unless you are If you’re a keyboard enthusiast or gamer who creates custom builds for specific tasks, there’s a good chance you’re using the first keyboard you saw on a Best Buy shelf. You probably don’t know anything about it other than the fact that it’s effective and can get you through the day. But a company called Nuio, co-founded by brothers Tom and Greg Wilson, wants to raise the bar on regular keyboards, starting with the Flow Keyboard, a premium, completely wireless, ergonomic split keyboard.
As an ergonomic accessories company, the Wilson brothers have built an entire ecosystem around Flow. In addition to the split keyboard, Niuo offers a number of high-end magnetic attachments to mix and match, including trackpads, desk pads, adjustable stands, and wrist pads. All sold separately so you can customize your setup for maximum comfort. And since the entire setup is wireless, you can use it just about anywhere: on your desk, on a plane, or even on your lap.
The Flow Keyboard is essentially another split keyboard, but Niuo has set out to redefine what it means to be a “standard” keyboard by customizing everything from the shape of the base to the keys themselves. I’ve only had it for a week, but it’s changed the way I think about my everyday keyboard. You can pre-order directly from Nuio’s site with prices starting at $399 and shipping starting December 1st.
compact and clean
Nuio was founded by brothers Tom Wilson (CEO) and Greg Wilson (CMO), who have extensive backgrounds in design and technology. Tom Wilson is a former Apple executive who helped develop the company’s portable devices, including the MacBook. Greg Wilson was previously a designer at the renowned industrial design firm Frog Design (Tom Wilson) Also He also had his own consulting firm, Wilson & Company.
When the brothers started considering the idea for a new company, they wanted to focus on products that hadn’t changed in a while. Tom’s background in hardware components led them to keyboards.
“We wanted to start with the keyboard, not only because keyboards haven’t changed, but because it’s literally been 40 years since anyone has used a rectangular keyboard,” Greg Wilson said. This was explained in a virtual briefing. “With all the technology we have today, why would we do something like that? That doesn’t apply to anyone. It’s a remnant of the way typewriters were made.”
When designing the Flow keyboard, the Wilson brothers decided to move away from the traditional rectangular shape. Instead, they wanted to create a keyboard that would bend to fit the natural way you place your hands on the keyboard, rather than the other way around. So they chose a 3D wave design with contoured keys for a feel that hugs your fingertips. Both the enclosure and key are built from scratch and are proprietary to Nuio.
