Sure, laptops are slowly replacing desktops, but some computer users / mobile warriors alike just prefer the feel of a full-sized keyboard and mouse. These five weird and cool computer keyboards let them do just that, and in style. Continue reading to see them all.

5. Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Optimus Maximus is more than just a concept, as it has been around for a few years, already. However, since it has a price tag of more than $2,000, it is almost granted that you will not see this keyboard in every home. As well as the ABC keyboard, this one is also fully customizable, but the technology employed is a bit different. Optimus Maximus does not feature a touch surface. Instead, each of the keys includes an OLED display capable of reproducing 65,536 colors. You can easily switch between languages and layouts and even assign application shortcuts to the macro keys.

4. Scrabble Keyboard

Most of the keys are made from real Scrabble tiles that were all hand-beveled (truly an exercise in patience/masochism!) and built onto a USB, clicky, mechanical-switch keyboard. This keyboard was going into a Mac environment so I decided to use brushed aluminum for the casing and round all of the corners to keep with the sleek, simple Macintosh styling. Near the end of the build, I decided that the keyboard looked a little too minimalist so I added some silver hardware and a seam to put a slightly industrialized twist on the design.

3. Keyboard Pants

Typing on a full-sized keyboard on-the-go just got easier with these strange keyboard pants. They “merge the world of fashion with the world of technology and come with built in speakers, wireless computer mouse, and full-sized Bluetooth keyboard.”

2. Glass Keyboard

This glass “no-key” keyboard, designed by Kong Fanwen, could be a nice alternative to the “Really Cool” waterproof keyboard that we featured last month. The plan is to use a tiny camera with motion capture technology that will track your fingers as you type.

1. Typewriter Keyboard

My goal with this project was to build a retro keyboard that was fully functional and of a sufficient quality that it could be used everyday by a touch typist. In order to achieve this I chose a high quality (though widely available) keyboard as my starting point. This is an IBM Model M “Clicky” keyboard. They were made starting in the mid 1980’s and a version is still manufactured today. This particular keyboard was made in 1989 and shipped with and IBM PowerStation 530, a UNIX box the size of a kegerator.

Bonus Video

[Sources 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]

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A technology, gadget and video game enthusiast that loves covering the latest industry news. Favorite trade show? Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.