Posted 02/19/09 at 04:15:24 PM by Paul Lilly

OCZ has added a backlit keyboard to its Alchemy line of gaming peripherals, but this one comes with a twist. Unlike traditional backlit planks, OCZ's Illuminati lets users switch between blue or red LED backlit keys, erasing the fear that the decor at the next LAN party you attend might clash with your keyboard.

In addition to the user-selectable color scheme, the Illuminati comes equipped with rubber-coated keys, which the company claims will last for more than 5 million cycles. Gamers can also make use of 14 multimedia and internet hotkeys and a curved wrist wrest. What you won't find on the keyboard are any USB ports.

OCZ launched its Alchemy line last year in an attempt to offer gaming peripherals without the high prices that typically come hand-in-hand. The Illuminati is the third keyboard in the company's Alchemy series, with the Elixir and Elixir II having come before it.

No word yet on price or availability.

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Posted 09/25/08 at 11:33:45 AM by Paul Lilly

We've seen a major push in the past 12 months towards going green, and Dell apparently wants to lead the charge. Last month the OEM became the first major computer maker to announce it had achieved its goal of becoming carbon neutral, but Dell isn't finished focusing on the environment, saying that all of its notebook displays will see a transition to LED in the next 12 months. This latest move is part of an attempt to become the 'greenest' technology company worldwide.

Starting December 15, 2008, a full two-thirds of Dell Latitude and E-Family notebooks will boast mercury-free LED backlighting, as well as coming standard on the Dell Precision M2400 and M4400 mobile workstations. Benefiting more than just the environment, Dell says its move will result in a combined customer savings of about $20 million and 220 million kilowatt-hours in 2010 and 2011.

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Posted 04/11/08 at 01:02:51 PM by David Murphy

ViewSonic’s VLED221wm 22-inch LCD is the first LED-backlit display to grace our Lab, and we were anxious to put the technology to the test. LCD monitors typically sport cold cathode fluorescent backlighting, which can be less than uniform, and because it’s always on in the background, it can impair a screen’s ability to produce a true black. With LEDs, the screen is backlit with a grid of lights that can be turned on and off as needed. Sure enough, the 1680x1050 VLED221wm was capable of a black that exceeded that of any other LCD we’ve tested—but the result was actually overkill.

Click Read More for more. 

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