Design

Nemeio's e-ink keyboard lets you change every key

Touch Bar? Pfft. Why not customize the whole keyboard?

Neimeio is a French-based company making a wholly customizable keyboard that houses a compact, e-ink display beneath every key. It's intended for people who work in multiple languages, code, or use specialist software like CAD products or Photoshop, umm, at their fingertips.

The company is showing off prototypes at CES in Las Vegas this week, and says the final design will be commercially available globally from June, at a recommended retail price of $399.

Unplug and play –– Product manager, Grégory Queste says users can choose between a USB-C cable or wireless connections, with battery life rated "for around 20 hours" when unplugged.

Neimeio keyboard up close

Is Neimeio the first company to do a fully customizable keyboard that doesn't require physically changing keys? No, Art Lebedev's beautiful Optimus range has gone a step further and offered full-color keys for more than a decade? The difference, you might actually be able to afford the Neimeio.