Tactile One
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Matias Tactile One, SlimOne hands-on (video)
We already covered the announcement of the new Matias tactile-keyboards but couldn't resist descending into the show floor in order to get a quick hands-on with the Canadian-made kit. The USB-powered boards contain a Bluetooth module and a physical button (with a blue LED) that you can switch between typing on your desktop and wirelessly to your device. The "Island-Style" SlimOne replicates the look and feel of the current Apple island-keyboard, but with scissor keys, which pleasantly resist your fingers. The '90s style Tactile One forces your hands to readjust back two-decades, but the mechanical board was a joy to use, with no lag between typing and it appearing on a compatible phone. After the break we've got a short video where we learn that retro keyboards can send people into such a frenzy that they forget to type the word "movie" correctly. Sean Buckley contributed to this report.
Matias One: hammer out an iPhone masterpiece on the best keyboard of the '90s
Between touch-screens and rubber-backed keyboards, we're getting further away from the tactile, mechanical keyboards we grew up with -- except for gamers, who have embraced mechanical keyboards for the improved response times and, of course, the great noise they make. Canadian peripherals maker Matias is adding to its line of Apple Extended Keyboard-inspired typing-decks with the Tactile One: with Bluetooth iPhone control. Imagine how fast (and how noisily) you'd be able to hammer out a text message on one of these things, because it's all we can do right now. A Mac / PC edition will be available in April for $200 and you can pre-order it from the store right now. There's PR after the break, if you really need some clicky-clacky convincing.
