keyboards

If you want to keep your e-mail looking nice and neat, a short hypertext link looks a lot cleaner than pasting lengthy URLs.

Though a few handy editing shortcuts are supported in Gmail's rich text editor, inserting hypertext links previously only worked via the link button on the Gmail toolbar.

Lifehacker recently discovered that you can now use a keyboard shortcut, too. Just highlight the word(s) you want to link, then hit Ctrl-K in Windows or Command-K on a Mac, to bring up the "Edit Link" window.

That's it. For more Gmail tips and tricks, … Read more

OS X accommodates a number of different keyboard types and layouts to support not only small and large keyboard profiles such as laptop and desktop keyboards, but also to support different language input options. The layout you are using should be automatically set up when you initially configured your system, but you can always go to the Keyboard system preferences and choose a different layout if you would like.

In addition to the options for changing your keyboard layout, the system should prompt you for configuration options when you plug a new keyboard in to your computer; however, even with … Read more

Dropbox integration with smartphones, tablets, and computers, makes it extremely easy to access your files from any device or computer.

However, you may still need to use the Dropbox Web site on occasion to access and manage your files. To make navigating the Dropbox file browser a bit easier, try these keyboard shortcuts:

a : select all files/select no files n : deselect all files c : copy selected files m : move selected files u : move up a directory level p : select deleted files i : invert selected files d : show/hide deleted files j : highlight next file k : highlight previous file spacebar : … Read more

Keyboard shortcuts make browsing Netflix and rating movies quick and easy.

Instead of clicking on menus and navigating to the areas of your interest, why not press one key? That's the functionality that a userscript written by Dustin Luck adds to your browser. The script states it will definitely work in Firefox, but also seems to work Chrome, Opera, and Safari without much of a hitch. Here's how to get it for yourself:

Step 1: Open your Web browser of choice. The notes for the script suggest that you use Firefox, … Read more

TGIF, am I right? To help kick off your weekend, I've rounded up five eclectic deals--a little something for everyone, I hope. First up: a ridiculously inexpensive HDTV.

1. An story in today's USA Today suggests that pre-Super Bowl TV deals are "less super" this year, but apparently Walmart didn't get the memo. They've got the Sceptre X460BV-FHD 46-inch LCD HDTV for $409.98, plus sales tax where applicable. You can bag free shipping with the site-to-store option. The user reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

2. Today only, 1SaleADay has the factory-refurbished Jawbone One Bluetooth headset, in black or silver, for $9.99. … Read more

The system menu in OS X holds the various commands that are available for performing tasks in your current application.

For many of the commands that are commonly used, Apple and application developers have bound them to keyboard shortcuts (listed next to the menu item) so you can perform the same command with a keystroke instead of needing to access the menus.

When browsing through the various system or application menus, you will see that in addition to the commands with built-in keyboard shortcuts there are a number without shortcuts. These are generally less-common commands; however, there are some that … Read more

I'll let you in on a little secret: I haven't been thrilled with any iPad keyboard case solution, despite testing and reviewing about half a dozen of them.

Sure, some of them are excellent products. Still, I don't find them essential. This is why I don't use my iPad during mission-critical trips to trade shows and live-blogged events. This is why I don't use my iPad as a laptop replacement. Not entirely. Not yet.

I agree with a lot of what Harry McCracken refers to in his experience with his iPad and the ZaggFolio keyboard case. Ideally, having such an ultraportable, flexible device with a long battery life would be a perfect travel tool. For me, however, that perfect tool hasn't materialized yet.

I'd love to have some sort of evolved hybrid of an iPad and a MacBook Air. I've been dreaming of it for a while, actually. Apple's clearly leaning toward a fusion of sorts between iOS and Mac OS X. Lion was the first step. iOS gets a bit more advanced every year, taking baby steps toward being a true operating system for hard-core computing tasks.

There are several reasons it won't work right now, and the biggest by far is the good old-fashioned trackpad--or lack of it.… Read more

Japanese peripherals maker Elecom has released two handy iPhone keyboards, including a clamshell gizmo that has a stand for your phone.

The TK-FBP029E Series recalls the awesomely named (if you know "Star Wars" well enough) TK-421 case with flip-out keyboard from 2010.

Elecom's latest Bluetooth keyboard is slightly larger than an iPhone and has a full English keyboard. It supports the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch.

The cover also serves as a handy stand for your phone, and it's not always clipped to your handset. … Read more

A number of Apple's portable systems come with a backlight that illuminates the keyboard for easy viewing in dark environments. To adjust the illumination you can either press the function keys on the keyboard (usually the F5 and F6 keys) or enable automatic adjustments; however, there may be times when these adjustments do not work properly.

When you press the F5 or F6 buttons on the keyboard, the system should show a semitransparent backlight level indicator at the bottom of the screen, but if you have auto backlight adjustments enabled, then the system will not show any level indicator … Read more