An affordable, attractive, infinitely-customizable keyboard has been a dream project for designers for quite a while. The Optimus comes close, but it’s expensive and bulky and the ultra-bright OLED displays on the keys bother some users. The E-Inkey Concept from Maxim Mezentsev and Alexsander Suhih is a trimmer, lighter version of the idea that uses e-ink instead of OLED for the individual key displays.

E-Inkey is wireless and still gives you all of the benefits of a keyboard with keys that you can customize to your specific needs. Whether you’re switching languages, using a complex program like Photoshop or just need certain functions handy for your favorite game, the E-Inkey could switch to your desired layout quickly and easily.

Because the keyboard uses e-ink technology rather than LED or OLED, it saves on power but still lets you specify the function of each and every key. And as an added bonus, it’s actually really, really attractive. So far it’s just a concept, but hopefully the designers will take advantage of the crowdfunding movement to make it into a product that we can actually buy and use.

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Have you ever wondered why the keyboard has to be such a standard, boring design? Different shapes and form factors are available, but the keys are always in the same configuration. Until now, that is – designer Wan Fu Chun has totally rethought the way keyboards work by inventing the Puzzle Keyboard.

The Puzzle Keyboard design lets you remove the keys you don’t use often, move the keys you DO use into more convenient locations, and altogether customize your typing experience. The shape of the keyboard can be shifted to accommodate a more ergonomic design, as well.

The Puzzle Keyboard could not only make things easier for people who use their keyboards constantly; it could also help to make typing possible for people with certain disabilities. Those who have arthritis or hand injuries can arrange just the keys they need in the most convenient setup for them. The creative Puzzle Keyboard was a 2012 Red Dot Design Award winner.

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Typing was once relegated to the likes of receptionists and writers, but now just about everyone in the developed world knows how to use a keyboard. What would happen if we all had to relearn the way we type? Would it be complete pandemonium or would folks embrace the new layout and welcome the new addition to their set of typing skills? The answer probably lies somewhere between the two, as evidenced by the lukewarm reception to a new type of keyboard available for Android tablets 7″ and above.

The Slice Keyboard app uses both hands for typing, a fact that already has seasoned text messaging addicts cringing. Each finger resting on the touch screen represents an assigned configuration of characters. When the typer wants to select a certain character, he presses down on the appropriate finger, then selects the wanted caracter.,m According to the developers, the app can be used for touch typing and eliminates the need to look at the hands or keyboard while typing. We’re assuming that’s after a lengthy learning process. The app comes with a Space Invaders-type game to help along the learning curve, so it might be worth at least trying – if you’re an adventurous typist, that is.

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Computing has been changing so rapidly over the past few years with smartphones taking over a lot of our computing and the introduction of tablet computers shaking things up. Our needs have changed as far as input devices go; no longer will a simple mouse and keyboard suffice. Gesture-based computing is the way we’re headed, which means we’ve got to really rethink the way we interact with our devices. The Inside Out keyboard from designer Min Koo Yeo is a great example of what our input devices could look like in just a few years’ time.

With a keyboard on one side and a huge “smart” trackpad on the other, the Inside Out clearly and physically separates navigation functions from data input functions. The keyboard side includes a standard (small) trackpad for run-of-the-mill navigation, but the flip side of the device is one huge touch-sensitive surface that will allow for a greater degree of freedom.  The Inside Out is just a concept at this stage but could easily become an actual product as computing needs continue to evolve over time.

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Dutch designer Hella Jongerius has figured out the way to the heart of every blogger, gamer, and late-night online student: a keyboard that doubles as a plate.

The brilliant design features a split keyboard with a large space for food right in the middle. Thanks to the special secondary function of the keyboard, we’d love it if it were dishwasher-safe.

The keyboard, of course, isn’t a real product, as much as we wish it was. It was part of an exhibition called My Soft Office, in which Jongerius combined common household items with technology.

The keyboard pillow was another excellent design from the same exhibit. It might be hard to sleep on without inadvertently sending an email or something, but it would definitely be more comfy than some of the wireless keyboards we’ve used.

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