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By Vlad Savov posted May 12th 2010 5:18AM

The saga, dear friends, is at an end. After making it to pre-order status last month, the
EeeKeyboard is at long last ready for public consumption. Lest you've forgotten, this truly m


 pc comes with an Atom N270 inside, a gig of RAM, and old reliable Windows XP Home to
keep you company. A 5-inch 800 x 480 multitouch display is supported by a Broadcom Crystal
HD chip for decoding of high-def video, UWB connectivity to wirelessly stream to a nearby
HDTV, and a battery that promises four hours of autonomous use. Yours for only $599.
 
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By Donald Melanson posted February 3rd 2010 4:49PM

Hands-On

Microsoft's Best Buy-exclusive Arc Keyboard still won't be hitting stores for another couple of
weeks (February 21st, to be specific), but we were lucky enough to get our hands on one a little
early, and figured we'd share a few impressions with you, the keyboard-using masses. The first
thing you'll notice when seeing the keyboard in person is that it's smaller than even the press
photos suggested -- basically the same size as your average 15-inch laptop keyboard, with a
glossy bezel just big enough to let you pick it up without pressing a key. It's also undeniably eye-
catching, with an "arc" that actually more closely resembles Apple's Magic Mouse than
Microsoft's own Arc mouse.

Of course, most folks will choose function over form when it comes to a keyboard, and in that
respect the Arc Keyboard is a bit of a mixed bag.
 
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By Darren Murph posted December 16th 2009 4:59PM

Preview

Earlier this year, one of our dear readers wrote in asking the collective audience which wireless
keyboard was the best out there for their living room. We've since seen all variations of that very
inquiry, but the most common one was this: "what's the best wireless keyboard for travel?" As
more and more users resort to netbooks for getting things done on the go, more and more users
are pulling their hair out as they attempt to bang out this month's sales report on an 85 percent
full-size keyboard. A few months back, Microsoft let loose a new Bluetooth 'board that seemed
perfect for the weary-eyed jetsetter, and we've been toying with it for the last little while. It's
easily one of the thinnest and lightest keyboards we've seen, and the carry-along-or-don't
numeric pad is certainly a nice touch. But is this slab of circuitry really what your digits need
when typing on the go? Hop on past the break for a few of our impressions.
Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000: possibly the perfect travel keyboard

The ruler-wielding folk in Redmond have determined that this here keyboard is Microsoft's
thinnest ever, and one glance at it straight-on will have you believing. It's just barely thick
enough in the rear to fit a pair of AAA batteries, and it tapers down toward the front. The whole
board (numeric pad excluded) measures 13.9-inches across and 6.54-inches high, and the
aforesaid number pad measures 4.02-inches and 6.26-inches, respectively. What's somewhat
unique about this device compared to other "travel keyboards" is the design and build quality.
Unlike most, the BT Mobile Keyboard 6000 actually feels sturdy. It's staggeringly thin, but yet
remarkably rigid all the way across. There's no more keyboard flex in the center than there is on
your average netbook, and unlike that netbook, the keys here actually have room to fit human
fingers.

Microsoft also threw a literal curve in the design by modeling it with the company's own
Comfort Curve layout. Those familiar with Redmond's ergonomic boards (like the downright
luscious Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000) will be readily familiar with the elongated G, H, B, T
and N keys. We personally adore curved keyboards, so we were obviously quite fond of the
layout found on the 6000. The good news is that there's no actual separation between the board's
left and right sides, so even those who've grown accustomed to standard keyboards could quickly
adjust.

The typing experience on the 6000 was nothing short of fantastic. It took us no time to get used
to the curvy layout of the keys, and we're thrilled to say that the Control keys, the Enter key and
the Backspace key were all perfectly placed -- for those unaware, it's that foursome of keys that
usually drive people batty when learning a new keyboard. The key travel was also superb, and
while the individual keys were definitely a tad on the "clicky" side, they weren't much noisier
than the average laptop keyboard. The dimpled texture of each key was also subtle but
appreciated, and the understated enclosure shows that this one is all business. Given the size, we
were impressed to find volume up / down hotkeys as well as a mute button, and the Function key
enables a few other mainstays to activate various commands (Print Screen, Home and End, for
instance). We also tested this out on a Mac, and while it had no trouble connecting, it did act a
bit wonky when using the Windows Start key as the Mac's Option key. In other words, this will
do for hardcore Mac users, but be prepared to spend a bit of time remapping your keys to get
things just right.

Microsoft has done well on the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 6000. It's impossibly thin,
surprisingly sturdy and a real pleasure to type on. At $89.95, it's certainly not the cheapest option
out there, but if you spend more time at a hotel desk than in front of your home desktop, it's a
worthwhile investment. It's easily superior to even full-size laptop keyboards, and the flexibility
of being able to position it anywhere is a real boon to those with growing wrist issues. We'd
probably skip the $44.95 numeric keypad unless you make ends meet by hammering out tax
forms, but if you deem it necessary, it's just as enjoyable to type on (naturally). Now, if only this
thing were bundled with an equally impressive Bluetooth mouse...
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By Joanna Stern posted Dec 3rd 2010 7:46PM

Breaking News
Exclusive

It's just a Chrome OS sorta day, isn't it? To catch you up here, we told you earlier that Google is
planning to announce its own Chrome OS netbook this coming Tuesday, and well, now we're
peering at a supposed picture of that very machine's keyboard. We don't know all that much
about the rest of the netbook -- we've heard from multiple sources that it's powered by an Intel
Atom processor -- but the image above was taken from an Inventec (as in, the ODM making the
netbook) presentation. We'll call a spade a spade here and say it looks like your average chiclet
keyboard, but there are obviously some interesting differences. Over on the left side of the panel
you'll see a "search" key subbing for a Caps Lock key, and up above, the function row has
forward / back keys as well as Window, full screen, and "configuration" keys.

Wait, but couldn't this be any old netbook keyboard? Sure it could, we've got an exclusive photo
of Acer's Chrome netbook (that "ZGA" model) which happens to have the same exact keyboard
layout. You can check out the picture of that one after the break, and you'll see it looks extremely
similar to this shot. We should also mention that the tipster that sent the m photo in claims
the Google-branded Chrome OS netbook will be announced next Tuesday, but won't be on sale
until December 14. Looks like it's going to be a very interesting Tuesday morning!
å  — 


By Thomas Ricker posted July 27th 2007 7:23AM

Breaking News

See that? That's the rumored, "super slim," brushed aluminum keyboard said to be accompanying
Apple's new iMac computer. It certainly appears to share the key design of the MacBook like we
heard but seeing "Photoshop" in the exif data doesn't give us a high degree of confidence here.
Regardless, a forum jockey over at the 0 m 
 Apple forum in Hong Kong will sell you the
keyboard (s/he has more than one) for 1,200 of the local stuff or about $153.40. Word to the
wise, the consensus amongst rumor sites shows the new iMac coming as early as August 7th so
you might want to hold onto that wad for a few more days to see what happens. We've got a
bigger version of that image above along with the Apple development team sticker reportedly
affixed to the backside of the unit in the gallery below.

 : Full-sized image (and plenty more) just received from our tipster. You know, we 're
starting to believe that this is the real deal. But did they really remove the Apple logo from the
command key?

[Thanks, Hacken L.]

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By Thomas Ricker posted June 13th 2006 8:25AM

From the folks who brought us the silent mouse and PC in a vat of vegetable oil (oh wait, that
wasn't them) comes the Silent Keyboard. Thanko's latest contribution to the inane claims to
squash that tap-tap-tap to a squishy silicone whisper -- cutting the typical 61dB blast from a
standard keyboard in half. Yours for the low, low price of ¥5,800 or about $51 cash money.

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By Evan Blass posted May 17th 2006 3:00PM

Although we thought they'd already solved the problem of keyboard spills with that fancy
Batmobile-like armor plating, Lenovo is apparently still looking for ways to keep your 'board
safe from dangerous beverages, as they're showing off a waterproof model at their Lenovo
Innovation Center in China. Not much is known about the high-tech shenanigans going on inside
the keyboard to keep the circuitry running (we suspect nanobots), but it's clear from the pics that
you can dump over a cup of water onto it with seemingly no negative effects. So far this doesn't
appear to be a technology that the company is commercializing, and frankly it seems like an
unnecessary addition to your basic cheap-o plastic keyboard, but we sure wish Logitech et al.
would step it up and employ this type of protection in their multi-hundred dollar diNovo
Cordless Desktops-like products.
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By Thomas Ricker posted March 8th 2010 5:55AM

Would you believe that Acer is working on a frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard? As
far-fetched as the idea might be, it's certainly plausible, expected even. The idea, as rumored by
è  , involves doing away with the display's frame by printing colors directly onto the
back of the display's reinforced glass substrate from Corning (a la Gorilla Glass presumably).
Coupled with a touchscreen keyboard, the rumored device should be impossibly thin by
traditional laptop comparisons. Keep in mind that we've already seen this Frame Zero concept
pictured above from Fujitsu and Acer's arch-rival ASUS has been showing off its dual-display
laptop prototype with touchscreen keyboard for months. Even the OLPC XO-3 plans to eschew
the clickity keyboard in favor of a touchscreen version. And anyone who has ever seen a scifi
movie knows that tactile keyboards and display bezels have no role to play in our computing
future anyway, so we might as well get things started now -- or in the second half of 2010
according to è  ' sources.
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By Darren Murph posted January 3rd 2008 8:04AM

We've seen our fair share of flexible keyboards, and yes, we've even seen hordes of Skype
phones. Thankfully, this particular unit weds the two aforementioned devices into one, creating a
single harmonious 'board that you can freely squeeze while your frustration level skyrockets
from yet another troubleshooting call. Hailed as "virtually indestructible," this unit can even be
washed, drenched in soda and curled up for easy transport when not being used to type up your
thesis and / or tune in to those totally boring CIA conference calls. Sure, $59.99 may seem a tad
steep for a no-name keyboard, but just remember, you're buying u    here.
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By Donald Melanson posted June 12th 2008 2:48PM

While we can't say it's our notion of an ideal keyboard, we've still got to admire designer Kong
Fanwen's ability to throw any sense of practicality to the wind and ditch the whole idea of keys
with his new "No-key Keyboard" concept. In the place of that tried and true typing mechanism,
this keyboard would instead make use of a camera and the "latest motion capture technology" to
watch your fingers' movement and capture all the right keystrokes (ideally). On the upside, that'd
apparently make the keyboard fully waterproof, and it'd apparently come with some snazzy
lighting options to help you find those non-existent keys in the dark.
 
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