A Keyboard for Uber-Geeks

Looking for a way to profess your uber-geekness to friends, family, or even your co-workers? Then the "Das Keyboard" may be for you. There's only one catch to this sleek-looking black keyboard: the keys are blank.

While some may see such a device as strange, inventor Daniel Guermeur considers it a stroke of genius. "Das Keyboard places me at the pinnacle of the geekness. The nice perk is that it improved my typing speed and accuracy," Guermeur said about his invention.

The name means "The Keyboard" in German, an allegory to the term "uber geek."

Das Keyboard claims that the brain uses the markings on the keys as a crutch, which causes the typist to slow down and look at what keys are being hit. With this keyboard, the brain is forced to memorize the key positions, thus increasing typing speed and improving accuracy since there are no markings to guide the user along.

The keyboard also features individually mounted key weights, which means different keys must be pressed with different force to type, from 35 grams up to 80 grams. The company says this results in greater comfort when typing since the weight is more evenly matched to the strength of the finger hitting it.

According to Das Keyboard's test, the keys are built to withstand over 30 million keystrokes, which it says rivals or surpasses many of the best keyboards available on the market today.

Das Keyboard works with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X through a USB connection. Retailing USD $79.95 USD, the keyboard can be ordered through the company's Web site.