Optimus Maximus Keyboard – why not sponsored? OLED Sponsorhips

photo credit: arquera

I recently saw the launch of the Optimus Maximus keyowrd announced and finally demoed and it seems to live up to all the hype – even with firmware that is not perfect.

For those who have not heard about this keyboard it has been in development with what has seemed like endless delays for a few years. It has different options, one of which is a full set of keys that can each be customized with the graphic of your choice. Watching the video above shows the true power of the keyword and how usability can actually be improved by key display changes.

Below is an example closeup of the keyboard in action:

I also read an article about the possibility of getting spam on the keyboard, or in any similar device, from AdLab. This got me thinking about the price of the product ($462.27 pre-order price) and the possibility of getting a sponsorship on board.

As you can see the keyboard can literally display anything on the keys. Why not setup a deal with a company to sponsor some of the keys or have a special area for sponsorship? Considering the keyboard is plugged in via USB cable and most likely a computer with Internet access why not have a company sponsor an area and update it with the latest message\deals\offers\customer messages?

This type of sponsorship could help offset the price of the keyboard and possibly be a great opportunity for a company involved. I am sure there would be a way to hack the keyboard and remove the ads, but this type of non intrusive message may be a good compromise for some people.

How much do you think a cutting edge site would pay to have a permanent button on a keyboard with their site just a click away? To add even more incentive updates and software downloads could be made available earlier to those who take advantage of the ads.

I think in the future, as OLED technologies become more widespread, we will see more ads presented in them. OLED screens connected to gadgets with a net connection are an advertisers dream for getting in front of a tech user.