Posted 10/30/08 at 11:38:32 AM by Paul Lilly

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.

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keyboard, mouse, hardware, peripheral, concept, prototype, glide

Posted 09/03/08 at 10:40:05 AM by Paul Lilly

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.

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keyboard, logitech, consumer electronics, peripheral

Posted 08/11/08 at 03:06:41 PM by Paul Lilly

NZXT, the company best know for its lineup of flashy enclosures, looks to expand its horizon by getting into the gaming peripheral market with its new Avatar mouse. The uniquely shaped rodent comes ready for both left and right handed gamers and sports a rubber grip to prevent slippage. NZXT says the "small, light form factor allows for faster and quicker movements," and the company bills the new mouse as being ergonomic.

The Avatar also comes equipped with a 7-button configuration and boasts a high 2600 DPI. Other features include:

• 40 inches/second max speed
• 15g max acceleration
• 6469 max fps
• 650-2600 DPI
• 5.8MP per second
• Up to 1000 USB reports per second

One of the more interesting marketing bullets, NZXT claims the 7 buttons will last for 5 million clicks, which sounds like a really, really long time. Available now, the new Avatar has been given an MSRP of $60, which works out to about $.000012 per click.

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games, gaming, mouse, Videogames, peripheral, nzxt, build a pc, avatar

Posted 10/10/07 at 01:42:45 PM by Gordon Mah Ung

Quick, call Maxwell Smart. We’ve identified a KAOS plot aimed at destroying American worker productivity. Now thanks to 3DConnexion, that evil plot to have 90 percent of Americans flying all over the globe using Google Earth—instead of working — just got easier, and thus more KAOtic.

Click Read More for more. 

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usb, hardware, 3d controller, knob, peripheral, google earth, reviews