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Logitech's Washable Keyboard K310 doesn't mind a good scrubbin', hits shelves this month for $40
We've all been there. At some point, that keyboard will build up months of our finger grime. Of course, the white-keyed peripherals are much worse for the filthy wear. For those looking to take an easier route to cleaning up their keypads, Logitech has announced the K310 washable keyboard. Capable of being submerged in up to 11 inches (about 30 cm) of water, the accessory is outfitted with drainage holes to allow for a quick dry and keys are marked with laser printing and UV coating to ensure a youthful appearance. Take note: this unit is wired, so you'll want be sure to keep that USB connector nice and dry. In addition to being able to hold its breath in shallow water, the keys are said to last for up to five million keystrokes each. The K310 will hit desks -- and sinks -- in the US later this month for $40 and is expected to cross the pond to Europe in October. Need a closer look? Dive into the gallery below to do just that. %Gallery-162999%
Apple's numpad-less compact wired keyboard gets discontinued, few tears are shed
The ultraslim, metallic, chiclet-styled obsession all began back in mid-2007, but a revised iMac in March of 2009 delivered something else: a chopped-down version of the Apple Keyboard. If you'll recall, that one dropped the numeric keypad and gained two peripheral USB sockets, making it one of the more compact desktop keyboards on the market. Just shy of its second birthday, it seems as if the supply chain overlords in Cupertino have seen fit to discontinue it, though a number of e-tailers still seem to have stock for the moment. If you're dead-set on snagging one (we know, stocking's aren't that long), Amazon can make your day for $46.99, but we'd probably pony up the extra $3 necessary to bring one home with a number pad on the right.
Apple axes the numeric keypad on iMac's standard wired keyboard
Apple almost snuck this one past us, but friendly tipster Graham spotted the change-up: Apple has swapped out the standard wired Apple Keyboard for a new model lacking a numeric keypad. It's the same design as the wireless model, which also lacks a numeric keypad, except that this one has USB plugs on each end, and a cord of its own snaking towards your otherwise immaculate desktop. The good news is that the regular keyboard hasn't gone anywhere, you just have to make sure to configure your new purchase with it when you order -- it's a free "upgrade." Inversely, the Mac Pros still ship with the regular keyboard, but you can get 'em numpad-free if you'd like, for a similar zero cost. We're not sure what game you're at, Apple, but if you're trying to make us forget all those maths we struggled so hard to comprehend back in the day... well, OK, you win. Another straight-on shot of the keyboard is after the break.[Thanks, Graham]
Keyboard "eavesdropping" just got way easier, thanks to electromagnetic emanations
We always knew those electromagnetic emanations would amount to no good, and now here they go ruining any shred of privacy we once thought to possess. Some folks from the Security and Cryptography Lab at Switzerland's EPFL have managed to eavesdrop on the electromagnetic radiation shot off by shoddy wired keyboards with every keystroke. They've found four different ways to listen in, including one previously-published general vulnerability, on eleven keyboard models ranging from 2001 to 2008, with PS/2, USB and laptop keyboards all falling to at least one of the four attacks. The attack works through walls, as far as 65 feet away, and analyzes a wide swath of electromagnetic spectrum to get its results. With wireless keyboards already feeling the sting of hackers, it's probably fair to say that no one is safe, and that cave bunkers far, far away from civilization are pretty much our only hope now. Videos of the attacks are after the break.[Thanks, Dave]
