You’ve probably heard of the Optimus line of keyboards before. If you have, it’s usually because they’re super expensive. The Optimus Popularis (pictured above), the next offering from Art.Lebedev Studio, is no different, and could push upwards of $1,000 when it comes out in 2011. Why is it so expensive? Well, besides being something of a novelty item, it has a full-color set of lighted keys. It’s not clear what kind of lights it uses, however, only that it doesn’t use the same OLED lights of the Optimus Maximus, which is probably the studio’s best known keyboard.
Asus also has an expensive-as-a-PC keyboard offering in the Eee Keyboard (pictured below), but that’s because it is a computer. It’s currently available for a whopping $600. In terms of power it’s about the same as a netbook, but with 16GB of storage space — comparable to the iPad — Wi-Fi, an HDMI port so you can hook it up to a monitor or TV and five-inch multitouch display. It’s battery is rated for four hours of battery life, though how much you could get done on its tiny screen alone won’t have you replacing your laptop with an Eee Keyboard.
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