Optimus mini, it's alive!

The Optimus mini three is finally available. Born from the stuff of UI legends, the famed Optimus keyboard, the Optimus mini is bound to either be a mighty success of a mighty flop. I’m rooting for success.

What’s the big deal? Buttons are now displays. They have images. They convey dynamic information. They change based on the application you’re currently using. They’re much much cooler.

The Optimus mini three is three buttons arranged a tiny peripheral keyboard. Each button can show an image based on your current application. If you’re using a browser, the buttons can be Back, Reload, New Window. And so on. This may not sound like much, but it’s fascinating.

This is another big moment in the history of the button. When the buttons went onscreen, they could become anything, extremely dynamic. Physical buttons of course must remain extremely static. Once they’re manufactured, they can’t change. But the Optimus buttons are physical AND dynamic. You can interact directly, with your finger, the displayed information. No mouse in between. Touchscreens have been doing this for quite a while, but this still feels different. I haven’t quite yet, ahem, put my finger on it why this is so cool. I need to hold it, use it, program it, push it. Fun.

The button just grew up a little bit.