14 DAY TRIAL // Foldable consumer electronics devices are something of a myth on the worldwide market, but it so happens that Elecom has just this sort of thing almost ready to sell, in Japan at least.
Granted, some devices and accessories are just easier to make malleable than, for instance, things with displays.
One of the items that have shown a higher aptitude for adopting a bendable body is the keyboard.
Though definitely not common, such things are not exactly new either.
In fact, Japanese company Elecom has been selling such products for quite a while and, as it happens, it has just revealed a few new ones.
Apparently, there will be four new foldable keyboards starting in February, 2012. They will sell for 7,350 JPY, which is about the same as $95 / 73.09 Euro, according to exchange rates.
Then again, it would be more accurate to say that there will be one new foldable keyboard for sale, only in four color options.
The TK-FBS035E series, as it is called, will come in white+grey (WH), red+black (RD), purple+green (PU) and black+grey (BK).
Elecom used a QWERTY layout for the keys (a total of 88), implemented a 13mm key pitch and configured them for English US.
That said, the operational part of the keyboard is made of silicone and a cellophane common-membrane printed circuit sheet.
There is also a small rectangular box, where the logic, battery and Bluetooth connectivity are crammed. The above sheet can fold around it when not in use.
Finally, two AAA-size batteries are needed to power the device and the Bluetooth transmitted can maintain the connection to PCs, notebooks, tablets and phones at a distance of up to 10 meters.
All in all, the Elecom TK-FBS035E foldable Bluetooth keyboard measures 275.5 x 96 x 15.1 mm (WxDxH), or 10.84 x 3.77 x 0.51 inches.
