NUIO Flow Keyboard Will Blow Your Mind: Forget Everything You Knew About Typing!

NUIO has launched a new vision for keyboards and peripherals, putting human comfort at the core of every design. Founded by Tom Wilson, a former Product Design Executive at Apple, and Greg Wilson, a former digital marketing leader at Digitas, NUIO is transforming ergonomic peripherals. Forget what you know about keyboards—the old designs are outdated. The Flow Keyboard reshapes the typing experience. It’s a reinvention designed to change how we interact with technology, focusing on comfort and usability. NUIO didn’t just update an old design; they started from scratch to create a tool that works with the natural movements of our hands and minds. This makes you wonder why all keyboards aren’t designed this way. Built around the human form, it breaks free from the conventions that have limited productivity for decades.

Designer: NUIO

The split design is the first indication that NUIO plays by different rules, literally tearing apart old conventions. Traditional keyboards force our hands into unnatural positions, often resulting in discomfort or even injury over time. By splitting the keyboard into two halves, NUIO allows users to set the layout as wide or narrow as they want, tailoring it to their individual body type. Each half arcs gently in a 3-D radial wave that contours perfectly to the natural positioning of the hands. This focuses on creating a natural design that integrates seamlessly into your workflow.

Immersive Flow Through Design

The 3-D wave shape changes the dynamics of typing entirely. Unlike flat keyboards, which demand that your fingers reach out and adjust constantly, this design brings every key to your fingertips, almost like the keyboard knows where your fingers will land next. The entire process becomes smoother—you don’t think about typing, you think, and the keyboard flows with you. It’s an experience similar to an artist using the perfect brush, where the tool becomes an extension of their creativity. This is what NUIO means by “finding your flow.” NUIO’s design aims to potentially transform the typing experience, making it feel seamless and natural.

The concave keycaps are another masterstroke. NUIO has given each key a gentle dip, which fits the natural curve of your fingertips and provides a feeling of certainty with every press. When you strike a key, it feels definitive, eliminating the ambiguity that often comes with traditional, flatter keycaps. These aren’t keys—they’re extensions of your thoughts, finely tuned to transmit intention into action without hesitation.

Bold Design Statements and Apple Ecosystem Integration

NUIO understands that form is just as important as function. It is designed to complement the Apple ecosystem perfectly. The backlit keys and the seven premium color combinations offer aesthetic appeal; they speak to a personalized experience, a kind of ownership over the tool that users engage with daily.

Whether choosing a sleek black design or a more colorful option, the keyboard is designed to fit into any space and enhance its visual appeal. It doesn’t just sit on the desk; it complements and elevates the entire workspace, adding an essential touch of personal style.

Accessories That Click—Literally and Figuratively

The NUIO Flow System, including the magnetic Deskpad, trackpad, and wristpads, is built to ensure seamless integration. The magnetic Deskpad serves as an extension of the Flow Keyboard, creating an ecosystem where each component—whether the keyboard halves, wristpads, or edge-to-edge glass trackpad—snaps into the ideal position.

This snapping mechanism eliminates fuss, prevents shifting, and saves time—resulting in an elegantly organized workspace that adapts to users rather than forcing adaptation. Each element has a designated place, and every movement is deliberate and precise.

Wristpads That Disappear Into the Experience

Comfort is a key aspect of the NUIO experience, most notably seen in the Wristpads. Made from an innovative cushioning material, these wristpads provide support while remaining unobtrusive.

They’re designed to be so comfortable that they “disappear” during use, allowing focus and productivity to flourish. This level of consideration elevates NUIO’s approach beyond mere ergonomics—ensuring that tools are as invisible as possible, with only the work left in focus.

Built For Today, Ready for Tomorrow

NUIO’s Flow Keyboard and its accompanying peripherals are designed for creative professionals, focusing on high-quality materials and flexible configurations. The product suite, which begins shipping on December 1st at a starting price of $399, is available for pre-order today at HelloNUIO.com. Every detail, down to the USB-C charging and Bluetooth multi-device pairing, is about maximizing flexibility. Whether switching between devices or shifting from a desk to a coffee shop, the Flow Keyboard is a tool that transforms with users. It’s an entirely new kind of typing experience; it’s the centerpiece of a modular productivity system that bends to their will. The adjustable stands make sure the keyboard can be tented or tilted for optimal comfort, while the mechanical click trackpad adds familiar tactile feedback that feels right.

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RIP Ergonomic Keyboards, the Tetra boasts a Split Wireless Design, with an Elgato-style Display in the center

Remember the watershed moment when Steve Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air for the first time? He walked up on stage with a manila envelope, and opened it to reveal the thinnest laptop ever made. It changed how laptops looked from then on, and when people first saw the stunningly thin MacBook Air, everyone had the same question on their minds – why doesn’t my laptop look like this? The Tetra keyboard does the same thing for other keyboards. When you look at the Tetra for the first time, chances are you’ll have never seen anything quite like it before. It challenges the notion of keyboard design… and for the better. It’s more compact, easier to use, ruthlessly ergonomic, and comes with a world-first touchscreen display built right in. The keyboard splits in half, allowing you to place the parts wherever you want for a more comfortable typing experience… and the display tilts upwards or sits flat, transforming into a dock for widgets, shortcuts, playback controls, or a media center of sorts. Think Keyboard-Meets-Elgato-Stream-Deck.

Designers: Zikang Feng, Jarvie Liu, and Stephen Ng

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $399 ($150 off). Hurry, only 5/405 left! Raised over $140,000.

Trust the folks at Mobile Pixels to come up with such a unique idea. The company first jumped to prominence with its plug-and-play laptop extending displays (lauded for their compact designs). These displays were targeted at one thing – boosting productivity through multi-display setups. The Tetra keyboard does the same too, in a matter of speaking. The split keyboard comes with its own dedicated screen that can be used as a secondary display or as a control center for apps and shortcuts. While keyboards are a first for Mobile Pixels, the Tetra highlights their bigger goal of enhanced productivity, thanks to a split wireless keyboard design that can be used in a variety of ways for a more comfortable and efficient typing experience.

SPLIT MODE

SPLICE MODE

Split keyboards aren’t new, conceptually. Most researchers noticed that a cramped keyboard, although compact in size, wasn’t great for your wrists and fingers. Over prolonged periods of time, people developed carpal tunnel and ulnar deviation (where your fingers end up deviating sideways) because of the way these keyboards were designed. The split keyboard was created as an ergonomic alternative, increasing the space between your left and right hands while typing, so that they’re in a much more relaxed position. The Tetra takes that concept and builds further on it, turning it wireless, while also introducing a display into the mix.

Use Bluetooth to Connect to Your Device (up to 3 devices with 3 channels).

Position keyboards at shoulder width for ergonomic comfort.

Customize Your Experience

Type Away!

Broadly, the Tetra exists in three pieces – a central display unit, and the two keyboard halves that attach onto either side. Snap them together or use them independently, the Tetra gives you freedom to set your workspace up exactly the way you want. When attached together in a linear format, you’ve got a comfortable split keyboard with a screen in the middle. The screen functions as an extra display, a shortcut center, or perhaps even a trackpad if you want. The keyboards get spaced out on the left and right, allowing you to type comfortably without having your fingers and wrists bend awkwardly. Alternatively, you can snap the keyboard’s halves away from the display, accessing what Mobile Pixels calls the ‘Split Mode’. The keyboards then can sit anywhere on your desk, as can the screen, giving you full ergonomic freedom. If you want a more traditional keyboard experience, just the two keyboard halves can be attached to each other, creating a compact typing device, while the screen exists independently. Dubbed the ‘Stacked Mode’, this lets you opt for something that feels familiar, with the added benefit of a dock-style screen on the side.

Secondary Display

The keyboard comes with a 65% layout, split across its two halves. Scissor switches enable a fair amount of key travel, up to 1.3mm, and a backlight lets you type with ease. The keyboard halves and screen also have an underglow that feels reminiscent of gaming gear. 1200mAh batteries in each half of the keyboard allow it to operate wirelessly for hours if not days, and the central screen remains connected to your machine via a USB-C cable at all times. To charge your keyboard, simply snap them to the screen and pogo pins allow the Tetra to charge all the way through.

The screen is truly where Mobile Pixels’ innovation shines. It’s a little smaller than the ones that Mobile Pixels offers, measuring just 8 inches diagonally – but it’s an IPS LCD display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 300 nits of brightness. The screen stays connected to your machine at all times via cable, and sits on a unique tilting mechanism that lets you either lay it flat or tilt it upwards to face you. Touch sensitivity means you can control the display the way you would a tablet PC of sorts… and the Tetra offers a fair amount of flexibility in terms of how you use said display. You can use it as an extension of your PC or Mac’s shortcut bar, adding your favorite apps to it. Conversely, it also doubles as a media control center for playback, and even transforms into a tiny secondary display for extending or mirroring your screen. Use it to store notes while presenting on a video call. Turn it into a calculator. Allow it to be your dedicated Spotify device. Mobile Pixels created a special interface known as the Tetra Board App that you can use to customize your display. Yes, you can even load functions, tools, macros, and shortcuts, unlocking power-user potential while running apps like Photoshop, Premier, Final Cut, Logic Pro, After Effects, etc.

All this functionality and the Tetra still remains ruthlessly portable. The three components come apart and stack together, allowing them to be carried around with ease. There’s even a soft-fabric case to store your Tetra during travel, allowing you to slide it right into your laptop bag along with your charger and other accessories. I bet your existing ergonomic or split keyboard can’t boast this level of portability. The Tetra starts at $249 and ships globally starting September 2024.

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $399 ($150 off). Hurry, only 5/405 left! Raised over $140,000.

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iPad Pro M4 hands-on first impressions: Lightweight, Thin, and Sexy

If I could review a tablet with one word, I’d pick the iPad Pro, and the word I’d use is perfect. You’d probably demand an explanation, right? Apple has achieved design perfection with the iPad Pro, both inside and out, as well as with the redesigned Magic Keyboard. Now, before you start asking, “What about iPadOS? It’s nowhere near perfect,” let me clarify: I’m specifically talking about the hardware here. We’ll have to wait until WWDC 2024 in June to see what Apple has in store for the operating system.

Over thirty-odd years ago, I enjoyed reading philosophy in my spare time, and one of my favorite philosophers is Plato. Okay, you caught me—rarely does anyone read Plato just for fun. But it’s true that Plato’s “perfect object theory” inspired me in my quest as a tech and automotive journalist to find the perfect [fill in the blank]. My search didn’t initially start with the iPad; I was hoping for a “MacBook touch.” I even bought the domain name MacBooktouch.com back in 2007 as proof that I foresaw Apple making a touch-screen MacBook.

macbooktouch.com domain name

Fast-forward to 2015, when we got the iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch display and the first Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. That hardware wasn’t close to a MacBook Touch. Nine years later, or 17 years since I registered macbooktouch.com, we finally have the closest thing to a MacBook touch.

The MacBook touch—er, 2024 iPad Pro—is powered by the M4 chip. In case you don’t know, it’s the only device with this new processor. The only things keeping this device from being a MacBook touch are 1) the iPad branding and 2) it’s not running macOS. Is it capable of running macOS? Absolutely. So, why isn’t it? I’ll leave that for you to ponder.

Before I move on, I won’t be revisiting whether you should upgrade to this year’s iPad Pro. If you’re asking if you should, read my analysis here. Okay, let’s dig in, and if anything I say in this article sounds familiar, you’re right—you’ve probably heard it from tech YouTubers or read it in reviews over the past week. Just think of what I’m sharing as confirmation.

The iPad Pro is lightweight, thin, and sexy as hell. It exudes minimalist charm, practically begging, “Pick me up and use me right now!” The Magic Keyboard is what makes this iPad Pro a true MacBook replacement. It’s the key to unlocking the full potential of the iPad Pro, providing a MacBook Pro-like experience with a responsive trackpad, comfortable keys with the right amount of travel, and premium build quality.

Comically, early reviewers seemed genuinely surprised that Apple managed to thin out the iPad Pro even more. One famous YouTuber even asked, “Who was asking for it?” Well, my friends, that “who” was yours truly. Apple delivered on almost everything I asked for, except for titanium—and yes, that was wishful thinking. I’m happily settling for aluminum for both the iPad and Magic Keyboard. I’m also thrilled that both devices have shed some weight, making the iPad, especially the 13-inch model, much more manageable to hold and use over longer periods. The 11-inch model is now just 5.3mm thick and weighs 444 grams, while the 13-inch model is 5.1mm thick and weighs 580 grams.

Briefly touching on the Magic Keyboard, I’ll save the full details for the review, but Apple addressed my issue where the lower portion of the iPad Pro would constantly get in the way of my typing. Thanks to a whole new redesigned hinge system, it’s possible to have a full-size keyboard with an entire row of function keys. For those developers out there yearning for an ESC key, you have it now. The way Apple designed the placement of the iPad, which is now pushed further back yet still articulates at the same or greater angles than the outgoing model, reminds me of how car designers suddenly got so much more room to play with when designing electric vehicles sans the motor. The wheels are pushed further to the edges, creating more internal room for leg space and whatever else they can dream up. I’m sure the new hinges were no small task, but wow—a full keyboard with a function row and a larger trackpad, a proper MacBook Pro-style trackpad with a haptic engine built in.

At the end of the day, I really don’t care what the iPad’s called; what matters most to me is what I’m able to do with it in real life. Whether consuming content or playing games (which I rarely do, but hey, I might start) without a bulky keyboard, or getting down to business and writing, like I am doing right now with this article and many others to come, I know this is the ultimate, ultra-portable device that ticks all my needs now and possibly over the next decade.

I’ve left out a lot in this initial impressions article, such as display quality, performance, battery life, the Apple Pencil Pro, and other features. I also haven’t compared it to my existing 12.9-inch iPad Pro with the M1 chip. But rest assured, I’ll cover all these aspects in my full review. I just need more time to test everything thoroughly.

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