Posts Tagged ‘Keyboard’

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Duo develops virtual mouse and keyboard

February 28th, 2012
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If laptops and iPads are a craze for Gen X, two engineering students of Kalasalingam University at Krishnankoil in Virudhunagar district have gone a step further and developed a virtual mouse and a keyboard with a dream to devise a wearable computer device.

Having derived inspiration from Pranav Mistry of MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts, and his invention ‘mouseless’, an invisible computer mouse, the duo –R.Anandhakrishnan and S.Abinesh, both final year ECE students, has come up with their ‘virtual findings’.

“Our attempt to replace the ordinary mouse with a virtual one has turned successful. That our project fetched us second prize at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is proof enough for its recognition,” beams the duo.

They say their objective was to save the space occupied by an ordinary mouse working with the help of ‘wheels’. With the help of integrated webcams and image processing techniques, they have developed the virtual mouse which requires neither hardware nor space.

“An ordinary mouse needs hardware and power. But neither of these are required in our mouse in which the cursor is controlled using finger movements. The virtual mouse starts working the moment the software is installed in the computer. This software can be installed in any laptop or computer that has a webcamera,” says Anandhakrishnan.

Red, blue and green colour caps are fixed onto their fingers to control the functions of the mouse. For instance, blue is used for right click and green for left click. “There are options in our software for change of colours too to operate the mouse,” says Abinesh.

Their virtual keyboard that requires both hardware and software could be illuminated on any surface. “Distance will not be a constraint. It can be illuminated on a surface upto a distance of 2 to 3 m,” they claim.

Now, they are working on bringing out a virtual monitor using hologram technology wherein the screen would be projected in air.

“Our ambition is to integrate three technologies – image processing, hologram and nano to develop a virtual computer. We wish to make it a wearable device like a watch or pendent thus enabling end users to have easy and speedy interactions,” say the students.

Ask them what motivated them to go ‘virtual’ and they chorus, ‘erratic power cuts’. They have found that normal computer essentials consume quite a lot of power and this is a good way of combating it.

Source:http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/sci-tech/gadgets/duo-develops-virtual-mouse-and-keyboard-478

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Das Keyboard Unveils Mechanical Keyboard For Mac

January 19th, 2012
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If you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you’ll know that we’re big fans of mechanical keyboards. And now, one of the famous ones is making the move to Mac. Das Keyboard today introduced a new version of its award-winning Model S keyboard designed to appeal to a fan base also known for its extreme loyalty – the Mac crowd. The company’s new Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac is now available online for pre-ordering, and will be shipping by April 15. Available in the U.S. and Canada, the Model S Professional for Mac retails for $133. A 15% discount is currently available on all pre-orders for the newest member of the Das Keyboard family.

“Mac fans will appreciate the high-quality and sharp design of our Model S keyboard, especially now that it provides the features and functions that Mac loyalists are used to and expect from their peripheral devices,” said Daniel Guermeur, creator of the Das Keyboard and CEO of Metadot Corporation. “Essentially, we’ve introduced the most advanced mechanical keyboard on the market designed specifically for Mac users.”

Features in the Das Keyboard Model S Professional for Mac include:

* Gold-plated mechanical key switches designed to withstand 50 million strokes.
* Enhanced 104-key layout with special keys for quick access to common media player and computer functions.
* Command and Option keys, helping Mac users to feel right at home.
* Instant sleep function, enabling users to easily put their Mac to sleep and save energy during even the shortest of breaks.
* 6-key rollover, enabling users to enter – and the keyboard to recognize – 6 keys pressed simultaneously.
* Two-port, high-speed USB 2.0 hub for syncing and charging iPhone®, iPod®, iPad® and other USB devices.
* USB hub connected devices charge up to 5 times faster than with other keyboards.
* Extra-long USB cable (2m, 6.6 ft) that goes through desk grommets to keep workspaces neat and tidy.
* KVM switch compatible, so users can control more than one computer (Mac or PC) from their Das Keyboard.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Das-Keyboard-Unveils-Mechanical-Keyboard-For-Mac/

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FDA approves self-sanitizing keyboard for healthcare use

January 5th, 2012
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If only this was approved to grubby gamers across the world. Well, it’s starting with a company called Vioguard, which was started by two Microsoft Hardware veterans and their business partners. Vioguard have received U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval for use of its self-sanitizing computer keyboard in both hospitals and other healthcare settings.

Where this is different to the old “pick it up and shake it all about”, Vioguard’s keyboard can be retracted automatically into an enclosure to be bathed in germicidal ultraviolet light from two 25-watt fluorescent lamps. The enclosure also doubles as a monitor stand (how convenient), and the mechanism for retracting and ejecting the keyboard works hands-free via sensors.

Vioguard states that the technique has been proven effective in killing a minimum of 99.99-percent of harmful bacteria and viruses, inclusive of the flu, MRSA and other nasty bugs that can spread through hospitals. The intent of this new keyboard is to provide healthcare facilities an alternative to manually cleaning a keyboard.

The keyboard has been on sale for consumer use, at a cost of $900 on Amazon. Vioguard announced that the FDA approval for medical use this morning and says it’s seeking partners to help bring the keyboard to the market.

Source:http://www.tweaktown.com/news/22134/fda_approves_self_sanitizing_keyboard_for_healthcare_use/index.html

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Microsoft Announces Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000, Carpal Tunnel Cases Sure To Drop

December 20th, 2011
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The lack of a physical keyboard on tablets is both inconvenient and can take a toll on our hands and wrists. To alleviate these issues, Microsoft announced a new mobile wireless keyboard, the Microsoft Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000.

As the name suggests, this keyboard uses Bluetooth to connect with a mobile device instead of using a dongle or cable, which is a most welcome feature. The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 features a Comfort Curve design that should make typing a more comfortable and healthy experience when on the go, and it supports Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

This is a full-size keyboard, so it won’t exactly fit in your pocket, but at 13.9 x 6.54 inches (and just 0.62 inches thick), it will fit neatly into any laptop bag.

The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 is now available for $49.95.

Microsoft Hardware offers a more comfortable keyboard experience with the new Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 — the perfect balance of portability and comfort for both tablet and laptop users. Featuring an ergonomist-approved Comfort Curve design, the Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 promotes a more natural wrist posture whether you’re typing from your office cube, the couch or your favorite café. The keyboard’s comfort does not compromise its portability because its slim design makes it lightweight and convenient to carry — just throw it in your bag and you’re off!

Ditch the cords, docks and USB Nano transceivers and connect via Bluetooth to Windows-based tablets, iPads and Android devices with ease. Whether you’re searching for the latest music, taking notes in a meeting or just catching up on email, make sure you’re getting things done comfortably. The Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard 5000 is available now in the U.S. for $49.95.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Microsoft-Announces-Bluetooth-Mobile-Keyboard-5000-Carpal-Tunnel-Cases-Sure-To-Drop/

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Verbatim Introduces Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard

November 30th, 2011
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Typing on the go? There’s a keyboard for that. Verbatim has just launched a new Bluetooth keyboard aimed at those who need something portable. Mostly for use with tablets — like the iPad, Galaxy Tab, Xoom, etc. It’s called the Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard, and it pretty much does what it says. Users can play, pause and control iTunes music directly from the keyboard’s media console, and the Enhanced Smart Keys offer a simpler way to cut, copy, paste and undo. It maintains a low profile, and there’s a built-in rechargeable power source and a USB charging port to boot. Verbatim’s Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is available now at NewEgg for $49.99.

Verbatim, the global leader in data storage technology, has just announced its new Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is now shipping to retailers nationwide. Designed to work with iPads, iPhones and other Bluetooth-enabled tablets with HID keyboard support, this thin, portable keyboard delivers a more familiar typing method to touchscreen users. By offering a quick and easy way to compose e-mails and other important documents on-the-go, the Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard enhances productivity and efficiency anywhere.

“The Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard is all about giving our customers the freedom to be mobile,” said Ron Hanafin, Verbatim Product Manager, Accessories & Peripherals. “For on-the-go business professionals, for students working on a late-night term paper at the local coffee shop or for the everyday lifestyle blogger, this portable accessory is the perfect travel companion.”

Plus, users can play, pause and control iTunes music directly from the keyboard’s media console, and the Enhanced Smart Keys offer a simpler way to cut, copy, paste and undo. The low profile, soft-touch keys provide a crisp, responsive feel when typing, while remaining virtually silent.

Additionally, the Ultra-Slim Keyboard’s built-in rechargeable power source eliminates the need for constant battery charging and replacement, and is easily replenished via a USB-to-computer or wall-charger connection.

The Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard comes with a sleek case for greater freedom and mobility, making it the ideal carrying and travel companion.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/Verbatim-Introduces-UltraSlim-Bluetooth-Keyboard/

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Why Apple is Already the #1 PC Manufacturer

November 30th, 2011
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If — and for some, this is a big if — the iPad is a PC, then Apple is about to overtake HP as the world’s leading manufacturer of PCs, reports industry research firm Canalys. But the the truth is that Apple has already taken this title.

First, let’s address the issue of whether or not a tablet is a personal computer. (Just spelling out “personal computer” makes the whole debate seem absurd.) iPads are more powerful than laptops were even a few years ago. Sure, they’re running ARM chips, but now that ARM chips are running, oh I don’t know, servers, it hardly seems to matter what hardware you’ve got under the hood as long as it gets the job done.

More importantly, once you attach a keyboard to an iPad, the “this isn’t a PC” line doesn’t pass the sniff test. As I can attest from hundreds of hours of personal experience, an iPad nestled in a Zagg keyboard case running web apps in Safari is indistinguishable from a laptop, and certainly more versatile than Google’s Chromebook.

Granted, it’s annoying that some of the handiest keyboard controls (for tab and application switching, for example) don’t work. Which just illustrates the point that it hardly matters whether or not the iPad is a particularly good PC. In confusing “this is a PC” with “this is a laptop replacement,” technology pundits continue to miss the forest for the trees, which is that what people want out of a PC turns out to not really be what companies thought they wanted.

There’s no reason an iPad couldn’t multitask to a greater extent than it currently does. If it wanted to, Apple could enable greater keyboard control and faster application switching.

Some apps, like Blogsy, already allow a degree of multitasking most people think would be impossible on an iPad. (For one, Blogsy allows you to browse the web and image libraries while writing posts in a split screen mode, effectively allowing you to have an HTML editor, web browser and image editor all open at the same time.)

Which brings us full circle on the status of Apple as PC manufacturer. The iPad is hardly a post-PC device — that’s marketing speak. It’s a PC in a form factor that’s the natural evolution of the ongoing press for ever smaller and lighter devices. If you hack it, you can do just about anything you like with it.

The real question is not, “is the iPad a PC?” The real question is, “at what point do we start defining devices like the iPhone 4S, which has the same CPU as the iPad and the same screen resolution, as PCs?” (Not to mention devices like the Motorola Atrix / “lapdock” combo.)

In which case, Apple is, bar none, the world’s largest PC manufacturer.

Source:http://www.technologyreview.in/blog/mimssbits/27375/

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Use a third party keyboard with a (rooted) Amazon Kindle Fire

November 28th, 2011
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Amazon offers Kindle Fire users the opportunity to download and install thousands of third party apps from the Amazon Appstore. But there are some apps you won’t find there, including apps that require phone, camera, or microphone capabilities, because the Kindle Fire doesn’t have the hardware to support them.

You also won’t find alternate home screen/program launcher apps or alternate keyboard apps because Amazon wants to provide a cohesive experience for Kindle Fire users.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to use a third party keyboard instead of the official Kindle Fire keyboard. It just takes a little more work to set up than most apps.

Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Root your Kindle Fire

While it’s possible to install some third party apps on the Kindle Fire without rooting the tablet, keyboards are special. You’re going to need certain file and folder permissions that aren’t available without rooting.

The good news is that it’s pretty easy to root the Kindle Fire. The short version is that you need to install the Android Software Developer Kit on your computer, then connect your Kindle Fire to a PC with a USB cable and run an app called SuperOneClick.

You can follow our step-by-step instructions for rooting the Kindle Fire to get started.

Step 2: Allow installation of third party apps

Before we move forward, we’ll also need to enable the installation of third party apps from sources other than the Amazon Appstore. This is even easier than rooting the tablet.

All you have to do is:

1. Tap the settings icon in the Kindle Fire taskbar. It’s on the upper right corner of your tablet.
2. This will bring up some quick settings, but you want to click the “More” option to view the full settings menu.
3. Scroll down to the option that says “Device” and tap it.
4. Tap the option that says “Allow installation of applications from unknown sources” so that “on” is highlighted in orange.

Now you can download apps from the internet and tap them from the download manager or a file browser to install them.

Step 3: Install NookColor Tools

While you can now install third party apps on the tablet, you still need to be able to bring up a settings option that will let you decide which keyboard to use once you’ve installed a new keyboard app. Amazon doesn’t make it easy to access that menu… but there’s a free app called NookColor Tools that will do the trick.

As you might have guessed, NookColor Tools was originally developed for use on the Barnes & Noble NOOK Color — and some of the settings may break things if you try to use them on the Kindle Fire. But you can use the app to simply (and safely) switch keyboard apps. We’ll show you how in a moment.

For now, just visit the NookColor Tools page at the xda-developers forum using a web browser on your Kindle Fire and tap the download link. Once the app is downloaded a notification should appear on your device. Tap the notification and then tap the APK installer to install NookColor Tools on your device.

Step 4: Install a keyboard

Now it’s time to install a third party keyboard app. You can search the internet for keyboard APK files using Google, the xda-developers forum, or an app store such as GetJar or SlideMe. Or you can install the Google Android Market to make it easier to access hundreds of thousands of apps including keyboard apps.

Some keyboards you might want to try include SwiftKey, Hacker’s Keyboard, SlideIT, or others. Some keyboards may not work on the Kindle Fire, but if after following then next few steps you run into problems, you can just run them in reverse to remove the keyboard.

For the rest of this tutorial, I’ll be working with the SwiftKey X keyboard trial from the Android Market.

Step 5: Move the Keyboard app to the /system/app directory

For the next step you’re going to need a file explorer than allows you to access your tablet’s root directories and allows you to mount read-only directories as read/write directories.

The best app for doing this is probably Root Explorer, but you may also be able to use ES File Explorer or some other file browsers.

After you’ve “installed” SwiftKey or another keyboard app in step 4, you’ll still need to take the following steps.

1. Navigate to the /data/app directory on your Kindle Fire.
2. Find the .apk file for the keyboard you just installed. You can probably do this by scanning for the app icon. The name may not be what you’d expect. For instance, SwiftKey shows up as “.com.touchtype.swiftkey.phone.trial-1.apk.”
3. Copy that file and paste it into the /system/app directory. To do this you will need to make sure the /system/app directory is mounted as read/write.

Step 6: Reboot the Kindle Fire

Press and hold the power button on your Kindle Fire until a dialog box pops up asking if you want to shut down the Kindle. Choose the Shut Down box.

Once the tablet is powered off, press the power button again until the screen turns on and wait for the Kindle Fire to boot up.

Step 7: Use NookColor Tools to select your keyboard

Now you can go to the Apps menu on your Kindle Fire and tap the NookColor Tools icon to load the application.

Tap the “Choose Keyboard” button, and a window will open up asking you to select your input method. Just tap the keyboard you want to use, and next time you tap on a text box such as the Kindle Fire search bar, the new keyboard should appear.

You can change to a different keyboard at any time by navigating back to the NookColor Tools app and choosing a different keyboard.

Now you can replace the standard Kindle Fire keyboard with one that features better text-prediction technology, has a more comfortable layout, or allows you to enter text by sliding your finger across the screen instead of lifting your fingers after each tap.

Source:http://liliputing.com/2011/11/use-a-third-party-keyboard-with-a-rooted-amazon-kindle-fire.html

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