Google Japan
4 HN mentions · mentioned in 3 months, 2024–2025
2:21 · 710K views · Oct 1, 2024
A short Google Japan promotional video, in Japanese, for Gboard Double-Sided, a keyboard with no back side that comes in a paper-craft version and a full electronics version. It is a playful April-Fools-style product concept.
HN mentions it mainly as an example of Google Japan's habit of making joke keyboards, with some complaints that it was misleading.
4 comments from Hacker News
This is misleading customers: they are trying to sell a (single-sided) Moebius keyboard as a double-sided one this video
If only in some shots, but they are such a valuable company that they simply cannot afford the risk of e.g. criticism for the choice of people they display, or inappropriate outfits or behaviour. One blip from a shareholder can cost them billions in value, which pisses off other shareholders. All of their published media, from videos like this to their conferences, are highly polished, rehearsed, and designed by committee. Microsoft and Google are the same, although at least with Google there's still room for some comedy in some of their departments: this video
Not only that, but Google Japan has a long history of humorous keyboards, such as the "Double Sided" keyboard: this video , the "Single Row" keyboard: [LINK] and the Spoon Bending keyboard: [LINK] It's been their running April Fools joke for years and they've upped the rate to every six months.
tangentially, Google Japan makes joke keyboards. Here's their latest this video you can see some others here [LINK] They had one with 1000+ keys but I don't see a video for it