The Shack's gargantuan laptop keyboard adds ominous undertone to Radio Shack relaunch

So, this whole "The Shack" relaunch is really happening, and the San Francisco and New York "Summer Netogether" events promise to be speaker wire-riddled mayhem. Take this giant laptop keyboard an anonymous tipster sent us, for instance. You could probably write a really nice email to your mom on that thing, don't you think? Like we said: ominous. The tipster also said The Roots are slated to perform at the Times Square version of this event, which will connect two gigantic, fake laptops with live webcam imagery of the two events being beamed across the country -- sure to prompt either national unity or riots in the streets.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:32PM]

The only person capable of typing on such a device would be Tom Hanks, with a nifty piece of tap dancing. Strangely, Tom also collects typewriters...

[monkey with glasses Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:42PM]

And Paul Bunyan.

[AMiSHPiRACY Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:12PM]

Tom Hanks collects Paul Bunyans!?

[One Love Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:50PM]

any word on battery life?

[Method2Madness Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:54PM]

lol@Amish. My thoughts exactly.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:18PM]

@amish pirate

I lol'd

[barCODE Posted Aug 4th 2009 5:42AM]

Obviously you all have never seen the Tom Hanks Film called BIG.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big

[Blackstar Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:34PM]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........................

Ugh, wa.... oh..... is "Radio Shack" still around? Huh.

Mmmnn.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

[Method2Madness Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:54PM]

Did you just have an aneurysm?

[SirNoDroin Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:40PM]

Tom made me laugh out loud...the office gave me a weird look.

[Blackstar Posted Aug 3rd 2009 7:02PM]

No Tom, that would be a 'whooshing' sound.

'zzz' sounds are snoring. Not that you'd know, since robots don't sleep.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:45PM]

Optimus Prime's Netbook?

[heytherekiller Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:39PM]

Alt + F4

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 4th 2009 8:44AM]

Actually thats C4 in front

[Deceptor Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:44PM]

"I can do this! Okay.... CTRL - gotcha! Ok-ok, ALT - YEAH! ... Let's see now....oh fu..."

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:23PM]

Heh, *calls a friend* "Hey, a program froze on my comp, I need you to come over"
"why?"
"So, you can hit the Delete key, I can't reach it since its a couple yards away"
"Umm, ok? Give me a couple minutes"
"Don't worry, you'll be either less or more confused when you get here ^_^"

[onlyshawn Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:55PM]

or the same amount of confused.

[Slaarg Posted Aug 3rd 2009 3:07PM]

Typing keyboard shortcuts will be like a game of Twister...

[er ic Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:55PM]

Makes me want to attend the event dressed as a giant cup for coffee and "accidentally" slip and fall on the giant laptop keyboard...

[Jacob1 Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:56PM]

I'm a giant so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

(no I'm not)

[decypher44 Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:59PM]

Farker?

[SirNoDroin Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:42PM]

I'm a giant so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

/no I'm not

FIXED

/if your going to fake fark...fake fark right
//seriously.

[Jacob1 Posted Aug 3rd 2009 3:25PM]

yes farker.

/forgot about the slashes

[whoawhoa Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:56PM]

Is it backlit?

[saturnblackhole Posted Aug 3rd 2009 12:57PM]

i don't see the point of a relaunch. consumers don't give a rats ass about your name or the theme of your store they care about prices and customer services.

[Mars478 Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:03PM]

Why is Caps Lock in such a strange place?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:04PM]

can it play crysis in 5k resolution?

[Master Bruce Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:04PM]

Maybe there was a typo in the work order and they thought they had to build a keyboard for "The Shaq"

[grindboy Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:06PM]

In an effort to avoid the "Netbook" moniker radioshack's in house branded laptop is definitely not compact or portable.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:08PM]

That keyboard could probably eat a Radio Shack store or two for dinner. lol

Totally unnecessary design! Then again guess it's better than all those mini-keyboards that anyone with normal fingers ("fat") can't type on. Yeah, netbooks, I'm looking @ you. Still, they're dead cheap on DubLi so can't complain too much.

[Wolfticket Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:15PM]

Every time I read an article about "The Shack" my brain immediately tunes into:
♫Sign says, stay away fools,
'cause love rules at the...♫

[tweak Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:17PM]

Sadly the resolution of the screen is slated to be a mere 1280x768

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:26PM]

Damn, that would require what, 1' by 1' sized pixels?

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:19PM]

What is that strange hand shaped thing behind the ladder on the right side if the picture????

[SirDrinksAlot Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:22PM]

Gigantic dodgy keyboard to represent their gigantic prices for dodgy products.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:39PM]

Why? Really, who gives a fuck about crap shack. New name or not, nothing will change.

[Wolfticket Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:25PM]

I reckon it's just a very small workshop.

[Jerome36 Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:35PM]

Man, the mouse buttons, combined together, are bigger then the actual trackpad!

[FriarNurgle Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:41PM]

Dude, image the party we could have with the giant can of duster that goes with that monster.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:41PM]

I haven't been to a radio shack since my tandy 1000

[trois Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:48PM]

I haven't been to one since Tandy sold those little leather kits to make your own wallet or moccasins.

[utilitus Posted Aug 3rd 2009 1:57PM]

When MS launched W2k in San Francisco, a giant laptop center stage flipped its' lid to reveal the band Santana performing their then current hit.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:02PM]

I think its a normal sized keyboard in a miniature model of a workshop.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:19PM]

My thoughts exactly.

Tilt-shift would have made it a bit more convincing.

[John Stracke Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:18PM]

Looks like the Model 100.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Model_100

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:21PM]

Uhm, no?

[John Stracke Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:25PM]

Maybe not a whole lot like, but that's what it reminded me of. But the Model 100 made a big impression on me, back in the day; I really wanted to be able to program on the go. Now I have a Nokia N810 for that. :-)

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:37PM]

Actually from that angle it looks more like the old Color Computer! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer

[Nightstar Posted Aug 3rd 2009 9:48PM]

I agree the first gen model...

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2009 2:47PM]

Radio Shack r... The Shack is still kicking? To think it's literally at the end of a parking lot of a store I shop at and I still forget it's there.