Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Joining the nearly endless amount of Nintendo DS hacks already in the wild is TobW‘s DS Sampling Keyboard, which “uses the DS’s microphone and touchscreen” to interface with a software-based sampling keyboard. A close contender to join our Music Thing series, this wonderous hack takes advantage of the wee machine’s excellent X / Y-axis controls as well as its built-in WiFi to beam the MIDI commands wirelessly. The program has been tested with Wifi, GBAMP, and M3, so “it should work on pretty much anything,” and provides a much less expensive alternative to those dedicated offerings. While musical gizmos are always more effective when seen heard rather than just heard about, be sure to click on for a front row seat to the YouTube demonstration.

[Via MusicThing]

Continue reading Nintendo DS doubles as wireless MIDI keyboard / controller

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals

Dheera Venkatraman, a crafty MIT student, has just completed the latest iteration in a series of upgrades to his dorm room door lock. Now because MIT’s administration doesn’t like it if you hack the door locks or the strike plates, Dheera needed an innovative way to enter his own room without using a key. He’s gone through a series of various door-opening mechanisms over the last couple of years — our favorite one required scanning a barcode on a box of EZ Mac to gain entry — but he’s finally settled on the simplest design, a computer-less setup that involves a microcontroller, a motor, and a PS/2 (waterproof) keyboard. (He’s got a much more technical explanation, including a circuit diagram and drivers on his website, in case your SO / parents / kids also have rules about messing with your house). We’re now taking bets on how long it takes his MIT classmates to crack his password.

[Via MAKE: Blog]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

Mobility Electronics has launched the latest in its line of Stowaway portable keyboards under its Think Outside brand, the Bluetooth-based Stowaway Sierra. Ok, so it’s not quite as catchily-named as the Stowaway Shasta, but it does look to be a fair bit more versatile, compatible with Windows Mobile 5, Pocket PC, Palm and Symbian-based devices (with Bluetooth, of course), as well as Windows XP and Mac OS X, for anyone that finds their full-size desktop keyboard a little too comfortable. Unlike some portable keyboards, the Stowaway Sierra packs decently-sized 19mm keys, including dedicated numeric keys and shortcut keys for your smartphone, PDA, or Windows XP — yet it still manages to fold up into pocketable (depending on the pocket) 5.0 x 3.5 x 0.9-inch package. You can snag this one now for $129.99.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals

As if to prove a point to their comrades in the Microsoft Windows division, Microsoft Hardware has just launched nine new peripherals to show ‘em how its done. We won’t trouble you with all nine products, but the four highlights of the launch are plenty to be getting on with. Pictured above is the new Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, which claims to be the first wireless rechargeable backlit keyboard, and who are we to argue? The ‘board features ambient and proximity sensing, while keeping it slim at a mere 1-inch thick, and it should be available next February for $250. Next up is the do-it-all Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000, which stuffs in slide presenter, laser pointer, media remote and laser mouse functionality into its meaty girth. The Bluetooth mouse should be out mid-October for about $100. Microsoft also has the new Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, with high-def laz0r tracking and intense ergonomics, and the new LifeCam NX-6000 webcam, which features 7.6 megapixel stills and 2.0 megapixel video in a minuscule package. The cam should be out in November for $100, while the Laser Mouse 6000 should follow in January for $80. Now, if only we had a shiny new OS to use these with. Keep reading for more pics.

Read – Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000
Read – Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000
Read – Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
Read – Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Peripherals

Now that we know how to clean our water-damaged electronics, we’re not quite as concerned with spill-proof keyboards as we used to be, but that isn’t stopping manufacturers from releasing new products targeted at clumsy drinkers. Following the model from Lenovo we spotted awhile back (along with past offerings from IBM and Logitech) comes Japanese manufacturer Sigma A.P.O.’s hole-filled keyboard known as the WRKB108, available in white, black, or silver — but only with a Japanese character set. Besides channeling the occasional spilled coffee through the board and onto your lap, this model also sports a special UV paint that’s said to make it stronger and more dirt-repellent, although its five million keystroke rating doesn’t sound all that impressive to us. Luckily Sigma’s only charging $25 for this miracle of modern design, so even if it craps out after a few months, you’re not much worse off than you started. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Digital World Tokyo]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

You wouldn’t necessarily think that San Diego’s annual Comic Con would be a hotbed of videogame news, but this year’s event proved different, as Sony revealed a number of exciting future plans for the PSP. At a seminar called PSP University (man, we sure wish we could have spent our college years at that institution), company execs confirmed that the portable console will indeed work as a remote for the PS3, and that the upcoming firmware update will support RSS video feeds for the built-in web browser. Furthermore, Sony is apparently in talks with wireless providers to provide more Nintendo DS/Wayport-like hotspots for online gaming, and is also looking at ways to bring downloadable movies to PSP owners — which sounds to us like another foot in the grave for the almost-dead UMD. Not all the news here is good, however, as those folks expecting a Sony-branded keyboard for their console will likely be in for a disappointment; in fact, the company has no plans whatsoever to improve text entry on the PSP at all. Other new info centered around games and demos, and since that’s not really our bag, we’ll leave those details to other fine publications like Joystiq and PSP Fanboy.

[Via PSP Fanboy]

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Japan really loves their waterproof gadgets, and it shows yet again with this Sigma APO waterproof keyboard.

The WRKB108 is a 108-key keyboard that has five drain-holes to evacuate any water inadvertently sploshed onto its surface. The keys are “silent”, so as to not wake the wife when you’re busy playing slip-n-slide with this in your home office. Three extra keys—WWW, Search, and Email—makes it Web 3.0-ready.

Pick one up for 2,980 Yen ($25) from Nippon. – Jason Chen

Sigma APO [via Far East Gizmos]

Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, Samsung, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

Slim, wide, full keyboard-packin' WM5 Smartphones might be out and about this side of the pond, but our European friends have yet to get in on the Motorola Q -- making Samsung's release of the i320 even more interesting for them, not to suggest there aren't a few Americans that'll be reading PPCReviews' first impression with bated breath. Unfortunately, the outcome isn't exactly a love fest, with the reviewers knocking the i320's sluggish response, odd speakerphone positioning, under-battery microSD slot and lackluster camera. On the positive side, well, it's a WM5 Smartphone with a full keyboard if you're into that sort of thing, and the QVGA display gets high marks. They were also a bit confused about the inclusion of two batteries, suggesting that the i320 might eat some serious power. We'll wait for a couple more reviews before issuing a final judgment, but the HSDPA Q is looking better every day.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

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Bloggers live and die by the keyboard, so you can imagine how many meals we eat in front of our glowing monitors. You may not know this, but your keyboard is probably the dirtiest part of your desk. So instead of placing that turkey sandwich on that clacker, place it on the keyboard food tray.

The tray offers a places for a sandwich and a mug, as well as holes below for your hands to actually type. A plate? Bah! Who needs a plate? What are we, cave men? – Jason Chen

Keyboard Food Tray [Yanko Design via New Launches]

Filed under: Peripherals

So you dropped a few grand on the latest aluminum Core Duo laptop with matching LCD for the home only to find that plastic-ass, white keyboard soiling your kit? We feel ya, so here's the Crystal keyboard from ENERMAX. Now this isn't one of those cheapo, aluminum-look keyboards; the Crystal is all aluminum, all the time and diamond cut to create what they call the first "massive aluminum keyboard" consisting of a not so massive 1.55-millimeter (0.06-inch) thick aluminum plate fused to the key assembly. It features scissor-mounted, laser printed keys (for good feel without fade) with an audio in/out interface and 2 x USB ports along the sides. Oh, and they'd like you to know that up close, this 2.42-pound peripheral is "not safe to look at due to risk of hypnosis." Yeah, whutevah. On sale in Japan starting July 10th for an expected price of ¥9,800 or about $86 of the green.

[Via Impress]

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Filed under: Handhelds

As promised, Nokia has just posted the Internet Tablet 2006 operating system for download -- although as of this writing you get redirected to an error page -- giving 770 owners access to those handful of new features announced last month. You'll recall that instead of dropping a QWERTY-equipped version of the tablet as we were hoping/expecting, Nokia disappointed more than a few fans by only unveiling a software upgrade that adds an on-screen keyboard along with the Google Talk client. Even worse, Nokia warns that "installed applications designed for OS 2005 will not be compatible with OS 2006 edition and will not be restored even from backup," so kiss your old apps goodbye if you're planning on upgrading. Still, current 770 owners will probably want to take plunge just so they can run programs developed exclusively for the new OS, and hopefully the software 'board will suffice until Nokia takes our advise and changes up the input style in the next generation of WiMax- and webcam-sporting tablets.

[Thanks, Alessandro Z.]

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Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

It's not often that you see a teaser campaign for the utilitarian keyboard, so it's safe to assume that a wireless backlit model Microsoft has in the pipeline must be something pretty special. Although not many details are revealed in the flash demo for what is only known as the "ultimate keyboard," it looks to be a Bluetooth-based system that includes a pointing device on the 'board along with a mouse for desk work, with both components seemingly getting their juice through induction from a SplashPad-like mat. Even the illumination system sounds pretty high-tech, as it not only contains a sensor to detect ambient lighting conditions, but actually shuts itself down when it realizes you've stepped away from the keyboard. Like we said, Microsoft is pretty light on the deets here, so you'll have to wait on specs, pricing, and availability until Redmond is good and ready to give them up.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

If you're looking to give your fingers a break but don't want to replace your regular keyboard with one of Ideazon's fairly large and generally graphics-laden Zboards, you might be interested in adding their compact new Zfang to your repertoire. Extremetech's review is generally positive, complimenting its ergonomic design and extensive customizability, citing only minor negatives like plastic construction and the $35 price tag. Other features, like buttons on each side to accommodate lefties, multimedia controls, and 11 weapon-specific keys, make the Zfang seem like just the thing to help us in our transition from FPS-player to real-life killing machines.

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Filed under: Peripherals

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Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

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Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

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Mobility Electronics has launched the latest in its line of Stowaway portable keyboards under its Think Outside brand, the Bluetooth-based Stowaway Sierra. Ok, so it’s not quite as catchily-named as the Stowaway Shasta, but it does look to be a fair bit more versatile, compatible with Windows Mobile 5, Pocket PC, Palm and Symbian-based devices (with Bluetooth, of course), as well as Windows XP and Mac OS X, for anyone that finds their full-size desktop keyboard a little too comfortable. Unlike some portable keyboards, the Stowaway Sierra packs decently-sized 19mm keys, including dedicated numeric keys and shortcut keys for your smartphone, PDA, or Windows XP — yet it still manages to fold up into pocketable (depending on the pocket) 5.0 x 3.5 x 0.9-inch package. You can snag this one now for $129.99.

 

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