Last year, we showed you an early prototype of technology from Tactus Technology which can turn a flat screen into a tactile surface. Now, at CES 2013, Tactus is showing off a full 7-inch tablet that uses the technology to dynamically add a keyboard to the screen only when needed.
This breakthrough tech is truly the stuff of science-fiction, adding a keyboard you can actually feel beneath your fingertips when you need it, and then instantly retracting back into the display when you don’t. Check it out in action in the short video clip below:
Amazing stuff, no? There’s no word on when the first consumer products with Tactus displays will hit the market, but I certainly can’t wait to get my hands on one. If you’re fortunate enough to be at CES this week, you can see the Tactus tablet up close and personal at booth #75110 on the 3rd floor of the Venetian.
This week the folks at ASUS have revealed the VivoTab Smart Tablet with a fabulous little full type cover for wireless keyboard fun. This maching works with Windows 8 and has an Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor powering a lovely 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution IPS display. This machine may look rather similar to the Microsoft Surface in its outward appearance, but it’s bringing an ever-so-slightly more impressive show in the details.
This machine’s keyboard cover goes by the name TransSleeve and is able to work as a wireless keyboard, a cover, and a stand – if you do so desire. This machine is set to be one of the more interesting Windows 8 touchscreen additions to the fold this CES 2013 with the option to turn the keyboard into the stand as it does, most offerings from manufacturers over the past several months bringing on solutions where you’re either doing without a keyboard entirely or are leaving it to sit while you use your fingers on the display.
What ASUS also brings to the show here is an 8 megapixel camera on the back of the tablet bit, a 2 megapixel camera on the front, and NFC inside, too. This machine will likely be a hot seller amongst those that’ve been waiting for the Microsoft Surface Pro, that being the full Windows 8 version of the Surface as opposed to the Microsoft Surface RT that’s already been on the market for some weeks.
Have a peek at what else ASUS is bringing to the show this week in our ASUS tag portal and see how they’re also getting cubical – fun stuff! Be sure to hit up our CES 2013 portal as well for more CES hands-on action and up to the minute updates than you can handle!
If the keyboards we sawin the run up to CES told us anything, it’s that you ain’t a serious gamer unless your keys be lit. We guess it’s a good thing, then, that the two new ‘boards SteelSeries has brought to the show — the Apex and Apex [RAW] — aren’t lacking that all-important backlighting. Both feature low-riding main keys, an extra-fat space bar, a bunch of macro keys, some extra arrow keys, and various other tricks and treats to give you the upper hand in-game. Despite the [RAW] sounding cooler, it’s actually the lower-spec model, with a few less macro keys / options and only white backlights. The Apex ‘proper’ (pictured above) adds a couple of USB ports to the frame, multicolor backlighting with “ActiveZones” for painting different sections distinct hues, and extra customization options for “more ways to win.” SteelSeries’ Engine software manages your setup — profiles, macros, lighting and such — as well as recording keystroke stats if that’s your bag. The Apex and Apex [RAW] won’t be hitting stores until Q2 this year, but when they do, expect them to set you back $100 / $70, respectively.
If you recall, Synaptics is looking to branch out from touchscreens and touchpads and break into a another kind of navigation device: keyboards. The company announced several months ago that it was working on the so-called ThinTouch keyboard, whose slim profile might make it an ideal fit for Ultrabooks and other lightweight laptops. Back when it was first announced, we got to play with small wooden tiles, each of which had a single key affixed to it.
More than anything, the idea was to demonstrate the unique key design, in which the buttons move diagonally, as opposed to up and down. That was an interesting exercise, but it obviously wasn’t the same as typing away on a full QWERTY layout. Here at CES, though, we finally got our chance to do just that: the company is demoing a full-sized keyboard, which has been retrofitted into an older Lenovo laptop. Follow past the break for some impressions, a demo video and a quick recap of the various features it’ll have once it’s actually ready for prime time.
The problem I always had using a full-size keyboard for gaming with games that have a lot of commands bound to keystrokes was remembering which of those keys activated the commands I was looking for. I often felt that using a smaller keyboard or even a keypad was better because it was easier to remember where macros and commands were set up. If you feel the same way, Razer has just unveiled a new gaming keypad called the Orbweaver.
The Orbweaver is designed to be used with your left hand in place of a standard keyboard, while you still use your right hand to control the mouse. The device has 20 fully programmable keys and all of them are mechanical. Gamers love the clicky nature of mechanical keys and they also tend to last longer than cheaper keyboards. Thanks to the programmable keys and Razer’s Synapse 2.0 software, macros can be bound to any of the keys and can have unlimited length. It’s also got an 8-way directional pad that sits perfectly under your thumb.
The Orbweaver also has eight key maps that can be changed instantly and include adjustable hand, thumb, and palm rests for comfort. All the keys are backlit for gaming in the dark and the keypad measures 2.17-inches deep by 6.06-inches wide by 7.95-inches high and weighs a bit more than half a pound. The Orbweaver is available right now for $129.99 (USD).
It’s nearly CES, which apparently means announcements of several mechanical gaming keyboards. Roccat kicked off the announcements earlier today with its Ryos, and tonight Rosewill’s showing off its Helios RK-9200 — a mechanical keyboard with not just one LED lighting up the board, but two. Imagine the possibilities! Both red and green LEDs are supported by the Helios, making this the perfect keyboard for Christmas celebrations. Of course, the family might not like all that clicking and clacking, but who are they to get in the way of your holiday gaming celebration?
In today’s environmentally-minded society, many of us often try to track down products that are considered “green.” One way to offer environmentally-friendly products is to make them out of bamboo. This is an idea we’ve seen applied to the realm of smartphone and tablet cases before, but today Impecca is launching a new Bluetooth bamboo keyboard. The idea is intriguing to say the least, so if you want to do your part to save the world, have a look at the keyboard below.
More specifically, Impecca says this keyboard features “bamboo with a solid metal construction,” so it isn’t entirely made of bamboo. That’s probably a good thing though, and the whole deal is made even better by the fact that you can use it with any Bluetooth-enabled device. This means you can use it with your iPad or Android tablet, along with your smartphone or desktop computer, provided they have a Bluetooth module.
Impecca promises that this bamboo keyboard will be comfortable in use as well, including a fixed bamboo panel on the bottom of the keyboard to offer ergonomic comfort. You’ll also have a wireless range of 33 feet with the keyboard, though we imagine that it will be pretty difficult to see what you’re typing on a tablet or smartphone from that distance. All in all, it sounds like a nifty keyboard, and we think the bamboo looks pretty nice.
Impecca will be showing its bamboo Bluetooth keyboard off at CES 2013, launching it sometime next month. We don’t know when exactly this keyboard will become available for purchase, but we do know that it’ll cost $99 when it does release. Of course, there’ll be plenty more news coming out of CES 2013 over the course of the next week, so keep it here at SlashGear for more!
The folks at ROCCAT are bringing on the heat with their first-ever mechanical gaming keyboard set for CES 2013, this just the first of a collection of fabulous new devices they’ll be blasting out in the next week. The Ryos is “defining a new standard for mechanical gaming keyboards”, so they say, while the ROCCAT Power-Grid is a bit of software aimed at your smartphone – and app that’ll be hitting the airwaves soon with customized controls for your favorite games on your PC.
With the Ryos, ROCCAT brings on a distinct light for each key – you could potentially do a fabulously fashionable rainbow with your keys, each of them lighting up differently! This keyboard works with up to two 32-bit ARM cortex processor and is able to display key functions as well as macros, or health bars, or basically whatever your heart desires, all thanks to the ARM living inside. You get 2MB of internal Flash storage and you can pick one of four different CHERRY MX key switches, black brown, red, or blue!
Then comes the official getting over the Beta hump for the ROCCAT Power-Grid app, a beast that allows custom settings and connections between your smartphone and your PC. You’ll be able to work with Windows controls, Skype, your Media Player, and more, right out of the box. You’ve got pre-set controls for Starcraft 2, Skyrim, and League of Legends, and “Strike Suite Zero”. This app allows live updates of a game’s statistics as its connected wirelessly and is, of course, connected straight to a number of gaming websites that hold gaming news galore.
ROCCAT is also bringing on a number of gaming mice like the Kone XTD and Kone Pure as well as the gaming keyboard ROCCAT Isku FX. These devices will all be shown off at CES 2013 – catch SlashGear all week long, starting right this minute!
Gaming peripheral maker Razer has announced a new addition to its lineup called the Orbweaver. The device is a small, one-handed gaming keypad like those we’ve seen from other manufacturers, such as Belkin, in the past. The idea is for the smaller and easier to manage keypad to replace the keyboard when gaming on the PC.
One of the most interesting features about the Orbweaver is that it has full mechanical keys with 50 Gs of actuation force. The 20 keys on the keypad are all programmable and it has an adjustable thumb, palm, and wrist rest module. The device also has an eight-way directional thumb pad built-in.
Gamers can bind macros of unlimited length to any the programmable buttons and the keypad supports switching between eight different key maps. The Orbweaver measures 6.06-inches by 7.95-inches by 2.17-inches and weighs a little more than half a pound. The keys are all backlit for easy viewing in the dark.
The mechanical keys have an actuation distance of 2 mm. The keypad is designed to use the Razer Synapse 2.0 software. The Orbweaver is shipping now for $129.99.
ROCCAT made its debut in the States a year ago and now the German gaming outfit is looking to get a jump start on the happenings at this year’s CES. The company has announced the Ryos, its first mechanical gaming keyboard with per-key lighting and up to two 32-bit ARM Cortex processors. This method of illumination allows the peripheral to display key functions and macros in addition to information like health stats. The unit also sports 2MB of internal flash storage, up to four Cherry MX key switches in a variety of colors and an included SDK. No word on pricing yet, but the Ryos is expecting to ship during Q1 2013. If a few more details are what you’re after, take a gander at the PR that awaits just past break.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
![SteelSeries announces Apex and Apex [RAW] gaming keyboards (yes, the keys are backlit)](https://i0.wp.com/www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/01/apexlead.jpg)
