Art Lebedev Optimus keyboards get pre order

Art Lebedev's Optimus Popularis and Optimus Mini Six keyboards which feature an LCD screen behind every key are now available to pre-order.

Known for making some of the most impressive – and costly – keyboards around, Russian design studio Art Lebedev has released new photos of its stunning Optimus Popularis and Optimus Mini Six models.

The Optimus Mini Six costs €258 (about £220), while the Optimus Popularis is €747 (about £640).

Both devices are made up of keys featuring a 64 x 64 pixel LCD display beneath their surface. Using the included Configurator software, users can customise layouts and settings and quickly switch between presets on PC or Mac.

Retoucher's delight

In use, this means that shortcut junkies will no longer have to use overlays or buy marked-up keyboards specifically for complicated software like Photoshop, and multi-linguists will be able to type out a missive in English before promptly switching their keyboard to Arabic for another.

The Popularis is a full keyboard (without numerical keypad) that includes a further LCD display strip below the function keys, while the Mini Six is a six button auxiliary device for accessing shortcuts and displaying program information.

You can head over to the Art Lebedev site to cast your eyes over the Optimus Popularis and Optimus Mini Six.