Keyboards and Mice

The Brydge Gets Funded… and then Some, Kickstart This!!

The most expensive Kickstart Project that Judie and I have backed just got funded. (Okay, “over-funded if there is such a thing”.) The Brydge is an elegant solution to the lack of quality iPad keyboards and accessories currently on the market. Brydge connects to your iPad using a patent-pending hinge which allows for close to 180 degrees of iPad positioning and holds your iPad secure. In other words, it turns your iPad into a NetMac complete with speakers and all. As the Creatives note Brydge’s aluminum body is machined and anodized so that it matches the look and feel of…

Crowdfunding

Brydge + iPad: Kickstart This!

The Brydge is a Kickstarter Project that Judie came across. It is a keyboard, case, speaker in one that effectively turns the iPad into a laptop. The funding goal was $90,000 and they have thus far raised over $460,000 in pledges with 30 days to go. Here’s the rundown. Project Title: Brydge + iPad: Do more. Status: In Progress Closing Date for Funding: Monday Jun 4, 2012 URL of the Project: Find it here. From the Creatives: Is it just us, or does it feel like the options for iPad keyboards and accessories are excessive in quantity, yet lacking in…

Reviews

Slim One Keyboard for iPhone and Mac Review

One of my students asked to interview me the other day. He’s writing a school paper on why Apple is so successful, and his mother suggested that with my “Apple obsession” I might be a good person with whom to speak. She’s actually right, since I am, in many ways, the poster child for what Apple has done during the past few years. You see, I never thought I would use a Mac. In fact, when I met Elana she was in art school and was using a Mac. It was only when her computer died that I convinced her…

Game Diary, Reviews

Raptor M3 DKT Gaming Mouse Offers High Precision at a Great Price

When it comes to making a great gaming mouse, only one thing matters: precision. Precision and feel. OK, so I am not going to continue the ‘Spanish Inquisition’ line, but suffice to say that unlike just a few years ago there are many hurdles to making a successful gaming mouse. Let’s see how Raptor did! The Hype: The optical sensor of the M3 operates with precision accuracy at ultra-fast speeds up to 500Hz and 1600 dpi, and the dpi settings can be adjusted to 3 different levels: 400 dpi, 800 dpi, and 1600 dpi. The extra large Teflon mouse sliders…

Reviews

Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad 2 Video Review

Last year Travis reviewed Sena’s Keyboard Folio for the original iPad. (You can read it here.) Here’s what he found: The keyboard is not the best, but it is fully functional and simple to use. Having a keyboard does make it far easier to write long posts, articles or homework assignments on the iPad. There are people who have resisted jumping into the iPad world simply because they need to enter large amounts of text and find the onscreen keyboard too limiting. The Sena Keyboard Folio for iPad solves that issue and brings that functionality to the iPad in a…

Reviews

Digital Innovations AllTerrain Wired 3-Button Mouse Review

Mice seem to be ubiquitous. Everyone has one. Not many people even consider buying one that didn’t come with their computer while some are fanatical about the mice they use. I tend to be one of the former. As long as it has a scroll wheel I am usually happy, but now I have a new favorite wired mouse in the Digital Innovations AllTerrain Wired 3-Button Mouse. What makes this mouse All Terrain? Well anyone who has used an optical mouse and tried to use it on a glass surfaces knows that they usually will not work on glass table top…

Reviews

ZAGGkeys FLEX Bluetooth Keyboard for iOS and Android review

My experience with keyboards for the iPad has been rather mixed. Some keyboards and keyboard cases have worked fairly well but none have been comfortable enough and portable enough for me to carry all the time. Moreover, most of the keyboard cases I have tried have just been too bulky for daily use. After all, what is the point of having the super-thin iPad 2 if you are going to then toss it into a thick, bulky case? The keyboards that have come closest to my wanting to carry and use them each day have been the offerings from ZAGG….

Reviews

iPad Accessory Video Review: The ZaggFolio and ZaggKeys Solo

ZAGG makes some great accessories and I was intrigued when they released a keyboard folio case for the iPad 2. I was even more intrigued when I heard that they would be releasing the ZAGGkeys Solo, the keyboard folio minus the folio since it meant you could buy a standalone iPad keyboard that has specialized shortcuts just for the iPad AND a built-in stand. When I reached out to Zagg I was told the ZAGGkeys solo would ship in a short while OR I could take a closer look at the ZAGGfolio and just focus more on the keyboard since…

Game Diary, Reviews

Gear Games Review: Rude GameWare Fierce 3500 Wireless Gaming Mouse

A few months ago I reviewed the Rude GameWare Fierce Gaming Mouse 2, declaring “It is perfectly weighted and balanced without feeling so game-specific to be useless in a business setting.” Now Rude GameWare is back with a wireless version called the Fierce 3500 Wireless Gaming Mouse. I will give a quick highlight of features, a summary of whether or not I liked it, but mostly focus on a video review. The Hype: Free yourself from the chains of wired gaming mice forever! The Fierce 3500 Wireless Gaming Mouse gives you the performance and features you demand without being tied…

Gear Bits, Reviews

A Gear Diary Video Look at… iPad 2 Keyboard Cases

We’re still in search of a name for this video series but, name or not, we are putting together a few more videos in the mean time. This time out we take a look at a couple of keyboard cases that are specially designed to work with the iPad 2. We look at the M.I.C. Keyboard Buddy for iPad 2 and the Adonit Writer for iPad 2($99). We also make mention of the Logitech Keyboard case by Zagg for iPad 2 ($99), the Apple Wireless Keyboard ($69) and the Waterfield Keyboard Travel Express ($49).

Reviews

Mac Accessory Review: Magic Connector for Apple’s Trackpad and Bluetooth Keyboard

Elana and I are both using our MacBook Air’s as our primary computers and could not be happier. (She has an 11″ and I have a 13″.) Both of us have Rain Design’s mStand and love the simple, elegant way it raises the laptop up so that the screen is at perfect eye-level. And we both use a Bluetooth keyboard and pointing device. Elana uses Apple’s MagicMouse, and I use a Magic Trackpad. That’s where the issue comes in. Having the trackpad and keyboard separate from one another doesn’t work all too well at times. If I move the keyboard…

Reviews

iPhone Accessory Review: WOW-keys Keyboard for Mac, PC, iPhone and iPod touch

For the last few months my MacBook Air has been my main computer. It works quite well for me and, thanks to the large solid-state drive and the ability to connect it to a larger monitor, it serves as a desktop computing platform quite well. When I do connect it to a larger monitor, I like to have a separate keyboard and mouse so that I don’t have to worry about the placement of the laptop itself. Until now that is meant using a magic mouse and Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard. I’ve been trying out something new, however, and it’s a…

Game Diary, Reviews

Gear Games Review: Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse

Gamers are a funny group when it comes to controllers, and none are more particular than PC gamers with their mice. I remember years ago buying a BOX of Microsoft Intellimouse 3.0 mice … that is 5 mice! That way I had one for any situation or possible computer I would access. The reason? The two side buttons were perfect for games like Jedi Knight II where I could assign them to Force Push and Pull. The question now: is the Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse something to inspire that sort of idiotic devotion? Read on and see! The Hype: We’ve…

News

Award Winning “Ring” Mouse Now Available in North America

Coming to you straight out of Taiwan, a small country off the southeast coast of China, the most innovative mouse available in the mainstream tech world is now available in North America. Crafted to fit snugly around your fingers, the newest entry to the remote control family is activated solely by your thumb, providing a uniquely flexible take on computer peripherals. Created and manufactured by the aptly named Genius corporation, the mouse is meant to come as a pint-sized revolutionary, a wireless liberator fighting off genuine banality and discomfort. Really though, it’s just a ring-shaped mouse. As the recipient of…

Gear Bits, News

A Mac Keyboard Accessory I Really Want: the Mobee Magic Bar

Mobee Magic Bar Both Elana and I use an Apple wireless keyboard with our MacBook Airs when we are at home. We love the keyboards and the flexibility they offer but we hate the wastefulness of constantly having to replace the batteries. Sure we could use rechargables and and we were about to get a system when I saw this: The Mobee Magic Bar. The Mobee Magic bar offers a USB-powered recharge dock for your keyboard that lets you cut the cords but then, when needed, charge it up once more by simple plugging it into the computer. It looks…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: Sena Keyboard Folio

There are times when you need to write something on the iPad that is just too long for the software keyboard. Sure you can carry a Bluetooth keyboard, but that may become cumbersome and heavy. That’s where having a mini Bluetooth keyboard built into a case for the iPad comes in. Sure, it is a relatively new concept, but by combining the keyboard with the familiar and popular folio style iPad case, many of the limitations people find with the iPad can be resolved. Finding the perfect solution, however, is difficult at best. Several companies have provided options. One of them,…

News

Mobile Fun’s TypeTop Swivel Mini Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone 4 Case Creates the Smallest Mobile Office

With so many keyboard cases being introduced in the past few months for the iPad, people who were using their iPhones as mobile offices might have been feeling a bit left out. They need feel that way no longer. With the introduction of Mobile Fun’s TypeTop iPhone 4 Keyboard, the iPhone comes into its own. Swivel design gives many different angles to use iPhone and Keyboard Adds a stand to your iPhone for FaceTime and viewing media Full QWERTY keyboard makes typing easy Built in battery won’t take power from your iPhone 4 Connects wirelessly through Bluetooth Adds just 0.9mm…

Gear Bits, Reviews

The BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform; Thankfully Someone Was Listening

I have been using a Mac laptop of some kind for a relatively short amount of time — only since March 2008, but since then there has always been a MacBook nearby, whether it was the 15″ MacBook Pro, a first generation MacBook Air, a second generation MacBook Air, a 17″ MacBook Pro, or more recently an 11″ MacBook Air. I’ve been pretty vocal stating my opinion that Mac makes some of the best hardware available, even if I am pretty agnostic about whether their operating system is better than Windows or not. Beyond the all metal bodies and slimmer…

Reviews

iPad Accessory Review: EFO iPad Bluetooth Keyboard with Folding Case

One of my favorite gadgets of not only this year, but also all time is the iPad. The hardware is elegant and the technology is amazing and cutting edge. There are some limitations or concessions that must be made using the iPad instead of a conventional computer. One of the main changes is the use of the software keyboard. We have all learned to use software keyboards and I actually prefer them on a phone. The iPad is somewhat different since it is able to be used for tasks commonly performed on a laptop or desktop computer. Several options are…

Reviews

Mobile Phone Gear Review: iPazzPort Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

One reason people tell me they do not choose to use an iPhone is that they would rather have a phone with a hardware keyboard. Apple, among other companies, have produced Bluetooth keyboards that can be used with iPhones and iPads, but they are almost all full-sized offerings. EFO Gadget Shop recently sent me the iPazzPort Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard to review with my IOS devices. Lets take a look. The iPazzPort is a Mini Bluetooth wireless keyboard for iPad, iPhone and a host of smartphones including Windows Mobile and Nokia operating systems. Unfortunately Android is not compatible with this device. …

News

iPad Bluetooth Keyboard With Folding Leather Protective Case Released

I love my iPad, but have yet to use it for heavy work, including writing my Gear Diary posts. Typing on the MacBook is just so much faster because of its full-size keyboard. Later today I will post a review for a credit card size Bluetooth keyboard that works with the iPhone and iPad. Although that keyboard works really well, I have a hard time using a phone sized qwerty keyboard. The same company, EFO has recently released an iPad case that contains a full size Bluetooth keyboard. Now, you can easily carry your iPad, flip it open and type…

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