Logitech’s Touch Lapdesk holds your notebook, provides a pull-out multitouch surface

After relieving our wrists, buffeting our ears and cooling our notebook down, there was only one likely way for Logitech would update its Lapdock lineup — add a finger-friendly digitizer to the equation. Yes, the Touch Lapdesk N600 we saw at the FCC in April has become a reality today, and it’s actually a pretty simple slab of plastic all told. The hollow, fairly cheap-feeling frame houses a slide-out surface with a nice big three-finger multitouch panel measuring five inches across, a pair of giant left and right mouse buttons, and some multimedia keys as well. You pop open a panel on the rear of the unit to insert 4 AA batteries good for up to six months of use, pull out Logitech’s tiny Unifying Receiver, insert it into your laptop, power on the desk, and you’re good to go. Unlike its immediate predecessors, however, there’s no fan or speakers to be had here — just the extra input scheme — for those who prefer gestures to lugging around a good old-fashioned mouse. Yours for $70 later this month, wherever such things are sold. PR after the break.

Continue reading Logitech’s Touch Lapdesk holds your notebook, provides a pull-out multitouch surface

Logitech’s Touch Lapdesk holds your notebook, provides a pull-out multitouch surface originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japan scores official Bluetooth PS3 keyboard for ¥5,000

Official PS3 Keyboard

Yesterday, Sony took the wraps off a PlayStation-branded 3D TV and gave us our first serious look at the Vita, but our friends across that big wet thing we call the Pacific scored an extra little hardware goody — an official PS3 keyboard. If you’ve ever seen a Bluetooth keyboard there isn’t much surprising here, though it does feature a PS button for powering the console on and off. Instead of a touchpad Sony went with a Thinkpad-style nub which will be loved by some, but loathed by others. And don’t worry, pairing this thin one-pounder with other devices should be quite simple. Folks in the Land of the Rising Sun can pick one up on June 30th for ¥5,000 (about $62), but there’s no word on a stateside release. Treat yourself to the machine translated PR and another pic after the break.

Continue reading Japan scores official Bluetooth PS3 keyboard for ¥5,000

Japan scores official Bluetooth PS3 keyboard for ¥5,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nyko cures Kinect’s farsightedness, brings bountiful battery life and alarm clock capability to the 3DS

E3 2011 is upon us, and you know what that means, a heaping helping of new gaming gear from Nyko. Zoom for Kinect is a set of clip-on specs that lets you get 40 percent closer to the sensor bar with no loss of function — so the studio apartment set can get in on the gesture gaming craze. Nyko’s Play Clock is a charging dock for Nintendo’s 3DS that doubles as an alarm clock, because you always wanted to turn your 3DS into an alarm clock. Nintendo’s new handheld could definitely use some longer battery life, however, so the company’s also rolling out three new extended battery packs for the 3DS. There’s the Shock n’ Rock that brings thrice the juice, “added vibration feedback,” and four speakers to your personal gaming party, while the Power Grip is an ergonomic external battery that also triples the 3DS’ battery life. Lastly, the Game Boost battery simply snaps on for an extra hour or two of gameplay. Prices and availability remain unsaid, but there’s eye candy in the gallery below and PR’s after the break.

Continue reading Nyko cures Kinect’s farsightedness, brings bountiful battery life and alarm clock capability to the 3DS

Nyko cures Kinect’s farsightedness, brings bountiful battery life and alarm clock capability to the 3DS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2

Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products.


Last week’s Reserve Power
introduced six handset stands for propping up your miniature movie theater. This week’s column takes on a half-dozen more, names my favorites, and concludes with a chart detailing which phones fit which stands.

Continue reading Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2

Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QWERTY wallet shows off your keyboard appreciation, pays homage to The Shining

Now die-hard QWERTY enthusiasts never have to be away from the keys. This black leather billfold pledges allegiance to the keys with an embossed replica of a QWERTY keyboard wrapping around its exterior, while its interior rocks the phrase made famous by Jack Nicholson in The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It may be a touch less flamboyant than Samuel L. Jackson’s “Bad Mother *&%$#@” wallet, but it’s no less iconic. You can pick one up now at the source link for £34.99 (about $57) — unless, of course, you’re a Dvorak disciple.

QWERTY wallet shows off your keyboard appreciation, pays homage to The Shining originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memorex intros Nintendo DS game-changing case, other not-so-game-changing accessories

The Nintendo DS line has had many redesigns up to the present 3DS, but one thing that hasn’t changed are the tiny, easily lost cartridges. Enter Memorex’s $20 Universal Game Selector Case, announced as part of its gaming accessory lineup for E3. The UGSC stores up to three games and hooks up to the cartridge port on any DS, letting you swap between them using a signal routing switch. We’ve seen cases similar to this in the past, but Memorex’s take is the first to support 3DS titles as well. Based on the renders, the unit looks to make for a weird fit and some noticeable extra thickness (10.5mm to be exact), especially on the DSi XL, but hopefully we’ll get a better idea of how it feels in hand at E3. From a functionality perspective, the case does seem rather useful for those with forgetful tendencies, if a bit underwhelming for anybody else. Memorex will also be displaying its new third-party PS3 and Wii motion controllers at the E3, which are viewable in the gallery below, and there’s a press release with details after the break.

Continue reading Memorex intros Nintendo DS game-changing case, other not-so-game-changing accessories

Memorex intros Nintendo DS game-changing case, other not-so-game-changing accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Industry conferences that include competitions among scores of startups generally don’t look too kindly upon companies producing hardware. Nonetheless, there were quite a few physical products shown off this week at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York. These were either the main offering of companies or complements to their service offering, and judging by their demo platform of choice, the iPhone appears to be a leading agent of disruption — the companies introducing hardware used Apple’s handset to do everything from avoiding stress to measuring its biological impact. Switched On will introduce four such products after the break.

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Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 May 2011 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1

Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products.

With handset screens getting larger and applications such as streaming primetime shows and video chat becoming more prevalent, it’s not surprising that some handsets such as the HTC Evo 4G include a built-in kickstand. Most phones, though, suffer from LifeCall commercial syndrome — when they’ve fallen, they can’t get up. To offer some assistance, a whole cottage industry of pocketable products – many with inventive designs — have appeared to let you enjoy your handset’s screen without your hands in the way. But how universal are they?

I tested a variety of popular and unusually-shaped handsets — including the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, Droid 2, Droid X, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch, Palm Pre, HP Veer, Samsung Captivate and the monstrous Samsung Infuse — finding, for example, that some phones fit in some stands only when their physical keyboards were extended. Surprised at how well a few of the stands held up, I even tried them with a few tablets, including the BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple iPad and Motorola Xoom. This column will introduce the first six devices after the break, while the next Reserve Power will discuss several more, conclude with my favorites, and link to a spreadsheet detailing which devices and stands paired appropriately with one another.

Continue reading Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1

Reserve Power: Stand Off, Part 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 May 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seeeduino ADK lets you build Android accessories on the cheap

Not interested in forking over the $400 required for one of Google’s recommended Android Open Accessory development kits? Well, then it looks like you now have another considerably cheaper option courtesy of Shenzhen’s own Seeed Studio. It’s now offering what it’s dubbed a “Seeeduino ADK” board for a mere $80, which it says is fully compatible with Google’s ADK, and includes all the basics you need to start building your own Android accessories. You won’t be able to start building those just yet, however, as Seeed Studio says the board will only start shipping on June 20th. You can still get your order in right now at the link below, though.

[Thanks, Ian]

Update: Not surprisingly, this won’t be the only low-cost option. We’ve already seen some DIY alternatives at the Maker Fair this past weekend that could well result in even more affordable ADK-compatible boards popping up.

Seeeduino ADK lets you build Android accessories on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 08:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now

Like what you’ve seen of Sammy’s slim new slate, but aren’t so psyched about typing sans tactile feedback? Well, worry no more, as Samsung Germany is showing off some peripherals for the ten-inch Galaxy Tab. There’s a €150 ($213) case with an integrated Bluetooth keyboard to give it that Transformer-esqe form factor or an €80 ($114) keyboard dock (“available soon”) that should also sate your phalanges’ physical desires. Other accoutrement includes USB adapters, protective cases and sleeves, a docking station, and an HDMI adapter for viewing video on screens of all sizes. So now that Samsung’s selling some of the sides, we’ve got one question. Where’s our entree?

Continue reading Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now

Samsung Germany puts cart before horse: Galaxy Tab 10.1 peripherals on sale now originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 22:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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