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What if your keyboard could be a little more versatile than it currently is? The AutoKeybo is designed to allow you to switch between traditional keyboard keys, a number pad, and a touchpad as needed with a simple gesture. That’s right – the “keyboard” houses all those components in one, large device.
The Auto Key boat was on view at CES 2025, and I had a chance to check it out for myself. I have to say, it’s pretty cool, but in a weird way – and it’s probably not something I would ever use.
A split design
The auto-key bow is essentially split into two different halves, with the right half offering the right side of a traditional keyboard along with the touchpad, and the left half having the number pad and the left side of a typical keyboard. There’s also a version of the AutoKeybo that has a mouse built into it instead of a touchpad.
Credit: Christian de Looper
You can only use one of those components on each side at a time, but you can switch between them quickly and easily as needed with a simple movement of your hands that’s viewed by an AI camera to know when to make the switch. I tried making the keyboard switch a few times, and it worked decently well, though there was a bit of a learning curve, and I did find it to fail more often than I would have liked.
The idea behind the keyboard is interesting. Essentially, it’s built to prevent you from having to move your hands between your keyboard, mouse, and any number pad.
Much more than a keyboard
But the AutoKeybo is actually much more than a keyboard and touchpad. In fact, it’s an entire computer built into one device. Under the hood is a Linux computer with a mini HDMI port on the left side and a USB-C port on the right side. That’s right, with the AutoKeybo, you don’t actually need another computer; you can simply use it as is.
Credit: Christian de Looper
The only problem with the AutoKeybo is that it’s relatively expensive at $700, and with all those mechanical movements, I can’t imagine it would last long without needing some kind of repair.
Regardless, I did like seeing a device like this on the show floor. Weird things like the AutoKeybo are exactly what makes CES more interesting.
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A CES 2025 hands-on experience with the AutoKeybo, which transforms with just a simple gesture.
