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Continuing on our coverage of Computex 2018, now we take a closer look at the VARMILO brand, a subsidiary of Shenzhen Zhihaihe technology co., LTD. based out of China. They shared a large booth space with Ducky Keyboard, and there were more than a few interesting products to be seen here- some previously released, some released very recently, and others announced for the first time at the trade show.
Beginning with products that were new is the VARMILO V Motion. This is a $170 keyboard with an optical sensor at the top left corner on the front which detects hand motion such that the keyboard backlighting can be effectively controlled by a simple motion of your hands. The rest of the keyboard, which can be easy to ignore given this revelation, features a standard 104-key US ANSI layout in a metal frame and thick plastic case. A video, courtesy the brand, is past the break so you can see better how the V Motion works.
VARMILO also had two keyboards on hand to demonstrate their capability to work with metals outside of the norm. One, announced last year, is a 1.8 Kg beast of a keyboard called the VA68Cu which uses a copper-plated zinc alloy case thick enough and heavy enough to double as a weapon. It is otherwise a keyboard that works very well, with 68-keys using a two-tone blank keycap set and Cherry MX switches while costing a whopping $300. Debuting at the show, however, was the VARMILO Ti that makes the VA68Cu look like pocket change. As the name suggests, the keyboard case is machined from titanium alloy, and VARMILO says an average of 70 man-hours goes into the making of each keyboard. Oh, and this will cost you $4500 when it releases.
VARMILO also had a proof-of-concept keyboard for their new Probe Switch, which they claim gives the feeling of typing on a mechanical keyboard but is rated to work in extremely harsh conditions. A language barrier and lack of available time prevented more details to be had at the time, but we are following up to get more information on this as the switches appear to be based off the standard Cherry MX design for mechanical switches.
Rounding off the custom keyboard display at their booth was a collection of their keyboard artist products, including the Chicken Dinner keyboard we covered earlier this year. More information can be found on the VARMILO website linked above, and the customization here goes beyond just a keycap set as seen in the images below.
VARMILO also had a Bluetooth adapter on display, such that this effectively makes a keyboard into a wireless one by powering it and handling the connection to up to three separate devices. Called the VDBox, it features a micro-USB port to connect to your wired keyboard and an integrated 400 mAh Li-ion polymer battery, while coming in color options of red, green and black. VARMILO showed this off using three of their more subtle looking keyboards- the VA104M, VA108M and VA108M RGB that also come with custom keycaps but toned down compared to the ones seen above.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
Beginning with products that were new is the VARMILO V Motion. This is a $170 keyboard with an optical sensor at the top left corner on the front which detects hand motion such that the keyboard backlighting can be effectively controlled by a simple motion of your hands. The rest of the keyboard, which can be easy to ignore given this revelation, features a standard 104-key US ANSI layout in a metal frame and thick plastic case. A video, courtesy the brand, is past the break so you can see better how the V Motion works.
VARMILO also had two keyboards on hand to demonstrate their capability to work with metals outside of the norm. One, announced last year, is a 1.8 Kg beast of a keyboard called the VA68Cu which uses a copper-plated zinc alloy case thick enough and heavy enough to double as a weapon. It is otherwise a keyboard that works very well, with 68-keys using a two-tone blank keycap set and Cherry MX switches while costing a whopping $300. Debuting at the show, however, was the VARMILO Ti that makes the VA68Cu look like pocket change. As the name suggests, the keyboard case is machined from titanium alloy, and VARMILO says an average of 70 man-hours goes into the making of each keyboard. Oh, and this will cost you $4500 when it releases.
VARMILO also had a proof-of-concept keyboard for their new Probe Switch, which they claim gives the feeling of typing on a mechanical keyboard but is rated to work in extremely harsh conditions. A language barrier and lack of available time prevented more details to be had at the time, but we are following up to get more information on this as the switches appear to be based off the standard Cherry MX design for mechanical switches.
Rounding off the custom keyboard display at their booth was a collection of their keyboard artist products, including the Chicken Dinner keyboard we covered earlier this year. More information can be found on the VARMILO website linked above, and the customization here goes beyond just a keycap set as seen in the images below.
VARMILO also had a Bluetooth adapter on display, such that this effectively makes a keyboard into a wireless one by powering it and handling the connection to up to three separate devices. Called the VDBox, it features a micro-USB port to connect to your wired keyboard and an integrated 400 mAh Li-ion polymer battery, while coming in color options of red, green and black. VARMILO showed this off using three of their more subtle looking keyboards- the VA104M, VA108M and VA108M RGB that also come with custom keycaps but toned down compared to the ones seen above.
View at TechPowerUp Main Site
