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Mouse/Keyboard Concept is One of the Stupidest Ideas We've Ever Seen

Paul Lilly — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:38:32 -0500

Web magazine Yanko Design sports a tag line that reads 'Form over function,' but one of its newest entries, the Glide Keyboard from Weston Boege, appears to have neither. The conceptial keyboard/mouse hybrid is a design that attempts to fuse both input devices into a single product. Underneath the keyboard would sit an optical sensor for tracking the keyboard's movement, and low friction pads purportedly make it easy to nudge the peripheral around your desk space. Let's break this one down.

Aesthetics

We like funky looking gadgets just as much as the next person, but apart from the black and white color scheme, we're not impressed by the Glide Keyboard's looks.

Concept

We're not exactly sure what problem the Glide Keyboard has been designed to solve. Is it supposed to help users with limited desk space for multiple peripherals? If so, moving a full sized keyboard around in cramped confines just seems like a bad idea.

Ergonomics

Maybe the picture misrepresents what the final product is supposed to look like, but from our angle, the curved plank won't be doing any favors for your fatigued digits. And what do you do when you reach the end of your keyboard tray before the on-screen cursor reaches its destination? Pick up the keyboard and reposition it? No thanks.

That's our opinion - what's yours? Hit the jump and sound off.

Electromagnetic Emanations Leak Your Wired Keyboard Strokes

Alex Castle — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:29:18 -0500

And now, a whole new way for your privacy to be invaded. Computer scientists at the EPFL in Switzerland have developed a way to eavesdrop on what you type by detecting the electromagnetic radiation emitted with every keystroke, Engadget reports.

The group developed four techniques for listening in on keystrokes, and tested them on 11 keyboards, produced from 2001 to 2008 and including USB, PS/2 and laptop keyboards. Every one of the devices was vulnerable to at least one of the methods. Some of the techniques are effective from as far away as 65 feet, and through walls.

Martin Vuagnoux, one of the scientists responsible, has posted two videos demonstrating the vulnerability on Vimeo. The first of the two videos shows a meter-long wire being used as an antenna to detect the emissions of a keyboard several feet away. A program successfully decodes the message “trust no one” from these emissions. The second video shows an antenna that looks a bit like a pair of gigantic egg beaters eavesdropping on a keyboard from one room over.

The technique is pretty cool to see in motion (if a bit scary) so check out those videos and hit the jump to give us your thoughts.

New Photos Emerge of the Optimus Aux Keyboard

Paul Lilly — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:28:41 -0500

If there's one company that understands how to hype up a product, it's Art Lebedev Studios, the company responsible for the Optimus Maximus. Oft delayed to the point of being considered vaporware, the OLED keyboard finally saw the light of day after laying not so low for nearly 3 years, and now you can pick one up for just shy of $2,000.

This time around it's the Optimus Aux that's being pimped to the press with new product shots emerging. Formerly known as the Pultius, the renamed Aux is a numeric keypad designed with the same OLED DNA as the Maximus. According to the company's blog, the key rows have been moved closer together in this newest revision (fifteen keys in all), and it now looks to ship with two downstream USB ports instead of one. There's also an upstream USB port, a Kensigton lock hole, and a power socket.

No word on price or availability, but if the past is any indication, expect it to be expensive and delayed.

Hit the jump for another shot.

Logitech Announces New Illuminated Keyboards

Paul Lilly — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:40:05 -0500

Thin is in, and if Sony's new 28mm Bravia ZX1 LCD television weren't enough to convince you, maybe Logitech's super skinny keyboard will. With an ultra-thin 9.3mm frame, Logitech's Illuminated Keyboard is the thinnest plank ever. But despite the bright, laser-etched backlighted keys, the new keyboard isn't being marketed towards gamers.

"You've just gotten home," Logitech writes. "It's dark but you still have emails to write, people to chat with, blogging to do. While everyone else is in the dark, you're getting ready to shine. Don't you deserve a keyboard that shines with you?"

On the ergonomics side, the Illuminated Keyboard comes with a soft-touch palm rest and full size key layout. Logitech also touts its PerfectStroke technology, which when translated from market-speak to layman means micro-scissors distribute force evenly across key surfaces so key presses feel the same whether you hit the middle of the key or strike the edge. It also encompasses a longer key travel - 3.2mm compared to 2.2mm.

Also coming to Logitech's keyboard lineup is the diNovo for notebooks and Cordless Desktop S520. The glossy black diNovo will meausre just 22.10mm from base to key caps and sport a brushed aluminin palm rest, along with a 2.4GHz wireless connection. The Cordless Desktop S520 will come in a matte-black and gray finish and be accompanied by a cordless mouse.

Look for availability this October with an MSRP of $80 for the Illuminated Keyboard and $100 for the diNovo. The Logitech Cordless Desktop S520 is expected to ship this month with an MSRP of $60.

Steelseries 7G Keyboard

Will Smith — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0500

A few minor flaws aside, the SteelSeries 7G is a truly spectacular piece of hardware.

Almost completely devoid of amenities, this keyboard was designed from the ground up to prevent keyboard lockup—the effect that suspends all input if you inadvertently press too many buttons at once. Lockup is essentially a death sentence for competitive gamers.

Hit 'Read More' to read more. We're clever like that.

Microsoft Now Owns "Page Up" and "Page Down"

Paul Lilly — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:19:55 -0500

Lest there be any lingering doubt that everything in the free world can be patented, Microsoft has managed to add 'Page Up / Page Down' to its portfolio. Specifically, US Patent 7,415,666 states:

A method and system in a document viewer for scrolling a substantially exact increment in a document, such as one page, regardless of whether the zoom is such that some, all or one page is currently being viewed. In one implementation, pressing a Page Down or Page Up keyboard key/button allows a user to begin at any starting vertical location within a page, and navigate to that same location on the next or previous page. For example, if a user is viewing a page starting in a viewing area from the middle of that page and ending at the bottom, a Page Down command will cause the next page to be shown in the viewing area starting at the middle of the next page and ending at the bottom of the next page. Similar behavior occurs when there is more than one column of pages being displayed in a row.

We're computer enthusiasts and not legal beagles, but that sure sounds like Microsoft owns the Page Up and Page Down functionality on your keyboard, perhaps paving the way for some interesting royalty demands if the patent goes unchallenged. Think about the number of keyboards, both already sold and those currently being manufactured, and it's easy to see why granting such an obvious patent is troublesome.

Anyone know if the arrow keys have been patented yet?

Hands-on with Microsoft's New Sidewinder X5 Mouse and X6 Keyboard

Norman Chan — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:59:51 -0500

The big pc gaming hardware news to come out of this year's Leipzig Games Convention is the announcement of Microsoft's extension of the popular Sidewinder peripheral line. The Sidewinder gaming mouse, which was introduced last year to mixed reviews (we thought it was too big and had a mediocre scroll wheel) now has a little brother, the Sidewinder X5. The wired, 9-button device sports a 2000 hardware-adjustable dpi and the same awesome vertical thumb buttons that we liked about the original. In addition to the new mouse, Microsoft also announced the first Sidewinder keyboard, dubbed the X6. We are much more excited about this product, since it touts innovative features such as a detachable numpad and unique "cruise control" option. Microsoft stopped by our offices to let us get our eager hands on these new products.

Click through for the full specs, impresions, and more hands-on photos!

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave

Reed Porter — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:30:42 -0500

Logitech has been producing high end peripherals for years, but can the company’s midrange products maintain the aesthetics and functionality of its more expensive gear? We tested the Desktop Wave to find out.