As PC peripherals go, keyboards can get pretty pricey depending on what you want from one. The one with the largest price tag that we’ve reviewed, in recent memory at least, costs RM2,380. But what if I told you that there’s one out there that costs US$1,500 (~RM6,708), all while having less features than the one we reviewed?
Enter the Icebreaker, the inaugural product by a company known as Serene Industries, which was actually first revealed all the way back in January of this year. Made from a single block of CNC-machined aluminium, this keyboard comes in a wedge shape that is inspired by the Flatiron Building in New York. The reasoning behind the design is “to create a keyboard that goes against the prevailing trends, adopting a more distinctive and challenging design”.
It certainly goes against existing norms, and in more ways than just the price tag and its shape. Like you’d expect from a modern day keyboard, you get RGB LED backlighting, but probably what you don’t expect is that the keycaps are also made of aluminium. No mention of what sort of switches the Icebreaker uses beyond being “full height” though.
Also worth mentioning on one hand – quite literally, and the left one in this case – there’s an EC11 rotary dial that you can configure to work as you like. But on the other, there’s a blank space where you expect the numpad to be. Yes, the Icebreaker is a 65% keyboard that costs as much as many a laptop in the market.
The Icebreaker also gets three 1/4-20-inch mounting points to attach, as the company says on its own site, tripod mounts, monitor arms, or even axe handles and picatinny rails. More practically, you’ll probably attach straps so you can carry the thing around like a bag. Speaking of which, the Icebreaker measures 450 x 44 x 24 mm, but no word on its weight.
Also listed in the Icebreaker spec sheet is a 4,000 mAh battery that can lasts three months of use, but wireless connectivity via Bluetooth is a US$100 optional extra. Ditto a wired version with hall effect switches. Finally, the default colour of this keyboard is what the company calls “clear”. Want it in black, and that’s another US$500 on top.
(Source: Serene Industries [1], [2], Null Society via The Verge)
