VitaLink keyboard has a 13 inch 4K touchscreen display, speakers, and RGB backlit keys (crowdfunding)

Over the past year or two we’ve seen several crowdfunding campaigns for a weird category of devices: keyboards with built-in displays and clamshell designs that basically make them look like tiny laptops.

The latest example? The VitaLink keyboard has a 13 inch, 4K touchscreen display and an RGB backlit keys. What makes this model a little different than some others is the front-facing stereo speakers… although I’m not entirely sure how often you’ll need them. VitaLink is running a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign with reward levels starting at $279 and the company expects to begin shipping units to backers in September.

So here’s the thing about these devices: they look like small laptops with ultrawide displays and no touchpad. But they’re not designed for use as standalone computers.

The VitaLink keyboard has two USB Type-C ports that allow you to connect it to a Windows, Mac, or Linux PC for use as a display and input device. Connect it to a desktop computer, for example, and it’s basically a keyboard, a second screen, and a touch interface for that computer.

And in that context… it’s hard to see why you’d want to use th e small built-in speakers rather than connecting a higher quality speaker.

But I suppose you could also use the VitaLink keyboard as your primary display and speaker set. For example, imagine you’ve set up a mini PC or NAS for use as a home media server. There’s no reason to leave a monitor or speakers plugged in most of the time, but you could plug a keyboard & display like this in to quickly access the computer without using a web interface.

You could also use it as a portable device: weighing 1.2 kg (about 2.6 pounds), it’s lighter than many laptops. So you could throw it in your bag along with a phone, tablet, or Raspberry Pi-like mini PC and then set it up for use as an external screen and input device for your mobile gadgets when you get where you’re going. Since there’s no built-in battery though, you’ll either need to use the VitaLink keyboard with a mobile device that has its own battery or plug your single-board computer or mini PC into a power source, so this isn’t quite a system that lets you turn a Raspberry Pi into a laptop.

Anyway, given that the VitaLink is hardly unique, I suppose the speakers do at least help set it apart from existing models like the KeyGo and Welder.

VitaLink’s model measures 340 x 150mm (13.4″ x 5.9″) when closed, and has an aluminum body. There’s a hinge that lets you fold the screen down over the keyboard when it’s not in use, while opening it at angles up to 180 degrees when you want to view or touch the screen.

The screen is a 13 inch, 3840 x 1600 pixel display with a 2.4:1 aspect ratio, 60 Hz refresh rate, and 298 pixels per inch. It supports 10-point multitouch input. The keyboard features low-profile scissor-switch keys with RGB backlighting.

via Yanko Design and NotebookCheck