keyboard
Latest
Your BFF Bitmoji stickers now work outside Snapchat on iOS (update)
If you have an iOS device, you'll soon be able to use graphics a lot more personalized than emoji when chatting with friends. For the first time ever, Friendmojis -- Bitmoji stickers that feature you and a friend -- will be available outside of Snapchat. You'll be able to access you and your friend's mini mes through the Bitmoji keyboard for iOS, though both of you should have created cartoon versions of yourselves, of course. Also, you'll have to make sure your Snapchat account is linked* with your Bitmoji app, because the options you'll find in the keyboard depends on your friend network on the ephemeral messaging service.
The Sensel Morph trackpad is a digital creative's dream
Our computers have become indispensable creation tools, but let's face it: The decades-old keyboard-and-mouse combo aren't the best way to edit video, draw or play music. That's where the Sensel Morph comes in. It's a pressure-sensitive touchpad that lets you swap in multiple overlays and instantly switch gears between video editing, painting, music creation, gaming, coding and other tasks. There are already a number of media controllers out there, and I've tested a couple, including the Palette Gear and the Loupedeck. But after using the Sensel Morph for a couple of days, I have to say that it really stands out from the pack. It's the most clever and versatile device I've tested, and though it's a bit expensive at $299, plus more for extra overlays, it's worth it for artists, musicians and editors, especially if you wear more than one of those hats.
Apple faces class action lawsuit over faulty MacBook keyboards
Apple has faced some pointed criticism over the butterfly switch keyboards on the 12-inch MacBook and current-generation MacBook Pro. Whether or not you like the tactile feel, they're sensitive to crumbs and dust -- and since you can't just remove individual keys, fixes are both elaborate and (if you're out of warranty) very expensive. To that end, users Kyle Barbaro and Zixua Rao have filed a class action lawsuit against Apple accusing the company of knowingly selling MacBooks with faulty keyboards.
The $200 Uno synth crams a ton of features into a small package
IK Multimedia is known for its wide variety of music gear, including MIDI controllers, mixers and instrument interfaces. Now the company has just launched its first analog synth, a compact little machine named Uno. The company's own Erik Norlander (one of the designers behind Alesis' Andromeda synth) collaborated with Italian boutique synthesizer maker Soundmachines to create the Uno. The device has a small footprint, though it packs a ton of manual controls for easy programming. It's made to serve both newbies and veterans: Uno has a two octave touch-sensitive keyboard and 100 different presets, along with selectable scales and an arpeggiator to make getting up and running easy.
What to look for when buying a tablet as a laptop replacement
Tablets didn't exactly take over the computing world, as Apple and Microsoft had predicted years ago. But they have been evolving to the point where they can fill in for a laptop under the right circumstances. Still, how do you ensure that the tablet you buy is good enough for you to leave conventional PCs behind? It's not always easy -- a tablet that's powerful enough for one person might be overly complicated for another. We have some tips to help you navigate the shopping maze.
Xiaomi's Mi Gaming Laptop packs NVIDIA GTX 1060 graphics
Xiaomi already offers laptops (the Mi Notebook Pro and Mi Notebook Air), but it's now getting into PC gaming with a new model for the Chinese market. The literally-named Mi Gaming Laptop offers decent performance for the price, with a 15.6-inch wide-gamut color screen, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU, 7th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and gaming keyboard, all for RMB 8,999 (around $1,440). Xiaomi didn't specify the size, but given the narrow screen bezels and brushed aluminum chassis, it should be compact and light for a 15.6-inch laptop.
Apple filed a patent for a keyboard that isn’t ruined by dust
When Apple unveiled its 2015 MacBook, reviewers quickly discovered its keys were flatter than ever, with single-digit millimeters of travel between their pressed and unpressed states. At first, we heralded this as a miraculous accomplishment in ever-thinner laptop computing, which carried over virtually unchanged into the next years' models. But all was not well. The complex 'butterfly' switches that enabled the incredibly-slight travel distance had kept dirt out -- until it got in and had nowhere to go, mucking up keys and effectively disabling keyboards, according to some reports. It seems Apple filed a patent for a contaminant-proof keyboard back in 2016 to solve the issue.
Google's Gboard can now search emoji, stickers and GIFs at once
Gboard is making it easier to look for the perfect emoji, sticker and GIF in one go -- at least for beta testers on Android. As 9to5google reports, the keyboard's latest beta update adds a "Search all media" option that surfaces all the results it has on offer that corresponds to your query. So, if you search for a smiley face, it brings up all the emoji, all the stickers and all the GIFs you can use at the same time. To find the new search bar, tap on the Google icon, then any of the other icons that pop up and then the search button that appears on the bottom left-hand part of the keyboard.
Swype is reportedly bidding the consumer keyboard biz farewell (update)
It may be time to find a new go-to keyboard if you're still using Swype after all these years. Swype parent company Nuance told XDA Developers that the development of Swype with Dragon Dictation for Android has been discontinued. No more future updates, no more new features -- the keyboard is apparently dead. Further, the publication also found a post on Nuance's ZenDesk from early February, announcing that the company is also killing Swype for iOS and that it'll no longer be available on the App Store for download.
This DIY cardboard piano syncs with your favorite MIDI music apps
From an interactive booklet that helps you build six different electronic toys to Nintendo's own Labo cardboard gadgets, DIY cardboard gizmos and musical instruments are all the rage. Now a company headed up by a former Konami and Sony game developer has taken to Kickstarter for its own folding paper piano, called the Kami-Oto.
Azio's Retro Classic keyboard is luxurious, but imperfect
Read this site for long enough and you'll know I have a crazy love for ostentatious mechanical keyboards. The madder the design, and the louder its keys, the more I'm enthralled, and Azio's latest offering is a real doozy. The Retro Classic is a USB or Bluetooth-equipped input device styled to make a steampunk faint in admiration. And even though I have no particular affiliation for that lifestyle, I love having it on my desk.
Google's Gboard debuts a quick way to create reaction GIFs
Google's Gboard for iOS is lagging a bit behind its Android counterpart, but a new update for iPhone users comes with a game changer. As The Verge has noticed, its dedicated GIF-maker button is no longer hidden at the bottom and now has a more prominent position on the keyboard, right on top beside the word suggestion bar. So accessible, and so convenient. It's made even better by the fact that it can now also record short video snippets using the front-facing camera, making it a veritable reaction GIF machine.
Google may be bringing its handy Smart Replies to Gboard
Smart Replies may be cold and impersonal, but they've been handy if you've just wanted to acknowledge a work message or answer a simple question. And soon, you might not even have to open the app. The 9to5Google crew has discovered code references suggesting that Gboard may soon get Smart Replies. When an app supports it (Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are a few examples), you could deliver a canned response to someone directly from a notification. As dispassionate as that might be, it could save you precious time if you just want to fire off a quick "be right there" while you're racing to a lunch meeting.
Teach valuable STEM skills with electronic papercraft noisemakers
*Hitches up onion belt* Now back in my day, our papercraft activity books just folded up into something pretty. And we liked it that way. But you kids, with your Nintendoodads and Snapcharts, well that just isn't good enough, is it? No, your paper-based projects have to employ all sorts of electrical circuits, teach STEM skills, make music and ok this is actually pretty cool.
BlackBerry Mobile commits to "at least" two new phones in 2018
It wasn't that long ago that the BlackBerry brand seemed stagnant, but devices like the KEYone and the more recent Motion seem to have gotten some people feeling the faith once more. Based on a strong response from longtime fans and users who switched from other smartphones, TCL's BlackBerry Mobile has promised to release "at least" two smartphones in 2018. We're not talking about Bronze Edition-style color variants, either — these will be entirely new devices, and both of the phones BlackBerry Mobile has in mind will pack physical keyboards.
Corsair's wireless gaming keyboard has a 75-hour battery life
If Logitech's no-lag wireless gaming keyboard converted you into a fan of no-wires gaming, you'll love Corsair's new offerings. The peripheral-maker has launched a handful of devices at CES 2018, including a wireless gaming keyboard of its own, as well as a (huge) mousepad that doubles as a Qi charger. Corsair used CHERRY MX Red mechanical keys for the K63 keyboard and equipped it with a battery that it says can keep it running for 75 hours despite its adjustable blue backlighting. If it truly can last 75 hours, then you don't have to worry about running out of juice in the middle of a game.
The Enhancia ring turns your gestures into musical effects
Enhancia consists of a rubber ring that you wear while playing the keyboard, connected to a larger hub. Its purpose is to augment whatever tune you're playing with effects that are common in modern music -- often added later in the production stage -- with natural gestures and in real time. "We wanted to create the shortest path between musical intention and musical creation" said Damien Le Boulaire, CEO and one of Enhancia's four co-founders from Grenoble, France.
Yamaha's MX88 synth turns your iPhone into a real instrument
I hate, hate, hate computers and phones/tablets on stage. To me, a Macbook sitting next to a keyboardist or percussionist is just asking for trouble. Computers freeze, apps crash and sometimes you forget to turn off notifications and now everyone in the audience knows you got a new Facebook message. And frankly, they're not very "rock 'n' roll." So imagine my surprise when, while using the Yamaha MX88 keyboard, I found myself launching the FM Essential companion app -- on my iPhone!
Razer's latest gaming keyboard can survive spilled drinks
Razer's keyboards have been many things, but tough generally wasn't one of them -- knock your drink the wrong way and that elaborate input device was toast. That won't be as much of a problem in the future, as Razer has unveiled a new version of its signature BlackWidow Ultimate with IP54 water and dust resistance. While the rating doesn't mean you can dunk the keyboard in the pool (you'd want IP67 or better for that), it's good enough that your gaming session won't be ruined by a splash or two.
Here's how Xbox One games will handle mouse and keyboard support
Microsoft has been promising mouse and keyboard support on the Xbox One for ages, but it's finally getting close. As part of a PAX West panel, the company's Mike Ybarra revealed that the first Xbox One games to support these peripherals are coming "soon," and that the company already has an idea as to how it'll handle support. A lot of it will be "up to developer choice," Ybarra says, but Microsoft will "coach" studios to make sure they add the feature responsibly -- it's aware that there are potential balance problems.
