Hasta La Gadget!

Plenty of people are happy using the iPad as Apple intended — as a tablet — but some of you have been searching for a way to add a sleek keyboard and trackpad to the device since day one. The Crux Loaded clamshell case brings both input devices to the mix, and even packs an external battery within its base, adding 7.5 hours of juice. Sound good? Unfortunately, you’ll need to wait until fall to shell out a whopping $249 for the case, assuming Apple opens the Bluetooth iGate to the Loaded’s trackpad. You’ll also need to hand over $30 for a remote desktop app if you plan to use the combo to control your computer (no, Crux hasn’t found a way to run OS X natively on the iPad, as the image above might imply). With its netbook-like price, however, we’d rather keep our wallets Loaded than pay $249 for a case — but if you’ve been dying for a way to make your tablet slightly more functional, you may be in luck later this year.

Crux Loaded case almost turns your iPad into a laptop for $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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Technically, we suppose Logitech already made a play for the tablet accessories market when it launched a rebranded Zaggmate keyboard case earlier this year, but today the peripheral manufacturer’s getting serious about slates with the launch of two new portable products. Lacking a Smart Cover to keep your iPad 2 on edge? You could try the $70 Logitech Tablet Keyboard pictured above, which comes with a hardshell sleeve that doubles as a tablet stand and dedicated iOS or Android shortcuts. The keyboard itself is slick, roomy and somewhat plasticky, with a definite Notion Ink Adam vibe. There’s also a redesigned Zaggmate, now known as the $100 Logitech Keyboard Case, which comes with “a more intuitive keyboard layout and improved keystrokes for even more comfortable typing” — a claim we weren’t able to test — as well as a rebranded $100 Logitech Z515 Bluetooth speaker system, and a $50 Bluetooth mouse. Pricey? Definitely. Worthwhile? Decide for yourself later this month, when they’re scheduled to hit shelves.

Continue reading Logitech outs a pair of keyboard cases, gets into the tablet accessories game

Logitech outs a pair of keyboard cases, gets into the tablet accessories game originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 04:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ThinkPad X1 thought it was safe. It foolishly believed that, having reviewed it in full, we would spare it from further scrutiny at Lenovo’s UK launch event this evening. We quite naturally did no such thing, poking and prodding at the slimline laptop — which still feels supremely well built — but we also went that one step further, by putting it through a trial we didn’t dare subject our review unit to: a spill test. Well, it was a less a spill and more of a steady stream of water that we doused the X1 in, which might explain why it eventually gave out and shut down on us. Lenovo says that the keyboard tray can only handle 25cl of water before throwing a self-protect switch and turning the computer off. Given enough time to fully dry out, our unfortunate test subject might even have been brought back to life, but our efforts at restoring it were met with failure. You can see the H2O-based carnage after the break, though we should note that Lenovo managed to perform this test three times without taking the X1 out of commission… before we came along and ruined its spotless record.

Continue reading ThinkPad X1’s keyboard is spill-proof, not flood-proof (video)

ThinkPad X1’s keyboard is spill-proof, not flood-proof (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Thumb Keyboard looks great for TVs, terrible for phones

The iTablet Thumb Keyboard is being marketed as an accessory for Android and iOS cellphones, and for the iPad. It might be better to focus on its ability to hook up to the Xbox 360 or media-center PC, though, as it is almost spectacularly ill-suited to mobile devices.

The keypad is similar in form to a console gamepad. You hold it in two hands and type on the QWERTY ‘board with two thumbs, as God intended (if God had been a teenager obsessed with texting). Round the back is a trackpad that you tickle with your fingers, and above that are the left and right mouse buttons. A function and caps-lock button on the front panel complete the lineup.

The Thumb Keyboard also has backlit keys and communicates via Bluetooth.

But even the greatest hater of on-screen keyboards would’t want to use this. First, you have to prop your phone up somewhere you can see the screen. Then you need to go back and forth between typing and touching the screen (the trackpad input obviously can’t be sent to a phone that lacks a mouse pointer). This is bad enough using an iPad at a desk with a proper stand and keyboard. Add in a device you have to hold and it becomes a nightmare.

For a media-center PC, though, it looks perfect, barely bigger than a regular remote and easy to just toss onto the sofa when you’re done. The marketing sure is ass-backwards on this one.

Should you require a Thumb Keyboard, you can have one for £80, or a ridiculous $131. Available now.

Thumb Keyboard product page [iTablet]

See Also:

• Writer, an iPad Keyboard Case for Pros
• Keydex: The Ugliest iPad 'Keyboard' Ever?
• ThinkGeek Joins iPad Keyboard Case Cavalcade
• Resize, Split and Rotate iPad Keyboard? There's an App for That …