Hasta La Gadget!

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When it comes to the world of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, one thing is for sure – accessories manufactured for it will definitely be a decent income source, especially when the particular recipient of all these accessories is a best seller. Take Apple’s iPhone as well as iPod touch family for instance – those have definitely made a number of accessories manufacturers successful beyond their wildest dreams. Having said that, Swiss company Logitech, too, does not want to miss out on this accessory bandwagon, and has come up with what they call the Logitech PRO, an extremely slim protective case for the recently announced Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and Samsung Galaxy TabPRO tablets, where it will also sport a full-size built-in Bluetooth keyboard to boot, now how about that for being extremely productive while you are on the move?

Both of Samsung’s latest tablets will feature 12.2-inch displays, where it will hopefully let you be as productive as you can be. Well, it is nice to know that apart from offering the usual level of protection against the likes of knocks and scratches, the Logitech PRO will also be a perfect complement by offering a full-size keyboard. This unique form factor would theoretically speaking, offer an identical typing experience like the one on your notebook. In addition, there will be another row of Android shortcut keys that will enable your most frequently used programs (apps, e-mail and the like) easily accessible. Since it is also slim, it should not be an issue to tote it with you wherever you go.

On the outside, the Logitech PRO would feature durable, wipeable exterior materials as well as a SecureLock system which ensures that your tablet remains firmly in place. Apart from that, it also doubles up as a view stand, so that you can now enjoy your tablet’s contents in an upright manner for an optimized typing angle, or to have it lie down flat for browsing, reading or drawing with the S Pen.

Press Release
[ Logitech introduces Logitech PRO slim protective case that sports a keyboard copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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There were plenty of media darlings at last year’s CES, but few tickled people’s fancies the way that Tactus and its amazing disappearing tablet keyboard did. The company has spent the past few months crafting reference devices for would-be partners and gearing up to help OEMs bring that impressive keyboard tech to market, but now it’s looking to supercharge those efforts with a newly raised Series B round.

Sadly, the company is keeping most of the particulars under wraps for now — Tactus didn’t disclose the size of the round or the full list of new names that are joining existing investors like Thomvest Ventures. In fact, the only new investor Tactus specifically called out is Ryoyo Electro, a sizeable Japanese OEM (that I’ve honestly never heard of) that the company originally tapped as a strategic partner late last year.

And what exactly does Tactus plan to do with a freshly minted Series B? To expand on what it’s been doing for the past year or so — working with OEMs to fine-tune the Tactus experience ahead of some big initial launches. Naturally, part of that fine-tuning comes in the form of developing different sorts of keyboard layouts for OEMs to implement since the last thing a forward-thinking device manufacturer needs is a killer feature that competitors can pick up and run with themselves.

We’ve seen the traditional keyboard layout in action before: it involves pumping up areas of the screen that correspond to your usual set of alphanumeric keys, but more exotic configurations would see the gaps between keys to bulge instead to better guide users’ fingers where they need to go.

To hear Tactus CEO Craig Ciesla tell it, the first batch of devices with those expanding keyboards should hit store shelves toward the middle of this year, and with any luck that’ll just be the beginning. After all, the company has pointed out in the past that the process of crafting traditional glass cover lenses that sit over tablet and phone displays is tricky and costly enough to make a fluid-filled Tactus layer a viable choice. When asked if Tactus’ ultimate goal was to completely supplant traditional cover lenses, Ciesla cautiously confirmed his ambitions.

“It’s not going to be a case going from Q1 2014 where everything is glass to Q1 2015 where everything is Tactus,” he noted. “This is a better interface, it’s more satisfying, it’s lighter, it won’t shatter. It’ll just take time.”

Bold words, but we’ll soon see how right he is — Tactus has promised to show off some updated models when CES starts in earnest next week, so check back to see if these guys (and their partners) can make good on their lofty promises.