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Input Device
The first left-handed mouse - shaped, cordless, laser, US$60
By Mike Hanlon
March 9, 2006 Roughly 13% of the population is left-handed, meaning there are around 850 million people on planet earth with a preference for using their left hand for a variety of tasks, including throwing, pointing, catching and presumably, using a computer. Astonishingly, there has never been a mouse designed just for left handed computer users until Logitech announced its MX610 left-hand Laser Cordless Mouse at CeBIT today. Until now, most left-handed computer users have only had the choice of navigating with an ambidextrous-shaped mouse or unnaturally using their right hand to scroll, point and click. Read More
The IP-Talky multimedia keyboard with built-in VOIP handset
By Mike Hanlon
February 7, 2006 When Nicholas Negroponte drew his famous convergence Venn diagram more than three decades ago, he forecast the convergence of broadcast, telecommunications, computing, and publishing. Since then, the acceleration of this trend has been increasing and there’s no doubt the computer and telephone are in the process of morphing right now. In recent times we’ve seen many different form factors for this, with several VOIP telephone/mouse combinations and multitudinous USB and wireless VOIP handsets and now computer peripherals specialist A4 Tech has announced it will debut a new Talky multimedia keyboard with built-in VOIP handset at CEBIT in Hannover, Germany on March 9. Read More
The three-key mini-keyboard with OLED screen on each key
By Mike Hanlon
February 5, 2006 Last July we wrote about the Optimus keyboard from Russian design studio Art.Lebedev – the keyboard uses OLED technology so that every key is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at that moment. Accordingly, you can switch from language to language, or program to program and the functionality of the key will be reflected in the image it shows. The Optimus won’t be available until December 2006, but the company will have a three key Optimus mini auxiliary keyboard available by May, 2006, with each of the keys having an OLED screen displaying the current function. If you don’t quite understand what this makes possible, check out this page which explains the concept visually (click around all the text links). Read More
ElekTex Smart Fabric keyboard goes wireless
By Mike Hanlon
January 16, 2006 Let’s get one thing straight before we start – we hate the QWERTY keyboard. It was invented some time in the 1860s yet still exists today as the principal Computer Human Interface (CHI) and the main limitation we face every day in getting information into computers, as it was designed a century before humanity knew diddly about CHI design. It makes computers bigger than they need to be, is responsible for more lower back, shoulder and RSI pain than seems right, and … well, because we’re old dogs, and have trouble learning new tricks, we appear stuck with this technological curse. Thanks – we feel much better having shared that. Now, there’s a new keyboard for tiny devices that makes lots of sense - the ElekTex Smart Fabric keyboard is designed for Smart phones, PDAs and handheld devices, is lightweight, portable, full laptop-sized and now … wireless. Read More
Skype mouse telephone by Sony
By Mike Hanlon
January 13, 2006 Now here’s a good idea from Sony that doesn’t quite fit with the company’s normal fare. Sony will release a VOIP telephone crossed with a mouse onto the Japanese market next month. Dubbed MouseTalk, it looks and acts like a normal scroll wheel mouse, but when a call comes in on Skype, the mouse flashes its LED lights and emits a customisable sound. The mouse opens like a clamshell phone, becoming a Skype handset and it can also be used in hands-free mode. When used as a telephone, the mouse scroll-wheel adjusts the volume and clicking the wheel can mute the microphone. Read More
CES 2006: business-card sized, Bluetooth-enabled mouse that stores and recharges inside your laptop’s PC card slot
By Mike Hanlon
January 4, 2005 The MoGo is designed for road warriors who don’t like bulky, full-sized, mice, but also hate laptop trackpads and trackpoints. Now we all know that a mouse is a very personal thing, so this may not be a solution for everyone, but it’s a very good idea and one which is worthy of every road warrior’s attention. The mouse which fits snugly in your palm when you’re using a desktop often takes on quite different proportions and becomes a pain in the butt when you’re on the road, never seeming to fit nicely in your bag, and constantly getting tangled. So having a PCMCIA-card sized mouse that stores and recharges neatly inside your laptop computer’s PC card slot when it’s not being used is very useful on the road. For us, the Bluetooth-enabled functionality is a clincher. Whatsmore, the MoGo Mouse recharges in less than an hour so there are no batteries to be replaced. Read More
Field Tested: Logitech and Microsoft Media Centric Keyboards
By Mike Hanlon
September 13, 2005 As society enters the next phase of embracing the computer - welcoming it into our loungerooms - every computer manufacturer and peripheral maker is dreaming up new ways of how they're going to break into the entertainment and consumer electronics business. Logitech and Microsoft are no exception, they have just released media center devices to help you transform your PC into the media hub of the future. Interestingly, though Microsoft is far better known for its Windows operating system, it has more than 200 people working in hardware development at redmond - which makes it the world's most focussed developer of keyboards and mice. Last year it conducted research across the world looking at how the world is using computers and the media centric keyboard is the result of that research. Dave Weinstein looked at both keyboards and concludes that Microsoft's research is beginning to show ... Read More
The keyboard with two rear vision mirrors!
By Mike Hanlon
August 16, 2005 Sometimes when we cover a story, we suddenly find out how much we don’t know (lots). Three days ago we wrote about all the (clever but) weird keyboards we’d written about recently when we covered Logitech’s G15 Keyboard, listing no less than nine different, interesting keyboards that help solve some of the many problems associated with a device that was designed 137 years ago. Yes folks, the keyboard you’re slaving over is a dinosaur masquerading as high tech and it’s no wonder that everyone thinks they can build a better one, because they probably can. Indeed, in the short space of three days, we’ve had half a dozen readers write to us saying, “hey, you should write about this cool keyboard.” Well, we’ve fudged it slightly by bundling the new lot all together, but if you follow this link you’ll see a new keyboard replacement for controlling model trains, a vertical ergonomic keyboard with rear vision mirrors (so you can see the keys) and a bunch of different programmable key pads that can be used for almost any set of tasks you can think of. Read More
Logitech’s G15 Keyboard with adjustable-tilt LCD display and extra programmable keys
By Mike Hanlon
August 13, 2005 For a technology almost certainly destined for the scrapheap as some people might have you believe, the keyboard is sure getting a lot of attention. In recent times we've reported on the VisiKey, DAS, Keyscan, Maltron, Matias, orbiTouch, Optimus, SureType and Virtual keyboards. Logitech's G15 keyboard does not wish to replace the methodology of the keyboard - just significantly enhance it. Designed to provide an unprecedented level of programmability and control, the Logitech G15 keyboard is the the ultimate keyboard for serious PC gamers. The first keyboard in the G-series family of gaming-grade peripherals, the Logitech G15 keyboard features a built-in auxiliary LCD display, 18 programmable keys, and advanced software, making it easy to set up custom commands for every game. The adjustable-tilt, backlit LCD can be programmed to display vital in-game information, or data from other applications, without interrupting game play. Read More
Optimus Keyboard by Art.Lebedev
By Mike Hanlon
July 16, 2005 Moscow-based design studio Art. Lebedev may be Russia’s largest design house but it didn’t quite expect the reaction it received when it posted its latest creation, the Optimus keyboard. The keyboard uses OLED technology so that every key is a stand-alone display showing exactly what it is controlling at that moment. Accordingly, you can switch from language to language, or program to program and the functionality of the key will be reflected in the image it shows. If the response to the company’s web site posting is any indication, the keyboard is already a runaway hit, with 230,000 page views and an average two emails a minute from people wanting the keyboard. In brief, the keyboard is likely to become available in 2006, will be OS-independent and “will cost less than a good mobile phone.” It will be open source (a software developers kit will be available) and companies can OEM the keyboard. Indeed, there may even be an ergonomic version. Read More
Product Evaluation: Maltron Keyboard
By Mike Hanlon
May 29, 2005 Gizmag reader Joe Blake reports on his experiences with the Maltron Keyboard. Joe has been a court reporter since 1990, producing 10,000+ words a day, which he calculates to more than 200 million keystrokes over the last ten years. When he switched from touch-typing on a QWERTY keyboard to the Maltron keyboard, his productivity improved immensely. He can now “transcribe a single person speaking in real time, all day, every day, with no problems.” Read More
What do you call a keyboard with no markings? A good idea!
By Mike Hanlon
May 27, 2005 The human mind has an incredible ability to adapt – and that’s the big idea behind the Das Keyboard and its complete lack of key markings. Since there are no keys to look at when typing, the theory is that your brain will quickly adapt and memorize the key positions and you will find yourself typing a lot faster with more accuracy in no time. Given that the world is full of hunt-and-peck typists, this would seem to be an idea with plenty of potential as the keyboard remains the predominant input device for the ever-increasing number of computers. The Das Keyboard inventors also claim “it is amazing how slow typers almost double their speed and quick typers become blazing fast!” And what a statement about yourself for all to see. You’ll be the talk of the town. “XXXX has no markings on their keyboard, how cool is that?” Read More
Keyscan keyboard with integrated scanner and USB2.0 hub - very cool!!
By Mike Hanlon
Gizmag likes productivity tools, and though this is just a keyboard, it's not just any keyboard. It contains a scanner and a USB2 hub - and we think that warrants attention from all us cyberserfs who spend the majority of our working hours slaving over a hot keyboard. The KeyScan KS810 will be officially announced on CeBIT 05 followed by immediate sales. Recommended end user price is EU149 EUR. Read More
Logitech V5 cordless notebook mouse
By Gizmag Team
November 28, 2004 Logitech has released an innovative, ultra-thin mouse for notebook computers. Incorporating an expandable chassis, 2.4 GHz wireless technology and a touch-sensitive, solid state scrolling panel in place of the scrolling-wheel, the V5 cordless mouse is designed as a practical, usable tool for the mobile professional and fast-growing notebook market. Read More
orbiTouch sliding keyboard offers keyless typing
By Gizmag Team
November 15, 2004 The orbiTouch sliding keyboard from Keybowl uses a pair of ergonomically sculpted domes to "type" characters with the same precision as pressing a key. This keyless typing opens up the world of computing and information access to people with repetitive stress injuries and limited hand use and challenges the dominance of the QWERTY keyboard design, a relic from the typewriter era of over a century ago. Read More
VisiKey keyboard enhances keystroke visibility
By Gizmag Team
November 8, 2004 The days of struggling to see small keyboard letters are over thanks to the VisiKey keyboard with it's Enhanced Visibility Lettering System, which offers keynotes 430% larger than that of a standard keyboard. These innovative keyboards, which come in wired and wireless versions, have a simple idea driving them - larger lettering + high contrast = increased visibility and more comfortable use. VisiKeys Enhanced Visibility Keyboard also fill the gap for the estimated 50% of computer users that are not touch typists. Read More
Portable Bluetooth One Handed Keyboard from iFrog
By Mike Hanlon
Data entry innovator FrogPad has announced the global release of iFrog, a portable one-handed keyboard with Bluetooth connectivity, and is sure to grab a share of the global market searching for efficient means of using their mobile devices on the fly. Read More
New SureType keyboard
By Mike Hanlon
A new SureType keyboard layout from Research In Motion (RIM) is drawing praise for its effectiveness and appears to have hit a usability sweet spot for mobile devices in the candy bar form factor. SureType is a viable contender to become the next generation interface for the mobile phone sized device. The SureType keyboard design incorporates a QWERTY keyboard layout and a prominent numerical phone keypad and allows easy one-handed phone dialing. Through an integrated keyboard and software system, SureType provides users with an instinctively familiar look and feel and allows them to dial phone numbers and type messages quickly, accurately and comfortably. Read More
The Designer Mouse by Philippe Starck
By Mike Hanlon
High profile European designer Philippe Starck has provided the centrepiece of the latest collection of input devices Microsoft design executives. Microsoft's first designer mouse, Optical Mouse by S+ARCK is certainly eye-catching with an illuminated coloured spine and sleek silver shape. Read More
A Sony PlayStation 2 Controller with a built in keyboard
By Mike Hanlon
Convergence, convergence everywhere. The signs of a mispent youth were once a highly developed ability with a billards cue. Now it's lighning reflexes and multi-tasking abilities to rival a supercomputer. Now PS2 players can chat and program commands directly from the controller while playing online games. Nyko Technologies' new iType2 PS2 controller has a miniature keyboard built directly into the pad and allows players to chat, share information and type messages to other players with no interruptions in gameplay. Read More
Virtual keyboard could revolutionise telephone usage
By Mike Hanlon
The Virtual Keyboard (VKB) has reached market in the UK and the world will be watching over the coming months to see how this new and potentially very important device is adopted. The VKB could revolutionise the way that PDAs and Smartphones are used, exploiting much of the unused computing power of such mobile devices, thus helping users to work more effectively on the move. Read More
PenPhone enables handwriting input while writing on anything
By Mike Hanlon
The unusually-shaped Siemens mobile PenPhone concept is unique in the way it incorporates handwriting recognition. The PenPhone will let users write on anything and enter text in that form via the integrated handwriting recognition. Read More
Memory-Mouse with 32 MB
By Mike Hanlon
Tuesday August 12, 2003: There's a growing array of options these days when it comes to portable data storage - PDAs, MP3 players, thumb-drives, wristwatches and now even the humble mouse can perform this valuable service. Capable of storing files of up to 32MB, the Memory Mouse enables users to transfer data onto PC or Mac... Read More
In-air mouse lets you leave the desk behind
By Mike Hanlon
The Ultra GT Cordless Optical Mouse features a its unique "in-air" motion-sensing capability that allows the user to accurately control the cursor with movements more akin to waving a wand than using a mouse. The Ultra GT can be used on the desk or at a distance of up to 10 metres... Read More
Rechargeable Mouse beats cordless power supply problems
By Mike Hanlon
Logitech's solution is to cordless power supply problems is a rapid charge base station that both stores and keeps the mouse powered and ready for use. Read More
rob yates
- November 26, 2009 @ 12:49 UTC
