it is still a wireless M&KB combo, so there's some intrinsic value there. There have been some mechanicals that followed the same sort of aesthetic trend, like from Lofree.

I also noticed one reviewer saying that the printed characters rubbed off after some use. So, I think you and I just talked me out of even trying one out. I'm pretty sure I'll be disappointed if I try it and have yet another kb I'll probably never use again.

The legends do look exceedingly cheaply done.

Worst case, you spent $10 on a M&KB combo. You could give it to someone you hate, or take it to Goodwill.

[smarmar]

I don't hate my mom but she likes colorful doodads and she likes putting those goofy character stickers on her keyboards. Now you have me reconsidering...

[Maledicted]

I don't hate my mom but she likes colorful doodads and she likes putting those goofy character stickers on her keyboards. Now you have me reconsidering...

If she's not a touch typist, maybe she won't even mind it if you end up hating it.

Random unrelated question upon reading your signature: Did you really swap Alps switches of some kind into a Matias board? I have thought about doing the same, but I have never had a bunch of good SKCM switches and no board. I have been thinking about going the other way and swapping Matias switches into vintage boards that have roached switches ... since I'm cheap and lazy.

[smarmar]

My mom is a touch typist. I think you've made me re-reconsider. 

My Matias Pro came installed with white alps switches. It was designed for a Mac, if that info is relevant. I actually listed it in the Classifieds here because it was giving me trouble and I don't want to deal with it any longer. Some of the keys will type multiple characters when pressed once. I can temporarily fix them with canned air and clicking the sides of the keys a bunch of times, but sooner or later they start doing it again.

[ander]

The legends do look exceedingly cheaply done.

Yep, they're pad printed.

That said, they are pretty cute, and you can apparently get these kinds of things in a bunch of colours:



Don't know about you, but it doesn't take much more than that to get my OCD going. 

[Maledicted]

My mom is a touch typist. I think you've made me re-reconsider. 

My Matias Pro came installed with white alps switches. It was designed for a Mac, if that info is relevant. I actually listed it in the Classifieds here because it was giving me trouble and I don't want to deal with it any longer. Some of the keys will type multiple characters when pressed once. I can temporarily fix them with canned air and clicking the sides of the keys a bunch of times, but sooner or later they start doing it again.

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type and doesn't care and just needed a cheap keyboard.

Tactile Pro 3 should have Forward branded switches in it. Forward was putting the Alps name on their switches until their partnership ended ... so I can't say you're entirely wrong calling them Alps. I have at least one Matias board I picked up used on Ebay with some of those as well, and almost every single freaking key chatters. A bag of 200 of the newer Gaote (Outemu) manufactured switches is dirt cheap, you could even swap them for linears or tactiles if you wanted. I have enough Matias boards to be inclined to say that Gaote's are made far better than Forward's were.

[ander]

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type...

Other people here do that too? Although I don't know what typing ability has to do with it, as long as you like the person.

[Maledicted]

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type...

Other people here do that too? Although I don't know what typing ability has to do with it, as long as you like the person.

Caps like this are typically not well received by touch typists. They're not sculpted, oddly shaped and have a lot of dead space between the caps. Complaints thus range from missed keystrokes to discomfort reaching to rows that are further away due to all caps being flat.

I haven't put enough time on "typewriter" caps like that myself to really form an opinion, though typing on my Azzio retro board initially was a pretty jarring experience, to be sure.

[smarmar]

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type and doesn't care and just needed a cheap keyboard.

Tactile Pro 3 should have Forward branded switches in it. Forward was putting the Alps name on their switches until their partnership ended ... so I can't say you're entirely wrong calling them Alps. I have at least one Matias board I picked up used on Ebay with some of those as well, and almost every single freaking key chatters. A bag of 200 of the newer Gaote (Outemu) manufactured switches is dirt cheap, you could even swap them for linears or tactiles if you wanted. I have enough Matias boards to be inclined to say that Gaote's are made far better than Forward's were.
[/quote]

Mine is an older Matias kb from 2004. It says "Alps mechanical switches" on the box.

[Lanrefni]

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type...

Other people here do that too? Although I don't know what typing ability has to do with it, as long as you like the person.

Caps like this are typically not well received by touch typists. They're not sculpted, oddly shaped and have a lot of dead space between the caps. Complaints thus range from missed keystrokes to discomfort reaching to rows that are further away due to all caps being flat.

I haven't put enough time on "typewriter" caps like that myself to really form an opinion, though typing on my Azzio retro board initially was a pretty jarring experience, to be sure.

I used these type of round caps for a few months a couple years ago,they suck more than OEM profile. Cherry and DSA are immeasurably better.

[Maledicted]

Well, like I said, it is $10 for a wireless mouse and keyboard. If you don't like it, your mom might, if you both hate it it can curse your most reviled enemy or go to a thrift store to be picked up by somebody that doesn't know how to type and doesn't care and just needed a cheap keyboard.

Tactile Pro 3 should have Forward branded switches in it. Forward was putting the Alps name on their switches until their partnership ended ... so I can't say you're entirely wrong calling them Alps. I have at least one Matias board I picked up used on Ebay with some of those as well, and almost every single freaking key chatters. A bag of 200 of the newer Gaote (Outemu) manufactured switches is dirt cheap, you could even swap them for linears or tactiles if you wanted. I have enough Matias boards to be inclined to say that Gaote's are made far better than Forward's were.

Mine is an older Matias kb from 2004. It says "Alps mechanical switches" on the box.

Oh, your signature said it was a Tactile Pro 3, which is quite a bit newer than 2004. Either way, I was under the impression Forward dropped the Alps branding at least a few years before 2004. I imagine the switches aren't Alps branded, even if Matias was still trying to capitalize on the name in the marketing.

Good luck selling it. I think I may be one of only a handful of people insane enough to want to totally rebuild a Matias board.

[smarmar]

Oh, your signature said it was a Tactile Pro 3, which is quite a bit newer than 2004. Either way, I was under the impression Forward dropped the Alps branding at least a few years before 2004. I imagine the switches aren't Alps branded, even if Matias was still trying to capitalize on the name in the marketing.

Good luck selling it. I think I may be one of only a handful of people insane enough to want to totally rebuild a Matias board.
[/quote]
You are most certainly correct: I do have Tactile Pro 3 in my sig. I shall be needing to change it straight away!