Author Topic: topre split kinesis style keyboard  (Read 10665 times)

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Offline philipm

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« on: Sat, 29 January 2011, 20:38:44 »
What do you guys think, is this topre?

http://www.personal-media.co.jp/utronkb/

It's here in pic:

http://www.kbdmania.net/xe/2063890#31

philipm

Typing on my new HHKB Pro 2
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Offline keyboardlover

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #1 on: Sat, 29 January 2011, 20:42:18 »
Hi Philip, welcome to GeekHack! Yes, that's a uTron with Topre switches; Haata has one. They are VERY expensive.

Offline calavera

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #2 on: Sat, 29 January 2011, 22:35:26 »
holy effing sh!t. that costs 500 bucks.

Offline keyboardlover

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #3 on: Sat, 29 January 2011, 22:41:18 »
Actually on Google I got:
52500 Japanese yen = 638.9198 US dollars

Not sure if you can get these from other vendors but I know you have to go through a broker to get one (and who knows how much shipping costs). I've heard that like an HHKB2 though, the feel is subpar to Realforce. The unique layout + Topre switches seems to be what draws (the few) people to this one most.

Offline 002

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 00:36:47 »
Yeah I had a mash on one of these at the 'clevery' store in Akihabara too - probably the same one Rippy was at.

I don't know if it was just the fact that the demo board had seen a lot of abuse but I was underwhelmed by the overall appeal of the uTron. I also dont have the patience to learn the new layout either.

Offline HaaTa

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 03:46:39 »
It was a big decision for me to get one. Mulled over for about 2-3 months (while I was in Japan).

  • Sure, it's expensive, but it's also very unique.
  • Layout is amazing; every time I use it, I like it more.
  • Small keys are actually a plus (I don't have sausage fingers).
  • The beat up board in the store doesn't really give justice to how the keys feel.

Anyways, $600 is seriously stupid, but it's all in how much you want it.

What really got me were the $100 foam wrist rests (didn't buy those...).
Kiibohd

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Offline 002

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 04:14:32 »
Good points HaaTa.

I'm not totally dismissive of this board. I'm sure it has great appeal to someone after an ergonomic and durable board.
The cost may very well be worth it for the reward it brings to those who'll benefit from its features.

Offline Jerri

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #7 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 05:46:27 »
Damn are those splitted boards comfortable? i mean i never tried one, but if i look on that it really looks weird. Holy Sh*t 600 bucks for that board? Hope it is worth the bucks
You can take the man out of the 80's, but you can't take the 80's out of the man.

woody

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #8 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:00:12 »
Quote from: HaaTa;287178
  • The beat up board in the store doesn't really give justice to how the keys feel.

You mean it had over 20M keystrokes?

In all seriousness, how could a keyboard on display change it's characteristics, when a mashed-on keyboard 6 hours a day shouldn't?

Offline Findecanor

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #9 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:23:19 »
I have not tried any ergo/split keyboard with more hand-separation than an inch (the GoldTouch), but it was the separation that I like the most about that keyboard. If just feels more natural to use than a non-split one, but then I am also a tall man with wide shoulders. I think that it is more important for you the wider your shoulders are.

I am very much inspired by the µTron keyboard's layout. I think that the keyboard's small uniform staggering that encourages the hands to be at just a small angle is the most natural. It also makes a lot of sense to use the thumb for modifiers instead of having them spread all over the keyboard. I am curious to how having Tab and Return in the middle feels like.

You can use the keyboard in QWERTY layout, but there is also a special TRON layout that I think is  quite cool. In TRON layout, the left and right Shift keys are not equal! For the special characters of where there is a left and a right version, such as quote characters, parenthesis, brackets and braces, there is only one key for each pair -- it is which Shift key you use that decides whether it becomes the left or the right symbol. That makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Easier to learn each key's symbol if you start with this keyboard, but difficult for a QWERTY-user to relearn...
« Last Edit: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:25:24 by Findecanor »
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Offline philipm

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #10 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:24:07 »
Quote from: HaaTa;287178
It was a big decision for me to get one. Mulled over for about 2-3 months (while I was in Japan).

What really got me were the $100 foam wrist rests (didn't buy those...).


How can you not get the 100 dollar wrist rests! Thats like buying HHKB and not getting a roof or a carrying case!

[I didn't - shhhhh]
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philipm
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Offline keyboardlover

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #11 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:46:28 »
The Few. The Proud. The Leet.

The uTron Owners.

Offline sixty

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #12 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 07:47:08 »
webwit has the utron along with the wristrest, a lot of pics here. The wrist rests look awesome! And by awesome I mean they look exactly like what they are, two giant chunks of foam sold at a ridiculous price.

Offline philipm

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #13 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 08:43:43 »
What does the TRON key do?

Is it like in the movie?
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Offline db_Iodine

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #14 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 10:32:26 »
Quote from: philipm;287227
What does the TRON key do?

Is it like in the movie?


I think it activates the Tron mode.


Webwit's picture.

This is one beautiful keyboard. I'd want to try one, but can't justify the price.
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Offline Findecanor

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #15 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 12:41:44 »
Quote from: sixty;287214
The wrist rests look awesome! And by awesome I mean they look exactly like what they are, two giant chunks of foam sold at a ridiculous price.
Wrist rests and foam at 1:40, but don't skip!

Quote from: philipm;287227
Is it like in the movie?
It has nothing to do with any movie (which is something that makes it a bit difficult to search for more info about it at the moment ...)

The TRON (backronym "The Realtime Operating Nucleus") project was formed in the mid '80s at Tokyo Daigaku (Japan's top university of technology) to create a new next-generation standard for computers at all levels, from the smallest embedded computer to the largest mainframe. All should use a single new open standard and be interoperable.

Unfortunately, many aspects of the system were just too different from the established tech to gain any popularity outside Japan. It was too Japanese, and it was too difficult to port much software to it. Another reason might be that Microsoft has lobbied hard against it ...
The initial keyboard was more different from a standard QWERTY keyboard than the µTron keyboard is. (Think "The bastard child of TrulyErgonomic and an octopus") It was designed to type Japanese first, not European languages. The pointing device was not a mouse but a pen (like Wacom). The character set used in the beginning is completely different from ASCII or Unicode. Unlike Unicode it supports 100% of all Japanese characters. It even lets you encode a kind of vector graphics within text document so that you can encode the ancient Kanji glyphs for the names of rural Japanese villages where nobody still lives, etc.
The OS gained foothold within the Japanese industry, and is still widely used mostly in embedded systems.

There was also a "TRON House" built, where many functions were computer controlled. From the stove and the wardrobe to the central heating and the toilet. It must have been the most famous incarnation of TRON in the Western world. I have seen it on TV a couple of times in the early '90s.
« Last Edit: Sun, 30 January 2011, 13:07:04 by Findecanor »
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Offline HaaTa

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #16 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 13:20:21 »
Quote from: woody;287201
You mean it had over 20M keystrokes?

In all seriousness, how could a keyboard on display change it's characteristics, when a mashed-on keyboard 6 hours a day shouldn't?


Actually, that might not suprise me. As the uTron, by far, was the most used keyboard in Cleverly. And Cleverly is packed on weekends (difficult to move).
Kiibohd

ALWAYS looking for cool and interesting switches
I take requests for making keyboard converters (i.e. *old keyboard* to USB).

Offline Keymonger

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #17 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 13:35:17 »
Quote from: Findecanor;287315

The TRON (backronym "The Realtime Operating Nucleus") project was formed in the mid '80s at Tokyo Daigaku (Japan's top university of technology) to create a new next-generation standard for computers at all levels, from the smallest embedded computer to the largest mainframe. All should use a single new open standard and be interoperable.

Unfortunately, many aspects of the system were just too different from the established tech to gain any popularity outside Japan. It was too Japanese, and it was too difficult to port much software to it. Another reason might be that Microsoft has lobbied hard against it ...
The initial keyboard was more different from a standard QWERTY keyboard than the µTron keyboard is. (Think "The bastard child of TrulyErgonomic and an octopus") It was designed to type Japanese first, not European languages. The pointing device was not a mouse but a pen (like Wacom). The character set used in the beginning is completely different from ASCII or Unicode. Unlike Unicode it supports 100% of all Japanese characters. It even lets you encode a kind of vector graphics within text document so that you can encode the ancient Kanji glyphs for the names of rural Japanese villages where nobody still lives, etc.
The OS gained foothold within the Japanese industry, and is still widely used mostly in embedded systems.

There was also a "TRON House" built, where many functions were computer controlled. From the stove and the wardrobe to the central heating and the toilet. It must have been the most famous incarnation of TRON in the Western world. I have seen it on TV a couple of times in the early '90s.

Wow dude... this is an amazing story. Very interesting.

Offline keyboardlover

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #18 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 14:44:55 »
I agree, that's a cool story bro. Thanks for sharing!

Offline philipm

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #19 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 15:00:08 »
Why does that keyboard split/angle the opposite way from most ergonomic keyboards in the us?. The hands are using the 2 halves 45 degrees to the keys. I guess they didnt read the type matrix 2030 advertising about stuff being lined up.
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Offline db_Iodine

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topre split kinesis style keyboard
« Reply #20 on: Sun, 30 January 2011, 15:32:03 »
Quote from: philipm;287395
Why does that keyboard split/angle the opposite way from most ergonomic keyboards in the us?. The hands are using the 2 halves 45 degrees to the keys. I guess they didnt read the type matrix 2030 advertising about stuff being lined up.

This way the key columns (vfr, mju etc.) are at a 90 degree angle to your body. The keyboards layout would probably need some time getting used to, but it could be really nice to type on after that.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]