By Chris Scott Barr

How often would you say you clean your keyboard? I know that it’s a rare thing to do for me, and probably not something most people do on a very regular basis. Sure, we’ve seen keyboards that can be put in a dishwasher, but what about a keyboard that actually cleans itself? Well now there is one of those.

The Vioguard UVKB50 doesn’t clean itself, so much as it disinfects. Whenever you are finished typing, the keyboard retracts into an enclosure and is blasted with a 50W UV light. This will supposedly kill 99.99% of viruses and bacteria. Mysophobes will no doubt rejoice at the introduction of this keyboard next month. However, they may actually fear the $899 price tag more than the germs on their keyboard.

[ Vioguard ] VIA [ SlipperyBrick ]

By Chris Scott Barr

My computer setup is rather complicated, as I have a pair of monitors hooked to my desktop PC, plus I use my MacBook with another monitor attached to it. I’ve been using one of Logitech’s Alto laptop stands, which certainly helps things out. It not only gives me a nice stand that keeps the notebook’s screen at the same height as my monitor, but it also has a wireless keyboard that goes with it. Well today Logitech announced the successor to this, the Notebook Kit MK605.

The MK605 Kit comes with a much more simplistic riser than the Alto. No electronic components are integrated into it, but it does have three different angles at which it can hold your laptop. You’ll also find a fairly basic wireless keyboard and mouse set (K340 and M505 respectively) that work with the Unifying technology we’ve seen lately. You’ll just need one tiny receiver for both peripherals. Batteries won’t be too much of an issue, as the keyboard will last 3 years and the mouse 15 months between sets. If you use your laptop for long periods on your desk, this $99 set will be well worth the money.

[ Logitech ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Last month we told you about a new keyboard and mouse set from Logitech called the MK700. At first glance it seemed like any other wireless combo, but under the surface there were a few things to note. Namely the new “Incurve keys” and an amazing battery life. Well I’ve spent a couple of weeks with this pair of peripherals, and today I’ll share my thoughts.

Features

The second-most notable feature are the new Incurve keys, which are concave keys with rounded edges. These are supposed to be more comfortable than your average keyboard. The battery life is definitely the number one feature, as the mouse can go a year and the keyboard a full three years before either needs a new set of AA’s. An LCD dashboard tells you the status of things like your battery, Caps Lock and Num Lock. Hyper-fast scrolling and a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter round out the main features of this duo.

First Look

The keyboard isn’t going to win any awards in the looks department, as it simply looks about like any other out there. It’s not a bad thing, as keyboards really don’t need to be flashy. The low-profile keys are definitely noticeable, giving it almost a cleaner look. The LCD dashboard is a bit disappointing, as it’s not very easy to see from an angle. It only tells you about battery life and the status of a few keys, which isn’t generally all that interesting. The mouse looks reminiscent of its cousin, the Performance MX. It doesn’t have a 3-LED battery indicator (just one that tells you when its low), and a few other noticeable differences.

Comfort

One of the aims of this set is to be more comfortable that your current keyboard and mouse. I’m coming from a Logitech MX 3200 set, and I can say that both are much more enjoyable to use. I was skeptical about the Incurve keys, however, I soon came to love them. It is rather difficult to describe the keys themselves, but when moving my fingers across them, it seems like much more of a smooth action. Does it actually improve my typing at all? No. I’ve taken several speed tests both before using it, and just before typing this up. All of them were almost identical, regardless of what keyboard I was using. I will say that the biggest difference in comfort can be noted when switching back to the old one.

The mouse is good, but isn’t anything to really write home about. Logitech has found a good design and rolled with it. It is almost identical to the older MX 3200 as far as shape goes. The one-touch search button is more comfortable to strike than the older one, and the zoom buttons have been removed entirely. The biggest improvement to the mouse is the new Hyper-fast scrolling feature. I’m seriously addicted to this, and really don’t want to go back to a mouse that doesn’t have it. My only complaint with the execution in this particular mouse is that it’s rather inconvenient to turn off Hyper-fast scrolling. You have to actually flip the mouse over and flip a switch  to get your old clicky wheel back. It’s not a deal-breaker by any means, but I liked being able to just click down on the wheel to change it on my Anywhere Mouse MX.

Performance

There’s really not much to talk about in the way of performance. Both the keyboard and mouse work great, and I didn’t experience any dropped signals. I have two other keyboard/mouse sets operating in the same room, and not a drop of interference was experienced, thanks to the 2.4GHz wireless technology. I’d love to rave about the battery life, but it’s just something that I can’t really test. According to Logitech’s software, my mouse still has 321 days of power remaining, while the keyboard simply says the batteries are full. I use my computer more than a lot of people, so it will be interesting to see how long it will really take to drain the batteries. I’ll try to check back in on this when I do end up changing them. (See you late 2010 and again in 2012 I hope!)

Verdict

Logitech has always been king in my book when it comes to keyboards and mice. They have delivered another solid combo, with enough new features to really give you an incentive to upgrade. The Incurve keys really do make a difference, and really, who doesn’t want to measure battery life in years? If you’re in the market for a new keyboard and mouse, Your $100 would be well spent on the MK700 combo.

[ Logitech ]

By Chris Scott Barr

One of the biggest features of the iPhone is also its biggest issue (to some people). I’m talking of course about the touchscreen. The screen is beautiful, and it gives you the ability to do so many things that just aren’t possible on your average non-touchscreen phone. Of course when it comes to typing, there is absolutely no form of tactile feedback, making things a little more difficult, even impossible if you’re not staring directly at it. So what’s the solution? A crack-pot accessory that gives you real buttons on your iPhone!

I’m really not sure what to think about this iTwinge. Mostly I can’t figure out if it’s stupid or just plain retarded. The accessory makes you sacrifice almost half of your screen to get a keyboard. Yeah, you might type a little faster, but whenever you want to use your phone for any other function, you’re going to have to remove the iTwinge and put it somewhere. Seriously, if you’re that concerned about tactile feedback, just go get a Blackberry or something. This hunk of junk will set you back $30, plus your dignity.

[ MobileMeChattronics ]VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Remember that spiffy Eee Keyboard that Asus announced back at CES? Well we’ve finally gotten a confirmation on a release. It seems that it will be shipping next month, for between $400-$500. In case you’ve forgotten, you’ll get an Atom-powered computer packed inside a keyboard with a 5-inch touchscreen and wireless HDMI. How awesome is that going to be?

VIA [ PCWorld ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you spend most of your workday at a computer like I do, then you’ll want to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible. A comfortable chair, a nice big monitor to look at and a good keyboard/mouse set are probably the most important. Today, Logitech announced their new Wireless Desktop MK700 keyboard and mouse, which are aimed at being both comfortable and convenient to use.

The new MK700 keyboard features a new type of key that they’re calling “Incurve keys.” These concave keys are supposed to keep your fingers in the right place and have softly curved edges to be more comfortable when moving from key to key. Other features like a cushioned palm rest and longer key travel should make things more comfortable in general.

So what makes this set so “convenient” you say? Well you’ve got things like an LCD dashboard that lets you know things like the status of Caps Lock, Num Lock and your battery life. They’re also using 2.4GHz wireless technology to ensure a strong connection (up to 30 feet away), because no one likes pressing a key and having nothing happen. The real kicker is the battery life. You can expect the batteries in your mouse to last for up to a year, while the keyboard can go up to 3 years without needing changed. Oh, and that’s on 2 AA batteries each. I hate changing out batteries, and measuring the time between changing them in years instead of months should be enough of a selling point for some people. Look for the MK700 bundle later this month for around $100.

[ Logitech ]

Lots of interesting stuff at SIGGRAPH this year. In this case, there’s a contest sponsored by ACM SIGCHI and ACM SIGGRAPH centered around a keyboard Microsoft Hardware is developing where each key is capable of detecting pressure in 8-bit resolution. In other words, in 256 levels of sensitivity. Current suggested uses for this are to selectively capitalize letters based on how hard a key is pressed, or deleting an entire word as opposed to a single letter, again, based on pressure.

Of course, these are early ideas and the whole point of the contest is to actually find out what to do with something like this. There are three categories: most useful, best implementation, most creative. Each one carries a “$2000 prize, bragging rights, and special consideration for a spot at SIGGRAPH 2010’s Emerging Technology (E-Tech) demos.”

So, you can head over to the site (check links at the bottom of article). Or if you’re too lazy to bother entering, why not give us your ideas right here in the comments… so we can steal them.

[ Contest Page ] VIA [ Electronista ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I don’t work with a lot of spreadsheets or anything, so I can’t vouch for how much time is wasted by moving your hands all over the keyboard to get to the arrow keys. However, for those of you that spend most of your workday doing just this, you might be interested in the Matias Optimizer Keyboard, which claims to increase spreadsheet navigation by 22%, among other things.

The keyboard supposedly achieves this with the use of an “Optimize” button where the Caps Lock usually is. It turns things like your Number Lock key into a Tab button, and others into Page Up, Page Down, etc. As I said, none of this is a big deal to me. That’s why they’ve also targeted writers with some other interesting keys. Hold down that same Optimize button and you get 5 dedicated Cut, Copy and Paste keys. Honestly, that sounds a bit silly. If you’re a writer, you damn well better know where your X, C, and V keys are.

Oh, and if you want to erase words faster, you can hold down Optimize and hit Backspace. Re-learning that will be far easier than just holding Ctrl and pressing Backspace. Seriously, unless those spreadsheet functions are appealing, this thing seems like a complete waste of money. It only seems to make really simple tasks marginally more difficult by forcing you to re-learn how to do things. Oh, and good luck trying to get things done on a normal keyboard after you’ve been using this thing for a few months. Learn the basic shortcuts and save yourself $90.

[ Matias ] VIA [ EverythingUSB ]

By Shane McGlaun

I have been traveling with my notebook many times and wished I had an external keyboard with me. This happens even more frequently now that I use a netbook with an even smaller keyboard and a tiny track pad.

Econo-Keys has announced a new portable keyboard called the EK-76-TP that offers 76 keys including 12 function keys in a small keyboard measuring in at 8.91-inches x 3.54-inches x 0.38-inch. The keyboard is also rugged and is sealed to IP67 standards making it resistant to dirt, dust, and water.

The keyboard also lacks any crevices around the keys so it can be cleaned with strong disinfectants to prevent illnesses from spreading. Flip the keyboard over and the bottom has a full-size track pad with dual buttons. That will be a bit of a pain if you need to flip the keyboard over frequently to use the keys or the track pad. The keyboard is available now for $146.

[ Econo-keys ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Back in March we showed you a different kind of Eee PC from Asus. The Eee Keyboard is basically your entire computer wrapped up into a nice neat keyboard package. It seems to be destined for the living room, what with it’s wireless HDMI and all. The 5-inch touchscreen is really what sells the device for me. Speaking of selling, when exactly can we expect to see these on the market?

If rumors are to be believed, we should be seeing it by the end of next month. We don’t yet know any pricing details, but that should be revealed at the upcoming Computex show. With Computex, Apple’s WWDC and E3 all next month, we can no doubt expect a lot of announcements and releases in the next month and a half.

VIA [ Engadget ]