Keyboards and Mice

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…

Reviews

Review: Arctic K381 Slim Keyboard For Windows

Our school finally recently replaced the teacher workstation computers with updated machines running Windows 7. One thing they did not replace was the old keyboards. I am not sure how old the keyboard I had was, but it was enormous. I remember a few years ago when keyboard seemed to have the bigger is better phase and this was a remnant from that era. The keyboard was so high that I had to use a wrist pad to raise my hands up to even use it. I was not a fan of the large spring-loaded keys either. (I know some…

Reviews

USB Fever Compact Keyboard Review

If you spend time on the go, you’ve gotten used to laptop size keyboards and small trackpads. Personally, I’ve actually found that having the trackpad nearby as I’m typing to be more convenient than using a separate keyboard and mouse. So when I had the opportunity to review the USB Fever Compact Keyboard with Trackpad, I jumped at the chance. The keyboard is very light and solidly constructed. There are no creaking or awkward seams. I’ve used some wireless keyboards that are flimsy, which makes for poor typing on a lap or on the go, and so I’m extra picky…

News

Apple Launches the Magic Trackpad

At long last Apple has released a standalone trackpad that brings the MacBook Pro controller to your iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro but goes one better by almost doubling the size of the trackpad. As the Apple store notes- Magic Trackpad gives you a whole new way to control what’s on your Mac desktop computer. When you perform gestures, you actually interact with what’s on your screen. You feel closer to your content, and moving around feels completely natural. Swiping through pages on screen is just like flipping through pages in a magazine, and inertial scrolling senses the momentum…

Reviews

The Hillcrest Loop Pointer Review: a Mouse for Your TV

It never failed that when someone would visit while I was testing the Hillcrest Loop pointer, they would invariably pick it up and wear it like it was an over-sized bangle — because at first glance, that is exactly what it resembles. But the Loop is much more than just a piece of giant plastic jewelry. The Loop pointer actually got its start as an “iconic concept product to showcase Hillcrest Lab’s Freespace technology and HoME system solutions.” People who saw it liked it, and they wanted one; so Hillcrest, whose primary focus remains “licensing interactive media systems software for…

Reviews

StarTech DisplayPort KVM Switch Review

Watching the Winter Olympics reminds one of the stamina required to perform at a high level for long events. In reviewing the StarTech DisplayPort KVM switch, I feel like I just completed a marathon, due to the length of time that it took to complete. Read on for impressions of this unique DisplayPort KVM which allows sharing of a DisplayPort monitor and USB mouse and keyboard with two computers. StarTech graciously lent me a review unit of their DisplayPort KVM switch since late November. Why did it take so long to do a review of it? I’ll get into more…

Reviews

4iThumbs Tactile Keyboard for iPhone

photo courtesy of cultofmac.com The idea is pretty clever: You take a thin clear plastic layer, much like a screen saver, and give it a few “bumps” to force your finger into the correct locations, and you will make typing on the iPhone a better experience. 4iThumbs has done just that. They released their Tactile Keyboard for iPhone to help you in typing better and faster on the iPhone without obscuring your vision of what’s on the screen. Does it work? Read on…

Editorials

Is Handwriting Dead?

When I started my first day at my office, a coworker asked (begged, really) if my handwriting was decent, since we deal in note-taking a fair amount. The apologetic look on my face said it all; my handwriting is awful. Years of typing have ruined any chance of something legible coming out when I put pen to paper.

Reviews

Gboard Review: Gmail at lightening fast speeds

I recently made the move to making G-Mail my full time e-mail client. In conjunction with the move, I also stopped using the Mac OS Mail application and am strictly reading and writing my e-mail via the G-Mail web based client. The transition has take some getting used to. Reading and writing via the G-Mail site is a different experience than doing so via a regular mail application. Simply put, it takes a heck of a lot more mouse movements and clicks when using the web based G-Mail method. When I first spotted the Gboard I immediately knew it was…

Reviews

Kensington SlimBlade Bluetooth Presenter Mouse Review

As a fan of Netbooks, I am always on the lookout for something that will lighten my load. If it can also free up the limited USB ports on my Asus Eee PC 1000HE, then that’s even better.

Reviews

The Microsoft Arc Mouse Review

I have been a fan of the ever shrinking computer since I was in college. Laptops, netbooks, PDAs, my motto these days is small, compact, and light. The whole time, however, there has been one thing the gnawed at the back of my brain…probably due to the numerous hand cramps I have gotten over the years. There is just no good way to control the mouse. This started with the eraser tip controller, which worked well enough, if you don’t mind rubbing against a tiny rubber nub in the middle of your keyboard (which was also prone to accidental swipes). …

Reviews

Kensington C170 Keyboard with USB Ports REVIEW

Is it time to replace the keyboard that came with your original desktop? Or perhaps the white keyboard that came with your iMac is so junked up that a black keyboard might be a nice alternative… The Kensington C170 Keyboard with USB Ports is the newest offering from Kensington. This keyboard features three built-in 2.0 USB ports; one on the back and at the top rear along the back concealed behind a sliding door which also houses a mini-USB connector.

Reviews

Click Clack: The Kensington SlimBlade Media Notebook Set REVIEW

I’ve never given much thought to how important using a keyboard is. If one thinks about it, a proper keyboard should have a good tactile feel, minimize wrist and shoulder pain, and have some flexibility with the function keys. I admit I’m not a touch typist, but I have mastered the hunt and peck style of typing and fully utilize the cut, paste and spell check combinations for successful clickity-clack typing. I’ve been using the new Kensington SlimBlade™ Media Notebook Set along with the optional SlimBlade Media Remote. Let’s take a look inside the packaging.

Reviews

The Kensington SlimBlade Bluetooth Trackball Mouse Review

When I wrote about meeting with Kensington at CES, I had already been testing their SlimBlade Trackball Mouse for a few weeks. This is the mouse with a trackball that “gives you control even when there’s no room to move a mouse, then switches to mouse mode with the push of a button.” It’s now been well over a month since I started it exclusively with my Toshiba X205, and I am finally ready to share my experience…

Reviews

The Logitech Alto Review

I bought a brand new Toshiba Satellite A-105 laptop in late September 2006, and by the time my new Fujitsu T4215 had arrived in mid-January, I had already managed to start wearing the left leg off of the Toshiba keyboard’s silk-screened “A” button. I have no idea what my problem is, but I am really hard on keyboards; I have commented before that I must just bang on the keys or something, because it is common for the regularly used keys to eventually lose their label. While this might not be a huge issue on the typical desktop keyboard (“Hey,…

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