CM Novatouch Review

[Muirium]

Ah, I remember the old days when stuff like this would be under NDA…

[c137]

My NDA has expired on Monday, September 22nd 2014 (that's when I published the review).

[Muirium]

Ah, of course, the US launch. Still a while to wait here, sadly.

[Hypersphere]

279.90 Euro! That's 229.90 USD by today's exchange rate. The price in the US is 199.99 USD. You can buy it in the USA on Amazon, and if you are an Amazon Prime member, shipping is free.

It seems that everything in Europe costs more than it does in the USA.

[Muirium]

Yes, yes it does.

Our prices include taxes, though. European VAT is 20% (I think it technically varies by a percent or so between EU nations) so CM's pretty much in line.

The worst cases are when the dollar figure is simply rewritten as Euro, or even £! You're being robbed then, and it's not unseen for photography gear among other things. More common is ~30% over US price.

[Hypersphere]

Our purchases over the internet are tax-free, at least thus far in most cases.

I've always thought that VAT was a strange term. It certainly adds no value to to the item!

[Muirium]

Doesn't ordering from EK involve paying your state's sales tax? When I priced up an HHKB from them to California, it did.

[Hypersphere]

Sale's tax is applied in some states; California might be one of them. It might also apply when the purchase is from a business located in the purchaser's state. I think that EK is located in California, so if you were pricing a transaction from EK to another location within California, the state sale's tax would apply.

In my own case, I cannot recall any internet purchases for which I had to pay tax. No doubt this will change, but for the moment, I am enjoying it!

Amazon Prime has also paid for itself many times over from the free shipping! In addition, Amazon has a good returns policy.

[c137]

It seems that everything in Europe costs more than it does in the USA.

Yes it does. Ever tried to buy an American car in Europe?
Also, prices include VAT (19% in Germany; included, not added when paying) and there is a kind of compulsory warranty by commercial sellers.

While Amazon Prime is certainly a nice thing, the shipping from the US to Europe isnt't free. Plus, there is import tax at the same rate as VAT. (We will see whether TTIP changes that. They tell us nothing about it, after all.)

[Muirium]

Indeed. Amazon's policies all fly out the window as soon as you cross an international boarder. You'll pay a load of shipping, and at the end you will be taxed. Yay! I'm not even sure Amazon ships internationally now at all. They don't out of Japan…

Meanwhile at EK, this is what I get if I price up an HHKB Type-S to San Diego:

Item total:$356.00
Sales tax:$28.48
Shipping and handling Shipping and handling: (to 92129) $10.61
Total:$395.09 USD

Or, just for fun, to me:

Item total:$356.00
Shipping and handling Shipping and handling: (to ) $57.86
Total:$413.86 USD

But add 20% on top of that for the joy of UK customs, and a random fee of their choice which can be about $50. So, uh, about $500~$550 Neat!

[c137]

Well, I buy my Blurays at amazon.co.uk. It's in the EU, so no extra tax. The shipping is quite acceptable and the prices are often noticably lower than in Germany.

And I think amazon.com ships the most of their stuff to Europe as well. Just at not so agreeable cost.

[Hypersphere]

@Muirium: If these added costs continue to escalate, someday it might be cheaper to fly to the nearest dealer and book an extra seat on the way back for the keyboard.

[bhtooefr]

The presence of it also limits the report from 6KRO to 5KRO.

Maybe if it's using the boot mode-style report, but Matias does 10KRO using a custom report while using the Apple Aluminum's USB VID/PID.

[Muirium]

No such malarkey with this keyboard. The Fn key's state is entirely opaque to the host, which has no idea when it is pressed. Some of us like an exposed Fn — via other means — but the NovaTouch ain't got it.

@Hyper: Something tells me I'd have a hard time claiming "nothing to declare" if I were to come home with a mannequin full of schwag sitting beside me!

[Hypersphere]

@Muirium: Do they count wearables? You could put a strap on the HHKB and wear it on your wrist.

[Muirium]

These keyboards strapped to every limb? They aren't contraband, they are my costume. I am Mecha Keyboard Gundam!

[HzFaq]

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showth ... t=18626369

I just saw this, it's up for pre-order in the UK with a £150 price tag.

edit - Mid-late November eta

[Muirium]

$244.78 US! Ouch. Or 192 Euro. Worse than I anticipated! What's not to love about stupid bloody Pound sterling…

I like the quietness of that thread. Someone give the guys a link here!

[HzFaq]

To be fair, they don't have a massive keyboard enthusiast base; they're getting better though and they also have a pretty nice range of Ducky boards (pretty sure they stock/will soon stock the new Ducky Mini).

It's not a fantasic forum, the other sub-forums are pretty toxic too so I'd stay away (unless you enjoy AMD vs nvidia fanboi wars or just generally epeen waving snobbery).

I'm only on there as it's one of the only work whitelisted forums I can talk about Diablo 3 on .

As for the board itself, at that price I'd probably rather pay the extra and get a RF (£192 from Keyboard Co).

[Hypersphere]

$244.78 US! Ouch. Or 192 Euro. Worse than I anticipated! What's not to love about stupid bloody Pound sterling…

I like the quietness of that thread. Someone give the guys a link here!

In the US, currently you can get a RF 87u white variable for only 189 USD and a black 55g for 215 USD. Not bad!

[Muirium]

I only really have eyes for HHKB…

HHKB Pro 3 Wishlist:

• Bluetooth
• MX caps
• Red case
• Pony

[Hypersphere]

I only really have eyes for HHKB…

HHKB Pro 3 Wishlist:

• Bluetooth
• MX caps
• Red case
• Pony

Knowing you as I think I do, I suspect you are actually serious about the first two items, and apparently they are possible w/o waiting for the Pro 3.

As for me, I mostly use my keyboards at my desk, and I prefer cables to wireless. And I really like the available Topre keycaps for the HHKB and RF. No real need for mx caps on these boards as far as I am concerned.

You might not want to give up on the RF. The more I use mine, the more I appreciate it. Definitely, Topre provides a superior typing experience to Cherry mx (at least it does for me), and although I also like capacitive buckling springs, I am using the RF 87u 55g much more often than the IBM XT. At the moment, the RF is my daily driver in my home office and the HHKB is my daily driver at work. But this might change if I decide to get an additional 55g RF. I've used Karabiner to remap the RF to the HHKB/Mac layout. The RF feels like an ultra-refined HHKB.

[Muirium]

I have tried both, and I'm one of these inscrutable proles who prefers the feel, as well as the format, of the HHKB! The Pro 2 (white, with dyesubs) is a fine keyboard and if I were to ever stop falling for every sweet caps set I see, I would get one for myself. But it's taking so long (been on my list since joining DT) that I wonder if it'll be the Pro 3 in any case.

I'd certainly love Bluetooth. My Apple Bluetooth keyboard still gets use now and then for its killer size and wireless combo. I use laptops and tablets as much as I do my (ancient) desktop, so Bluetooth has a greater pull for me. And, well, you know my thoughts on 60%s indeed.

[Hypersphere]

I have tried both, and I'm one of these inscrutable proles who prefers the feel, as well as the format, of the HHKB! The Pro 2 (white, with dyesubs) is a fine keyboard and if I were to ever stop falling for every sweet caps set I see, I would get one for myself. But it's taking so long (been on my list since joining DT) that I wonder if it'll be the Pro 3 in any case.

I'd certainly love Bluetooth. My Apple Bluetooth keyboard still gets use now and then for its killer size and wireless combo. I use laptops and tablets as much as I do my (ancient) desktop, so Bluetooth has a greater pull for me. And, well, you know my thoughts on 60%s indeed.

When you say you've tried both, did you try a full-size RF variable, or a TKL (87u) with 55g switches? Both the form factor and the weight of the switches could make a major difference in your impressions of the board.

[andrewjoy]

i want to try topre mainly HHK but its a big investment if i don't like it

[002]

If you didn't like it, you probably wouldn't have much trouble selling it.

[Hypersphere]

If someone does a transplant of 55g domes into their Novatouch, please post your impressions! I am considering this, but I don't want to be the first one here to try it. Besides, I am reluctant to give up a 55g RF as a donor, and my HHKB is first in line to be a recipient. Would that we could purchase 55g domes from the factory!

Could 3D printing be used to make Topre domes? Feasibility? Expense?

[c137]

Feasible, probably. If yo have the right printer and material.
And that would make the expenses, well, huge.

The more exact the printer the more expensive the device is. And do not forget the material, everything needs to be elastic enough.
3D printing never is for mass production, just for rapid prototyping etc.

[vinzbe]

If someone does a transplant of 55g domes into their Novatouch, please post your impressions! I am considering this, but I don't want to be the first one here to try it. Besides, I am reluctant to give up a 55g RF as a donor, and my HHKB is first in line to be a recipient. Would that we could purchase 55g domes from the factory!

Could 3D printing be used to make Topre domes? Feasibility? Expense?

Aren't those domes made out of rubber? If so you would need a mold.

[lae]

I'm not even sure Amazon ships internationally now at all. They don't out of Japan…

Amazon JP does, just not everything. Consult the help topic.

I was able to use a 10% off coupon (JAYZ2K14) on the US store for the Novatouch to save 20USD (was cheaper than Amazon even with Prime), though I'm not sure if that applies to the EU store as well. I guess it's a moot point since it expires before release, but there might be a similar coupon around EU's launch date.