Ergodex DX1

[Icarium]

Does anybody have one? Is it decent for prototyping custom layouts? We need a review of this thing.

For those who don't know, this is what I'm talking about:
http://www.ergodex.com/content.php?id=12

[cactux]

[Account and posts deleted on request]

[Icarium]

That "thing" is not mechanical

No, it's not. So?

, and it does not look very ergo

I'm not sure what you mean since it is just a bunch of key and your only restrictions is that the resulting layout will be flat. I also don't really mind if it's not 'ergo', just ignore the name.

[cactux]

[Account and posts deleted on request]

[Icarium]

Well, I've read about problems with 64 bit windows and it seems to only support windows anyway, so I'm not willing to pay this kind of money for it without more information.

[Kurk]

CH sells the same thing rebranded as "Multi Function Panel" but with up-to-date drivers. Still Windows only.
http://www.chproducts.com/retail/mfp.html
edit: apparently they are not exactly the same as the drivers are not interchangeable.

[Plato]

You can find some open-source drivers at http://ergodex.hydraproductions.com/wiki/downloads. Someone claims it works on 64-bit Windows 7. I can confirm that the Mac driver works in 10.6/10.7 (with some helpful notes at http://www.biscade.com/ergodex/).

The keys are 0.75" across and can be placed anywhere on the base, so you could lay out a whole keyboard — well, up to 50 keys, which is as many as they make. (You can buy extra keys, but there's no way to distinguish keys with the same number, so they have to perform the same function.) Someday I'll get around to trying something fancy with mine; for now it's basically a bunch of extra function keys (volume/scrolling/switching desktops/etc.).