I like a little doohickie. You know, a thingamabob. A little extra device sitting on your desk that you probably won’t use very much, but the design made you buy one anyway.
Which is why something deep in my soul yearns for this Codex Micro mini keyboard, even though I have little interest in OpenAI’s coding assistant (via Ars Technica). It’s been designed in collaboration with Work Louder, and looks a lot like one of the company’s Creator Micro range of customisable mini keebs.
The device is regarded as OpenAI’s first venture into branded hardware, and while rumours swirl that the company may be about to launch an AI-powered smart speaker, the Codex Micro instead allows users to interact with (and monitor) multiple Codex threads at once, complete with light up keys indicating their individual status.
The little dial in the top right can be used to “control how deeply your agent thinks,” according to the product page. Turn it down for quick tasks, and dial it up “when the work needs to be more considered.” Excellent. I function mostly the same, except based on caffeine level.
Look, if we must be forced into our “AI agents are amazing, no really” future, at least we should get some custom, agent-controlling hardware to lust over. Then I can pretend I’m living in a sci-fi dreamscape, rather than literally the worst sort of corporate dystopia I can think of.
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Speaking of terrible things, the device also comes with 32 swappable keycaps, two of which are labelled “yolo” and “yeet.” Yes, it’s 2014 all over again, and we are very much down with the kids here at OpenAI. Yaaaasss, bae. Etc, etc.
Unfortunately, the Codex Micro is a limited launch—so if you’re the sort of person that thinks Sam Altman might be on to something, you’ll need to pick one up quick.
Or, you could consider the Creator Micro 2, which looks very much like the same product (minus the Codex-specific features) and comes in a rather handsome black finish—without the OpenAI branding plastered on the box.
I know which I prefer, but the lack of an included yeet button? Hardly on fleek, if you ask me.
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