Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
  • CNET
  • All keyboard posts

keyboard

PC designs for the sylvan set

Furniture makers for years have tried to hide electronics in all forms of cabinetry, but computers are no longer willing to be stowed away like something to be ashamed of. And one of the latest techno-fashion trends is to make digital equipment blend more naturally with the decor with natural materials.

German design company Holzkontor has taken this concept to a new level with an entire line of exotic woods in a variety of finishes. Techie Diva says the monitors, keyboards and mice can be purchased separately depending on your needs (and your budget). If they ever make a laptop, … Read more

The survivalist's keyboard

If Speed Link's aluminum keyboard is the equivalent of a tuxedo, than Stacco Switch's M779 is what you'd wear to go camping--or maybe your paramilitary training exercises.

This keyboard may not be the prettiest on the block, but that's hardly the point. The M779 (sounds like an automatic weapon, appropriately) is designed to "withstand vibration, shock, severe jolts and spilled liquids," according to Gizmowatch. It also has a touchpad and LED lighting so you can save the batteries on your night-vision goggles. And to complete your undercover mission, we suggest a titanium USB drive … Read more

Full metal keyboard, part deux

It's Valentine's Day, so we'll take this opportunity to declare our affection for all things metal and shiny (on the desktop, anyway). Just as we pined away for the aluminum Onkyo hardware barely a week ago, we are similarly taken with this Speed Link keyboard made of the same material.

Gizmodo rightly questions the practicality of this item, especially calling out its "compact" key arrangement. But we're a superficial lot here at Crave, and our heads are easily turned by a pretty peripheral--especially one that's ultra-thin with a jet-black metal finish and backlit … Read more

Keypad lights up your digits

Never being sold on fabric or fold-away keyboards, we've been forced for years to make due with our fat fingers on portable devices. But this "ultra-slim" model looks promising enough to consider. (OK, so we like the blue lights.)

The "Freedom Slim" is a lightweight Bluetooth keypad that Mobility Site says is easily stowed in a jacket pocket and can be used either in hand or on any flat surface. At barely a quarter-inch thick and 3.2 ounces, the rechargeable pad seems to live up to its name. And if you're not fond … Read more

Full metal keyboard

Some of us at Crave have a rather unusual confession to make: We have a weakness for brushed metal. Aluminum, titanium, stainless steel--we just can't get enough. (Yes, we've been given the names of several reputable therapists.)

It probably started in our formative years with the DeLorean but has persisted right up to the cool steel profile of the LG Shine. You'll understand, therefore, why we never miss a chance to ogle these shiny objects, even if they be the otherwise mundane computer peripheral.

Onkyo, which won us over decades ago with its stereo equipment, has lured … Read more

A sun-worshiping keyboard

With so much talk about solar energy these days, you'd think we'd have all manner of sun-powered gadgetry in our midst. But we don't. So we're pleased to see that someone has taken the enviro-speak from theory to reality with an everyday product.

The SlimStar 820 from Taiwan-based Genius is a keyboard that absorbs its energy through an unobtrusive solar panel, Newlaunches says. But in case you're not much into outdoor computing (or live in sun-challenged cities like London or San Francisco), the keyboard can also be powered by a standard USB charger.

Genius, by … Read more

A keyboard skin for Photoshoppers

There's this guy in the office, Vincent, who has a really fancy, colorful keyboard. It's because he does video editing and stuff. The keyboard has all the Final Cut Pro shortcuts labeled on it and a fancy jog wheel and knobs and buttons and more knobs and I think it also purifies water.

Vincent just sits there smirking at his desk, basking in the glow of his majestic keyboard. I call him Johnny Fancykeys, but that's just to cover up my intense jealousy.

I don't use Photoshop much, and I don't own an MacBook or … Read more

Keys you can actually see

OK, before you start laughing, consider how your parents might use a computer as they get older--and even yourself, for that matter. The "Vision Board II" is a keyboard that would make life substantially easier for a person whose eyesight isn't what it used to be, similar in concept to phones with large numbers.

Not only are they more legible, but Uber-Review says the 1-inch-square keys also reduce the chances of mistyping because they're nearly twice the size of normal ones. The "F" keys are designed in a distinctive oval shape to make it … Read more