Hasta La Gadget!

Over the summer, Microsoft took a break from showing off Windows 8 hybrids and turned its attention to unleashing a bunch of portable mice and keyboards. Turns out, Redmond wasn’t quite done refreshing its accessories collection: the company just announced the Sculpt Comfort Keyboard, a full-size desktop model meant to complement all those mobile products announced back in July. Like some of Microsoft’s older keyboards, it makes use of the company’s ergonomically friendly Comfort Curve layout. In this case, though, there’s a split space bar, whose left end can be programmed as a backspace key (Microsoft’s rationale is that your fingers are constantly near the space bar anyway). Additionally, there’s a padded palm rest, which you can detach if for some reason the extra cushioning isn’t doing anything for your wrists. And, being a Microsoft-made keyboard, you’ll find Windows hotkeys — specifically, keys that correspond to new features in Win 8, like the Charm Bar. Speaking of the sort, you can use the keyboard with Windows 7, 8 and Vista, meaning those of you still using XP are out of luck. It will be available “soon,” according to Microsoft, at which point it’ll sell for $60.

Continue reading Microsoft intros Sculpt Comfort Keyboard, left end of the space bar can be used as a backspace key

Filed under: Peripherals

Microsoft intros Sculpt Comfort Keyboard, left end of the space bar can be used as a backspace key originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know better than most that when you’re working to a deadline, constant pop-ups, notifications and pings can be a real pain. Our frustrations might soon become a thing of the past, however, with some help from boffins at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in Japan. They are working on technology which monitors keyboard pressure and silences those distractions until it deems you’re not busy, showing over 80 percent accuracy during volunteer testing. Understanding that quiet time is also appreciated for other tasks, they plan to use similar techniques to spot when you’re staring intently at that report or — more importantly — attending to a beverage. It’s still early days for the project, but if the stress-saving tech ever spawns a product, we’ll take two please.

[Image Credit: Getty Images / Jean Louis Batt]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

Pressure-sensing PC technology knows when you’re busy, blocks notifications accordingly originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Being able to project a full-sized QWERTY keyboard onto any surface makes the idea of ditching your laptop for a tablet a lot more plausible. And since CTX Virtual Technologies’ new compact keyboard projector is barely larger than a lighter, it would barely add any weight to your gear. It’s just too bad this technology is nearly unusable. More »

We’ve had a glimpse at Apple’s conception of a sensor-based keyless layout, and the latest patent application from Cupertino shows the company looking to further refine the input experience — this time using a camera and other sensors to detect hand position and overlay that hand position on a device’s screen. The filing details three methods to this end. The first shows a user’s hands on a traditional hardware keyboard projected in an on-screen representation (as background, Apple mentions the ergonomic strain of looking down to check your hand placement, so perhaps that’s the thinking behind this one). A second scenario involves a laptop with unlabeled keys, where the marked keyboard is displayed on the screen, and the final, most intriguing, setup shows backside controls on a tablet a la the PS Vita, with a user’s fingers projected as if the device was transparent. Of course, this is just a patent application at this point, so don’t expect to see this tech make its debut September 12th.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

Apple patent application details method for detecting and displaying hand position on screen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you wish your iPad had a keyboard and frequent dark rooms, ZAGG has a case that might be up your alley. Its new iPad keyboard is not only backlit, but also changes colors. Take that, Surface. More »