Strongly disagree with regard to the top row. I’ve tried configuring the right hand side to be a numeric keypad on touch of a modifier, but that’s unusable in my opinion. I’m one of the people that really misses a function row and even a separate ESC key. I need to hit ESC with a single key if just for satisfaction. And although I don’t mind hitting F1 by pressing the mod key (or function key) I do mind it when it is control-shift-mod-1 as I’m a developer and debugging using function keys has become almost impossible as it is.
To use the UHK at work I’d probably need one with silent keys. Currently it is pretty heavy and once configured in the tent setup it is not that portable. I’d probably go for one that is: lighter, wireless, more silent (a speaker could “click” maybe) and uses low profile keys. Maybe it could be water-tight as well. Actually, come to think of it, it would probably not be a V3, it would be UHK Portable. Note that I have adjusted my desk at home to be in the lowest position just to use the UHK; that’s not always possible: it needs to have less height.
Why go for a V3 if the V2 does most of what was requested for V1? Add a product to the range! You could use the same key config so you would not be required to change the software other than for the additional functionality. As for orthogonality: to be honest I’d go for another brand if I needed that. That space is taken in by the Ergo range of keyboard.
So many people seem to carry around their laptop + an ergo keyboard. Seems such a waste of space to take two keyboards, and it’s quite hard to see the screen when it is set two keyboards away.
For me the keyboard is the most important bit of computing. If it was paired with a raspberry pi 5 and a 1080p screen, I’d be happy.
Something clever would need to be figured out re: the halves and still allowing the UHK to be the base of the cyberdeck so that you can use it on your lap, while still being able to adjust the halves.
In the cases where I’m using my laptop without an external display, I have my halves in front of my shoulders and the laptop in between them, so it’s as close as it would be if I was using it normally, often even a bit closer since I don’t need room for my hands to comfortably use its keyboard. I am using an extended cable since the stock one was too short for having the halves far enough for my comfort.
After having used the UHK v1 for around 4 years, enough to develop a shine on the keycaps, I’d like to chime in:
Bluetooth/2.4G wireless is a must have. The keyboard halves can be connected together with a wire, that’s cool. But the connection to the computer must have an option to go wireless. Why? because I can finally use my nice keyboard with my phone, or tablet, for example, or my Steam Deck, without looking for a USB hub.
75% or TKL. After 4 years, the lack of arrow keys and Fkeys are still a friction point. I play piano so I don’t have a problem making accurate jumps with my whole hand. Much of the UHK’s programmability is wasted on getting around its smaller size. Chords are always going to be less convenient than a key press.
Mouse support with touchpad and mouse keys is a killer feature I never expected. Great for administrating PCs and you’re too lazy to find a mouse.
Knob/rotating thingy. Doesn’t have to be a knob, maybe a flat rollable bar. Think of it as not just the Ultimate Keyboard anymore, it’s the Ultimate Input device.
I’m getting a Keychron soon. Quite excited at not having to cram into a 60% keyboard again. Even more excited at the prospect of switching between my Android phone, laptop, and whatnot with just a keypress.
Key cluster reviews:
Touchpad: too tall, not wide enough (remember, screens are wide). A thumb touchpad is not a big enough improvement over mouse keys. A Macbook style touchpad is much better and more expressive.
Key cluster: works great. Scroll ball collects oil easily though, and then it doesn’t scroll smoothly anymore.
Knob/rotating thingy. Doesn’t have to be a knob, maybe a flat rollable bar. Think of it as not just the Ultimate Keyboard anymore, it’s the Ultimate Input device.
Why exactly do navigation modes + right module not fit the bill? (You know you can remap them to custom actions, right?)
Diverging from a lot of what I’ve seen here. To me the UHKv2 is nearly perfect, but there are a few areas that need improvement imho.
I would like to see a 65/70ish version. I know that most in this crowd like smaller, but there are some tasks where I really hate jumping to layers for things like Arrow keys and ESC.
Fix the feet! They are the only part of the keyboard that feels overly cheap. They flex to much in many positions and easily break when you try to install/move them. This thing is a tank in all of the best ways and the feet are a glaring exception.
Fix the key cluster and offer a right one too. A few have called it out, but the current key cluster is hard to use. I’m very jealous of the clusters on keebs like the Ergodox. I’d love to see a more usable cluster config (maybe slightly angled down/lower) and the option of a cluster on the right.
Also, just because it keeps coming up. I’ll put in another vote for keeping a wired option.
Here’s my suggestions/feedback. Despite my sounding nit picky, I am in love with this keyboard and I don’t see myself switching for a long long time.
Wireless
While this would be nice, it would not be a killer feature for me and I would swerve away from the v3 if wireless introduced any latency or other adverse outcomes from wireless. A plus of this would be that the battery would add weight to the keyboard. I typically use my UHK with the hand rests, but when I used it without hand rests, I found the keyboard to be slightly too light causing it to scoot around on my wooden desk when using without the feet.
The Feet
I hate the feet. Two of mine never stay firm in their spot and I always feel like I’m about to break them when adding them on. I’d rather screw them in than have them easily removable as I’m rarely finding myself moving/removing them. Perhaps a thumb screw not unlike the hand rests would suffice?
The Caps/LEDs
Not sure if this is a caps problem or an LED problem, but my UHK has inconsistent brightness across the board. Some keys are better lit than others. I suspect this is due to the etching on some of the caps, which seem to be slightly more opaque than expected? (This is not a deal breaker for me, I haven’t looked down at my keyboard in years).
In addition, I wish the keyboard shipped with the mac/win modifier key caps. I figure that the switch to the linux caps was in an effort to simplify orders. Rather than picking the most universal of the 3 OS’s, why not include all 3?
Modules
I wish there were more and I wish they were cheaper. I also wish that there were left and right options for them. Not sure if this can be solved by the next suggestion, but I wish that the trackball module had the ability to slide up and down to adjust it’s position.
Okay, now for the pie in the sky ideas
Gesture controls
I see the forehead of the UHK as a canvas for additional features. One thing I’ve never seen in a keyboard before is some kind of gesture control. I’m not familiar with the hardware you’d use for this, but here’s the idea in the form of an example: I’d like to wave my hand (with my palms still on the rest) across & above the top of the keyboard to emulate a swipe left/right on a touchpad.
If you imagine your entire hand and extended fingers as a finger, then a lot of the gestures are intuitive. Swiping both hands inwards towards the center is a zoom out, the inverse is a zoom in.
I can see this being complicated by the movement of fingers in normal every day typing, but still I feel as though this kind of brainstorming is what will lead to groundbreaking interfacing. To me this suggestion is the cost efficient version of having every single keycap contain a digitizer at the top allowing any key to be a touch surface.
More bezel keys
I love the two buttons on the bezel of the keyboard. They’re in such a natural position and were effortless to incorporate into my day to day use. I wish the bezels on the left and right edges of the keyboard were the same thickness as the bottom bezel to fit more of those buttons as my pinky fingers often are available to be used for that kind of additional pressing.
Built in KVM
I think a great opportunity for the UHK is having a usb port on both halves and allowing the keyboard to control which half is active. This would double as a quality of life feature for customers who mighy have a preference for the cable being on the right or left hand side.
Note: A standard USB switcher would be good in place of the KVM as well, but I think the feature actually being a KVM switch would fit in great with the UHK.
Middle section macropad module + Daisy Chaining
I would love a module that connected the two halves of the keyboard with a bunch of additional buttons. Nothing fancy needed here. I just love me some macros. But I also don’t want to forfeit my modules for that. The solution? Why not have a middle section have two RJ11 ports, allowing the user to have the two keyboard halves + the macropad center piece + their modules.
I think more modules that have a cheap manufacturing cost could be a big money maker, especially if they are cheap enough to buy and try. Right now, I like my trackball, but I’m regretting it and wishing I had gotten the trackpoint, but I also don’t want to buy the trackpoint (sold at a cost that exceeds the cost of another, lower quality keyboard) only to find that I don’t like it as well. I want to to experiment but its difficult at the current price point.
Module dev kit
Create a dev kit for the modules. I’m not a hardware guy but I would become one if I could build upon a cohesive platform. I would also be excited to buy into a keyboard that has an active community market for custom modules.
All in all, I love the keyboard. The keyboard itself feels like a platform rather than an interface device which is spectacular and an unusual experience for me. What interested me in the keyboard was that it felt like it was more than a keyboard, or rather an advanced version of a keyboard. My suggestion would be to continue pursuing those unusual ideas-- I want to try new ways of interfacing with my machine and the UHK being the motherboard for that is an idea that excites me.
I’m sorry, but our roadmap and release schedule are private. But I can say that we’ll release a number of products, and based on the above feedback, you’ll love them.
A lot of good suggestions here. Of the ideas so far, the biggest upgrades to me are 1. Wireless connectivity, 2.4G connection via USB dongle preferable, and 2. USB-C port reinforcement. I’m not personally interested in an ortholinear or columnar staggered layout, but I’m sure I’ll buy the next UHK iteration regardless of what it contains.
However, one category of suggestions I haven’t seen yet are around improving the sound profile and typing feel. I came from the custom keyboard world (before discovering ergo boards) and have built a number of boards from Qwertykeys, Zoom, Mode, and Keychron. The best features of those boards are the aluminum case, gasket or leaf-spring mounting options, case foams, and copper/steel/etc weight bar. To be clear, I have ~ $2k worth of keyboards that I previously loved that are now sitting in my closet untouched ever since I got my UHK. The UHK is so much more comfortable to use. I’ve made many changes to the layers that make it extremely intuitive for me to use, and having a trackpoint and thumb cluster means I don’t need to ever touch my mouse (unless I’m gaming). The only thing I miss about those old boards is the sound and typing feel of a few of them. I’ve swapped out my UHK switches with Oil Kings, Box Pink v2s, Gateron Pro Silvers, and Baby Kangaroos, and I’m sad to say that there is just a little something missing when using the UHK with those switches instead of in my fully loaded Mode Sonnet.
To me, it seems like a wireless UHK in an aluminum case with a copper weight would be immensely popular and demand a premium price. Essentially, I’m imagining a merging of the Mode Envoy and the UHK. I believe there is a large portion of the non-ergo custom keyboard world that would be very interested in a 60% board that they would have the option of splitting, tenting, and tilting. Add in the ability for different thumb modules, a riser, the excellent Agent software for customizing all the layers… and I don’t know why anyone would purchase any other keyboard.
This suggestion is essentially “why can’t we have the best of all worlds”. I don’t know much about engineering and if such things are possible. But I feel like there could be a ton of demand for such a product. Either way, I love my v2, this community is awesome, and I am greatly looking forward to whatever the future has for this product.
I agree with the wireless UHK option. I also hope a kit could convert UHK 1 and 2 into wireless keyboards. I have seen modifications where they have hollowed out the palm rest to make space for a battery pack and all the BT communication. I think that could be a viable option. say a kit with a battery pack contains the electronics for all the BT communication. Also, I hope for a larger trackpad!
My wish for V3 is to have the LEDs modulate their light without using pulse-width modulation. That way I won’t see spots of red/green and blue dotted in my vision when my eyes move!