Items tagged with peripherals
As a species, we've come a long way from the days of carving notes into stone. While our ancestors used chisel and rock, we now use keyboards to hammer out our thoughts and anything that needs to be documented. Some of us spend hours a day sitting in front of a PC, a large portion of which is dedicated to punching keystrokes at a frenzied pace. There's a good chance that your keyboard is actively used more than any other peripheral or accessory, save for your monitor, yet some people give little thought to their plank, as if to suggest that all keyboards are essentially the same. Professional typists know better. So does Metadot, which started to build a better keyboard nearly a decade ago....
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Not too long after SteelSeries released its original Sensei in 2011, I realized that it was a mouse I could spend the rest of my life with. A bit later, I adopted a [RAW] variant for my second PC. Overall, I consider both of them to be stellar mice - some of the best ever made. Of course though, no product is perfect, and one big complaint I've always had is that the software could be better (mostly regarding macros), and I really wanted to see a wireless version. I am not so sure about the former, but the latter is happening, and it's happening soon. SteelSeries is promising some big things with its Sensei Wireless, touting up front, "Ditch the wires, keep the performance". That tackles one...
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Universal remotes typically fall into one of two categories: Logitech's and all others. We've played with several of Logitech's Harmony remotes over the years and rarely have we been disappointed. This time around, Logitech is taking things a step further by announcing its Harmony Smart Keyboard, which is a wireless keyboard and touchpad combination designed specifically for controlling streaming media in your living room. You can program the Harmony Smart Keyboard to work without up to eight devices from a library of more than 225,000 gadgets from over 5,000 brands. It also comes with a Harmony Hub -- a hockey puck-shaped receiver that turns signals from the keyboard or your smartphone and translates...
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Gamers need not fret, your interests are being represented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Everything from high resolution monitors to peripherals such as headsets and mice. In regards to the latter, EVGA today unveiled the TORQ X10, a gaming rodent it built from the ground up for hardcore gamers. The TORQ X10 sports a real carbon fiber surface and the "highest quality" Omron switches with a lifespan of over 20 million clicks, EVGA says. It also features a sensitive 8200 DPI sensor with a 1000Hz polling rate, adjustable weight system, no less than 9 programmable buttons, and a unique sizing system that allows you to adjust both the height and length of the body to fit your...
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There are certain things that, once experienced, you can never go back to the way things were. Mobile phones, 30-inch monitors (and/or dual-monitors), and solid state drives all fall into this category. There's also a less obvious submission, one that sits right beneath your fingertips -- the keyboard. Not just any keyboard, mind you, but mechanical planks. Once you try one, there's no going back to a membrane-based keyboard. It's all about the switches, and some of the most popular are the Cherry MX, of which there are several different types. Cherry MX Blue, for example, are tactile and make an audible click like the old IBM Model M. Cherry MX Red are just the opposite -- they're not tactile...
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Hello Razer, have we met before? You may ask yourself the same question after spying the peripheral maker's new Kraken Forged Edition headphones. Razer's been known to put out some solid gaming accessories, no doubt about that, but the Kraken Forged Edition aims higher than Razer has perhaps ever aimed. Not only is this a premium (and premium priced) headset, Razer's touting it as the "best headphones" you can buy, point blank. "These are the best headphones on the market for both music and gaming, period," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "We’ve made some incredible audio products in our time, and I’m proud to say that we have taken another huge step...
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You know G.Skill as a maker of memory products, including system memory and solid state drives (SSDs). The company is also active in the overclocking scene where its modules have set frequency records. All of that is fine and dandy and will continue to be a focus, but moving forward, G.Skill also wants to be recognized as a maker of PC peripherals. G.Skill's enhanced persona will kick off at the Computex convention in Taipei next week. That's where G.Skill "will be making a strong entrance in the field of PC gaming peripherals" starting with newly engineered gaming headsets. Here's a teaser shot the company provided to the press: Unfortunately, that's all the details we have. G.Skill said it...
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Gamer peripheral maker Razer is launching a new version of its Orbweaver keypad with quiet keys. Like the original, the Orbweaver Stealth Edition uses mechanical key switches, only now it offers silent tactile feedback. According to Razer, each key has an optimized actuation force of 45g and a reduced actuation distance of 2mm, letting click-happy gamers issue a barrage of commands at a faster rate. The Orbweaver Silent Edition also boasts 20 fully programmable keys and an 8-way directional thumbpad for input. On the comfort side of things, there's an adjustable hand, thumb, and palm rest modules to help reduce hand fatigue during those extended gaming sessions. Other features include a backlit...
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Hewlett-Packard this week announced the releases of its new and exceptionally fast HP Officejet Pro X printer. How fast, you ask? It's the world's speediest printer as recognized by Guinness World Records! More specifically, it can spit out black and white prints (which HP calls "high quality professional documents") at up to 70 pages per minute (PPM) - yowza! There's some serious bragging rights available if you're a printer enthusiast, though the Officejet Pro X is really intended for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as a faster, cheaper alternative to laser printers. According to HP, the Officejet Pro X, along with two other Officejet Pro models -- the Officejet Pro 251dw and Officejet...
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The gaming peripheral gurus at Razer announced today the revamping of its popular DeathAdder mouse, though don't worry if you've grown accustomed to the original model, this isn't a complete redesign. Instead, Razer focused its efforts on upgrading the sensor and making the side grips more comfortable. "We didn’t want to fix anything that wasn’t broken," said Robert Krakoff, president of Razer USA. "We focused instead on enhancing and optimizing the proven merits of the Razer DeathAdder, utilizing next generation technologies and further ergonomics tweaks to make a perfect gaming mouse even better." So, what's changed? The new and improved DeathAdder now sports a 4G infrared sensor...
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Microsoft is making a big deal about its Touch Covers for Surface tablets, touting them as "revolutionary" and "brilliant," to use just two adjectives you can dig up in marketing materials. But are they also defective? The word from some early adopters is that, yes, Microsoft's Touch Covers are poorly designed. "My Touch Cover, in the middle at the joint to the screen is peeling. The top layer has come loose and is ruffling up," a user states on SurfaceForums.net. Unfortunately, his isn't an isolated incident. "Mine, too. Right in the middle on the seam it tore open, and pretty quickly too," another forum user chimed in. "On another note, that Microsoft logo on the back is certainly not etched...
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A poster on an overclocking forum is drawing widespread Internet attention over claims that Razer's Naga mouse requires a persistent Internet connection in order for it to work properly. The special drivers supposedly require that Naga owners create an account with Razer before they're allowed to configure the mouse, and if Razer's servers go down -- as they were when "channelx99" tried to activate his account -- well, tough luck. Channelx99 is referring to Razer's Synapse 2.0 software in his forum post. Without it, you can still use the Naga mouse, you just can't customize all those fancy extra buttons, which is the rodent's main draw. Sucks, right? Unfortunately, channelx99's story only gets...
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Want to know what we love about the concept of a beer keyboard? Absolutely everything! Sure, they make an unlikely couple, but don't tell that to the folks at Robofun who went out and actually built a working keyboard out of beer cans and other parts. "Yup, we’re talking about a keyboard that has beer cans instead of keys. All you have to do to use it is to gently touch a beer can. It behaves exactly as a regular keyboard (e.g. you can plug it in any computer or laptop)," the developers explain. Even if you haven't acquired a taste for the working man's nectar, you have to admit, the contraption is pretty awesome. It consists of 40 beer cans connected to an Arduino powered touch-capacitive...
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One of the problems with being a multi-platform gamer that enjoys gaming on a PC just as much as on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 console is that it gets mighty expensive stocking up on separate peripherals for each one. Can't we all just get along? Sennheiser thinks so, and to prove it, the company released its first pair of multi-platform headphones, the U 320. "The average age of gamers today is 25 years old and ‘mature gamers’ play on consoles more than they play on PC. This is why Sennheiser created the U 320, offering gamers a consistent high-quality sound experience on every platform," Sennheiser explains. "So, if the kids are busy on the Xbox, a user can just plug the headset...
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Lexmark has been a mainstay in the inkjet printer business for as long as we can remember, so it comes as a bit of a shock that the company is bowing out of the segment as part of an aggressive restructuring plan to cut costs. By ceasing development and manufacturing of inkjet hardware, Lexmark estimates it will save some $95 million annually. "Today's announcement represents difficult decisions, which are necessary to drive improved profitability and significant savings," said Paul Rooke, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer. "Our investments are focused on higher value imaging and software solutions, and we believe the synergies between imaging and the emerging software elements of...
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Corsair, once known primarily for its memory products, will look to be a major player in the PC gaming peripheral market with the acquisition of "certain assets" of Raptor Gaming. If you've never heard of Raptor Gaming before, it's because they're primarily focused on the European market, and in particular Germany. As part of the deal, Corsair takes hold of Raptor Gaming's full line of keyboards, mice, headsets, and accessories, With these products in tow, Corsair intends to launch a new gaming line to go along with its existing Vengeance products (rather than supplant it), though it sounds like the company will focus its efforts in Germany. "Corsair and Raptor share the same goal, bringing best-in-class...
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The busy bodies at Razer apparently skipped taking a summer vacation this year and instead focused on pumping out new and updated gaming peripherals. In addition to its ambidextrous Ourboros mouse that was just announced, Razer is also getting ready for the return of its BlackWidow mechanical keyboard line with new two updated models and a brand new Tournament Edition plank. First up is Razer's BlackWidow 2013. It's an improved version of the original with heightened anti-ghosting that supports up to 10 simultaneous key presses in game mode, Razer Synapse 2.0 cloud technology that allows gamers to sync profiles to the cloud, and an anti-fingerprint matte black finish. Second up is Razer's BlackWidow...
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Razer's new Ourboros mouse for gamers might be the funkiest looking rodent this side of the planet Ork, but it's with comfort and ergonomics in mind that the peripheral maker designed it. What's more, left-handed gamers will be thrilled to know Razer didn't play favorites with this particular mouse, which sports an ambidextrous design. "Designed for excellence and total ownage, the Razer Ouroboros was intended to be wielded by all serious gamers looking to win any FPS, RTS or RPG with custom-made dominance," said Robert 'RazerGuy' Krakoff, president of Razer USA. "We are proud to introduce it as Razer’s first gaming mouse that features optimized, customizable, ambidextrous ergonomics that...
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Tablets and smartphones and Windows 8, oh my! In case you haven't noticed, touchscreen computing is a big deal, and it's only getting bigger. Unfortunately, gaming on a tablet pales in comparison to fragging your friends on a PC with a mouse and keyboard, or even on a console using a controller. Tapping and dragging is about all you can do. But what if there was an accessory that allowed you to do more? That's where Ringbow comes in, a neat little gamepad that you wear on your finger when using a touchscreen device. You operate the ring with your thumb while using your finger to tap the touchscreen, the combination of which opens up a world of possibilities. Ringbow is compatible with Android,...
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Hey, is that a C3PO in your pocket or are you just a huge Star Wars fan? You can answer 'both' thanks to PowerA, which just announced some of the coolest looking iPhone cases this side of Tatooine. PowerA's limited edition cases are fully licensed and compatible with both the iPhone 4 and 4S in a variety of characters and images. "These are indeed the iPhone cases you are looking for," quipped John Moore, vice president of product development and marketing for PowerA. "Mobile phones play a huge part in the lives of so many, and for the last 35+ years Star Wars has been a prominent part of mainstream culture. These innovative and high quality cases inspired by classic Star Wars art and characters...
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Don't ever accuse Razer of being insensitive to the plights of left-handed gamers who don't have nearly as many options for gaming mice as right-handers do. Sympathetic to this fact, Razer just announced its Taipan mouse, an ambidextrous rodent that doesn't care which hand you use to move your line of sight. Hooray for equality. "Razer’s ergonomic scientists collaborated with top e-Sports athletes from professional gaming teams such as Empire, Frenetic Array, Mousesports, Quantic, Rox.Kis and Type II Gaming, to pinpoint the optimal shape, weight, and balance required in an ambidextrous mouse at the highest levels of gameplay," Razer explains. "Its symmetrical shape with narrow footprint...
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What’s more fun than a gaming mouse? A gaming mouse designed specifically for hacking and slashing games, which is precisely the raison d’etre of the Razer Naga Hex Wraith Red edition. The mouse is equipped with six mechanical side buttons, which are capable of 250 clicks per minute--a spec that is ideal for MOBA and action RPG games. Counting the six side buttons, there eleven total programmable buttons, which is handy for assigning functions germane to conquering enemies. The Razer Naga Hex Wraith Red edition also features a 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G Laser Sensor and Razer Synapse 2.0 cloud-based software for configuring the device and automatically receiving firmware updates....
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