wireless HHKB? don't count on it

[matt3o]

I was able to get in touch with a PFU representative. He was very nice and quick to reply but he laconically killed me with:

We are no plans about a wireless keyboard.

The guy works at PFU/Fujitsu, so I guess he knows what he is talking about, but of course denial could be just company politics.

To give a glimmering of hope he also adds:

Your request is carried out to reference of development.

but it could be just Japanese kindness.

[Muirium]

Cock.

[vivalarevolución]

The HHKB2 still sells like hotcakes, nobody else has a board like it, it probably would jack up the price. Why innovate when you don't have to?

[Muirium]

The HHKB Type S is a good example of a new feature with a nice juicy extra price. And the Minila Air is just as relevant as evidence that Bluetooth can be done just right in this size of keyboard. Come on Filco, lead everyone to some sense!

[ajx]

they should reconsider it,60% size keyboard actually fits perfect for any tablet / laptop on the market, i would love to use them on a tablet.
i know HHKB would certainly keep their vintage image for their ''special'' audience
c'mon mechanical keyboards are great stuffs but guess what, people get used to own tablets more than computer or having both

[robo]

Does anyone know the power draw of an HHKB? I wonder how difficult it would be to create a small battery pack and transmitter to mount on the back of the keyboard (I'm assuming there's no room inside). If Apple's bluetooth keyboard works, this can clearly be done with minimal space, although it's possible that Apple's keyboard is designed from the ground up to use very little power.

[matt3o]

hasu already tried that, battery life was very low (under 48 hours I seem to recall).

[Muirium]

Indeed. The tricky part is power saving. HHKBs run a capacitative sensing matrix the whole time, which draws enough power to completely swamp everything Apple's up to inside the tiny confines of its Bluetooth keyboard. Filco's Minila is the better comparison, as we ought to be able to see what hooks up to what, behind those Cherry switches. And maybe even harvest it! But capsense is a little different. I'm not at all sure that any high end capacitative keyboard (Topre or IBM Model F) is designed with a strict power budget in mind.

[robo]

Ah, interesting. I was thinking of the keyboard controller itself, and assuming the switches themselves were just passive. Hm..