Introducing the Ultimate Hacking Keyboard

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Famicom is a cool name though ;-)

[JBert]

What else do you need? A trackpoint maybe

Heh, it would rock to be able to put a Trackpoint module in between the two halves. It's unlikely it would happen for V1 though.

[DerpyDash_xAD]

Mmm, Gemini Keyboard Company, tasty name. Sounds clean, professional. How about Gemini Keyboard Company 'Ergo Compact' ?

[Muirium]

I'd be tempted just to call it Gemini 1…


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_1

The thing with names is you can borrow from other fields (like spaceflight) but not your own. And you don't want to be too specific, in case the second or third generation ergo compact is even more compact than the first one. Shorter names are better, generally. Especially for the first one.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

What else do you need? A trackpoint maybe :lol:

Heh, it would rock to be able to put a Trackpoint module in between the two halves. It's unlikely it would happen for V1 though. :roll:

There's room for a whole trackball in there. Just not the horrid slow scrapy Logitech one in the G84-4400 ;-)

[Hypersphere]

Similar principles of naming apply to the naming of biotech companies. Ideally, you want something that is not tied to a specific product and that has no meaning apart from the name of the company. Someone has quipped that such names ought to look and sound similar to a synthesis of something like "Xerox" and "Kleenex" and eventually be used as a synonym for the generic product. Thus, "Hoover" (in the UK) has become both a verb and a noun for "vacuuming" and "vacuum cleaner".

With all this in mind, I rather like "Gemini I" or just "Gemini" (let the customer guess at the possibility of a sequel; if you say "Gemini I" at the outset, customers will be reluctant to buy version I; they would rather wait for version II, thinking this will be the one with the bugs worked out and repaired).

[ne0phyte]

Similar principles of naming apply to the naming of biotech companies. Ideally, you want something that is not tied to a specific product and that has no meaning apart from the name of the company.

That's what I meant with

Considering that your target audience will look at the keyboard and at first think that it's pretty weird special (small, split design, tons of features) the name should sound unique and interesting. Something that makes people look up the specs instead of giving away what it is (or claims to be the ultimate version of).

Make it generic and unique. That way you also have more options than to name the next revision UHK2.

[Muirium]

The next version is UHK Tactical Pro, natch!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Got to get "Silent" in there somewhere. (Bonus points if it includes a large collection of earplugs for all your coworkers/family members to actually make good on the claim.)

[Hypersphere]

The next version is UHK Tactical Pro, natch!

I suppose everyone wants to be a Pro. I have never seen a product dubbed "Amateur".

[webwit]

Ultra Expert Pro 2000.

[ne0phyte]

Welcome to the Keyboard Name Finder 2014 Professional.
Reminder: 30 days left before the trial runs out.

[mondalaci]

Let's call it AssKicker Ultra Pro Mega and call it a day.

Jokes aside, we're serious about your input and all things considered we're willing to change the name. Everyone is welcome to come up with new names. We'd like to find a viable alternative that doesn't resemble any other board and sounds professionally.

Gemini 1 sounds cool, although Google yields 37.5 million hits when searching for "Gemini". Something more unique may be better.

Thank you very much for your input, your reasons made a lot of sense to us!

[Grond]

I like Gemini. Googling "Gemini Keyboard" shouldn't bring up too many misleading results.

[davkol]

I told ya. ~_^

Come on guys, As much as we dislike the name, we have to give this thing credit for what it is, a fully programmable, 60% split design keyboard! I remember 3 years ago we would throw our monay at him

ErgoDuck?

[mondalaci]

I've asked the Geekhack folks, too, and they came up with...

[drumroll]...

Modulink Keyboard

How you like it, folks?

[DerpyDash_xAD]

I've asked the Geekhack folks, too, and they came up with...

[drumroll]...

Modulink Keyboard

How you like it, folks?

Crazy Americans, no taste. Gemini Keyboard is far better.

[Hypersphere]

It would be good if the name could combine good taste with good marketability. A quantitative assessment is needed. Pre-market focus groups anyone? An online questionnaire perhaps?

[Muirium]

Never!

Arrogance is one thing, but cowing to focus groups and the herd never made a good design, yet alone a great one. Design is no democracy, it's far too important a thing to be left to that!

[davkol]

Holy Jobs...

[Muirium]

Go on, some counter examples? Apple was hardly the first, and won't be the last. Great things come from creative groups working together, not by asking permission from a committee of nincompoops. You know what they want:


http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/The_Homer

[Grond]

Modulink sounds like a 56k modem brand to me... taste aside, "to link" is not really a function of your keybord, is it? I understand that the two parts are linked together, yeah, well, they have to be, don't they? So I don't see anything exciting about it.

I think the main point here is that we're talking about a SPLIT keyboard, so I thought maybe you could borrow a biology term about cell division: mitosis, meiosis, dyploid, zygote, metaphase... yeah, I'm borrowing from wikipedia here, and I still think Gemini is better.

Another important point about your product is that it has magnets to hold it together. Now this is not a prominent feature either but I guess there's no other split keyboard around that uses magnets, is there? So maybe you could borrow a word from that field. I read that magnetic iron alloy is called Alnico, which sounds like a cool name to me.

[Muirium]

Magneto is a pretty cool name for a keyboard, too. But anything owned by those comic book guys is just a lawsuit waiting to happen, as there's truly no end to their merchandising ambitions.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Gemini would be my vote, too. "Modulink" ?? lol

[mondalaci]

Gemini would be my vote, too. "Modulink" ?? lol

Ndrew, my partner in crime has also came up with a slight twist:

Modlink Keyboard

Wondering whether it makes any difference to you.

[Muirium]

Not really. Anything "link" sounds like networking gear. And that's a dull connotation if ever there was one.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

"mod" to me means "module", i.e. an interchangeable component (or at GH, the Dredded Moderators!) Modular keyboards never really took off but there are a few. The UHK has two matching halves that can't be swapped for anything else. Your magnetic link is interesting in that it might offer new light on a way to make a modular keyboard without all the ugly complexity of bars and screws — I've never seen modular keyboards taken to their fullest extent, e.g. the ability to attach a trackpad or trackball module in the middle or on either side, numeric keypad on the left or right sides (or the middle) etc. It's a bit of a nightmare though.

[DerpyDash_xAD]

Alnico Keyboard does sound very good, but it is already something. It's like saying magnetic keyboard to me - and no doubt others. It restricts the market due to connotation in my opinion.

How about 'Neo keyboard'? Because I feel that is an accurate representation of the keyboard's goals - bring new ideas to the consumer market.

[Hypersphere]

Never!

Arrogance is one thing, but cowing to focus groups and the herd never made a good design, yet alone a great one. Design is no democracy, it's far too important a thing to be left to that!

It's refreshing to be in the rarified company of another elitist. Note that my suggestion of a "focus group" was in jest; I have had my fill of such activities in my day job!

[Daniel Beardsmore]

So long as Sony engineers aren't being hidden in closets …