100% customizable keyboard debuts at CES 2019

On Sunday at CES Unveiled, French tech brand Nemeio showed off a new E Ink keyboard that lets users customize the device key by key.

If you work in multiple languages, you know that it can be difficult to switch between their corresponding keyboards; finding the parenthesis button can be downright impossible on a French keyboard if you don’t have the QWERTY letter and symbol locations completely memorized.

In response to this issue, French company Nemeio developed a solution: the company’s Electronic Ink keyboard, which doesn’t have an official name yet, allows users to not only completely customize the keyboard key by key, but also switch between pre-set configurations so you can swap between French, English, and whatever other language setup you need.

This device isn’t limited just to traditional language keys. Whether you’re a digital designer or editor, configurations can be tailored to your needs. The keyboard is compatible with button options such as a Photoshop launch key, a single copy-and-paste button, and a color picker key.

You can either plug in the keyboard to your computer or connect it to a Mac or PC via Bluetooth. A corresponding desktop application allows users to select from a variety of preset configurations or create a completely new setup simply by dragging and dropping key options from the Nemeio library onto a digital model of the device. Basically, the keyboard is a huge version of the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar introduced last year.

Though the model at CES was a prototype, Nemeio confirmed to The Verge that the keyboard on display featured the finalized product design. Shipping is expected to begin this summer with a price tag landing somewhere between $300 and $500 (about P15,000 to P26,000). JB

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