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Keyboards and mice - accessories known to man ever since the breakthrough of this device known as a “computer”. If there’s anything to describe the keyboard industry, it’ll be the word “abundant”. My local Future Shop has a keyboard section rivaling its section of Wii games and PS3 games put together. I’ve got more than a few keyboards lying around in my house, and those are just the ones I found while cleaning up. Such a variety explains why searching for that perfect keyboard is so hard - but you’re in luck, because the one we’re having a look at is the Das Keyboard (officially known as the Das Keyboard Professional).
Design Perspective
Let’s cut right to the chase - keyboard alone, minus the cord: I would proudly call the Das Keyboard one of the finest-looking keyboards in the industry. The keyboard body is made of a glossy black plastic: no matter how much I admit to loving the glossy black, I would admit that it does attract finger print smudges as well as minor dust particles sadly easily. You’re going to need that cloth Das Keyboard company included in the bundle to clean off the smudges and dust pretty often.
The LEDs the Das Keyboard uses are unique, to say the least: where most companies have a standard LED light, the Das Keyboard features unique icons that get lit up: for example, instead of just an LED light with “Caps Lock” over it, the Das Keyboard has an icon that says “A” that lights up when the Caps Lock button is pressed. I definitely approve of this innovation because when the LED is off, it looks like part of the keyboard body - a good disguise for an LED. Absolutely beautiful.
Caps Lock button off: wait, is there an LED? Looks like part of the body to me…
Caps Lock button on! Isn’t she purdy?
I can only find one real problem with its design though: the way the cord emerges from the keyboard is much too obvious. For such a glossy, and otherwise heavenly keyboard, it’s a real eyesore to see the cord so explicitly seemingly erupt from the keyboard body. I propose a solution for the next design: why not create a balcony to cover the cord, and have a place to attach the cord to on the right or left side to hide the cord more? I expected such a simple feature to come with the Das Keyboard, seeing as how it came with my HP stock keyboard two years ago. If I sound a bit upset, that’s because I’m actually very disappointed with such a design flaw. The only benefit I can see to such a design is its durability, to which I will respond: my HP keyboard has not been treated kindly, and still has its cord stuck in it very tightly. Besides, keyboards don’t seem to be the type that will have to worry about durability.
Look at that, it’s so blunt! It just sticks out. It’s gross - almost, unnatural to the design. Shame, really.
An example of a design allowing for a well-concealed cord. I see my keyboard everyday, so this is an absolute necessity - just because it’s not wireless, doesn’t mean it has to show off its cord. And this design should be pretty standard - it came with my HP keyboard.
The cord can hook right on to that latch, allowing for cover. If I can’t see it, it’s not there, right? As good as wireless.
I rest my case. On one hand, you see the Das Keyboard’s cord stick right out - and near the bottom, you barely see the HP’s cord stick out. Where one blatantly emerges, the other relatively naturally connects. I’d prefer the HP design to the Das Keyboard one any day.
Ignoring the imperfect small detail, the Das Keyboard’s design would’ve been near perfection. If anyone questions the practicality of the cord, I will justify Das Keyboard’s inclusion of it: they claim it’s for better response time, which I can’t really attest to - I play Counterstrike: Source just as badly with it (haha, I guess it’s a matter of the player and not the keyboard, eh?), but what I really appreciate is the integration of the two USB ports on the side. Without the cord, such a feature could not be implemented, and the Das Keyboard would be…well, just another keyboard. Right now, I can plug my Logitech G5 in there and I can’t see any performance issues. However, I still would’ve liked for something to be implemented to make the cord much less obvious.
Typist Perspective
Let’s put it this way - the Das Keyboard is a joy to type on. With every push of a key, you get an extremely rewarding and unique clicking sound. It’s not like the click of a mouse, but rather, more comparable to that of a typewriter. Although I’m not from the typewriter generation, I can appreciate the feeling. However, I got a few complaints of that loud, obnoxious typing - when I was on the phone with a friend. This thing is nearly as loud as the crowds at a Bon Jovi concert.
It sounds great, and boy, the Das Keyboard sure feels great. There is hardly any resistance when the keys are being pushed on, in comparison to my HP keyboard, which is a relative pain. In fact, I think the Das Keyboard can give Logitech keyboards a run for their money (I’m also the proud owner of a Logitech MX 3000 keyboard, which is nearly as fun to type on).
Human Perspective
Which brings us to the final portion of our review: my personal human experience with the Das Keyboard. I can say without a doubt or a second thought that the Das Keyboard provided the most unique keyboard experience I’ve ever had the pleasure of using - no boast. With the clicking (which makes it seem to respond much faster and be much more snappy), the fun-to-push keys, the LED’s, and the glossy black design, this isn’t the kind of keyboard I’d use once and end up tossing it into my closet. I’d flaunt this baby every time someone came over (as long as I polish it a bit earlier with the included cloth - hey, it’s really useful).
I didn’t kill many more people in Counterstrike: Source (in fact, I think I got worse at it, shockingly), but it was much easier to write this review and change my blog’s design, and do ordinary tasks with such an extraordinary keyboard. I felt like I was driving to work at McDonald’s while cruising on a Harley Davidson or a Ferrari. It’s a beautiful thing.
As of today, I was able to connect an iPod Video 5.5-gen as well as a Logitech G5 mouse to the two USB ports on the Das Keyboard without running into any performance or power issues.
Conclusion
If typing means anything to you, you absolutely have to consider the Das Keyboard. I’ve been droning on and on about how great it is, I realize, but it’s really just that great! I can’t stress how fun it is to type on this baby. It looks great (except for the cord thing), sounds (arguably) great, and types excellently. Although the USD $129.00 price tag may discourage some mainstream purchasers, I recommend the Das Keyboard to each and every single person that uses the computer relatively extensively or for a large portion of their day.
If you’re looking for even a more unique experience, you absolutely must take a look at the Das Keyboard Ultimate: dig this, a keyboard without any letter engravings on it! I haven’t had the opportunity to personally review this, but if it’s anything like the Das Keyboard, you can’t miss out!
Shout out to Sarah Lambie, I couldn’t have made this review happen without you!
I haven’t actually been paying much attention to Samsung due to all the attention I already give brands such as Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, Apple, et al. However, I’ve been noticing a lot of beautiful Samsung products cropping up lately, like the YP-P2, and now the Instinct announced by Sprint. What do these two items have in common? I have absolutely no idea…
…except for the fact they are both directly competing with Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The Instinct is to be supported by Sprint, the iPhone already to AT&T. Why does Samsung choose to be the thorn in Apple’s side?
They’re Trying to Take Over
Let’s face it - Samsung’s come a long way from the 90s till now. From its unreliable reputation to its now glowing and competitive products, we saw the drive to compete against the huge players such as Sony and Toshiba. All I can assume is they are also trying to take Apple on, as they are the biggest of the big when it comes to the gadget market (around 70% of mp3 players out there are iPods!).
Can they do it? Can they actually surpass what Dell, Sony, and Creative have failed to do? The only piece strategy that I think they might need to bolster would be their marketing campaigns - where are they? Sure, you’ve got a video on Youtube. But, unless you want to stay second, you’re going to have to air way more commercials, Samsung! They’ve got the product. They’ve got the money.
Conclusion
Analysts always overlook that little fact that the iPod’s marketing campaigns were golden. And unless Samsung really puts some more “oomph” into its marketing campaign, add some creativity and heavy rotation, it’s never going to take a painful bite out of Apple.
What is going to happen to Samsung? I have no idea - but I think that I will be supporting both sides. I do believe Samsung’s products are very innovative and interesting - but Apple always seems to be a few jumps ahead of them (the iPhone was released way before the Instinct was announced, but the Instinct is a cooler name). Besides, I’ve got an iPod Video, so I can’t talk until it gets replaced. Maybe with a Samsung product.
Apparently so, according to Dailytech. The latest version of SlySoft AnyDVD HD came with the ability to rip the Blu-ray DVD’s movie in high-def. As both a tech enthusiast and a pretty stereotypical asian, I must say that I’m pretty interested in such a piece of news. However, let it be known that I don’t pirate. After all, if I started pirating, it could wreck the delicate balance between the two worlds of legitimacy and piracy.
Source: http://img.infotropic.com/i/061224_1g.jpg
What does this mean? Since Blu-Ray’s defense has been cracked before, I suppose that Sony will be forced to invent a third method of encrypting the data. And they’ll have to do it soon - because if they let this go as rampant as the forging of fake DVDs do, the Blu-Ray market will be saturated with cheap, fake copies of movies in their original high-definition format. What a nightmare for the movie industry.
As a loyal movie fan (not a fanatic, just a fan), I suggest that you be very careful about which side you decide to take. Sure, the piracy might seem much more affordable, but if everyone thought like that on a larger scale, we wouldn’t have any new movies to watch because the companies would all go broke. They’re still fatcats - for now, but let’s face it: they’re not as fat as they once used to be.
2008 has been a huge year for Ultralight PC’s. First and foremost, we saw the Asus EEE PC hitting store shelves and selling like hotcakes. Their success has motivated Asus to create a whole line of computers based on the EEE branding, actually. Then, at MacWorld ‘08, Steve Jobs announced the coming of the Macbook Air. Now, Lenovo’s hyped-up X300 is seeing its debut.
The Lenovo X300 isn’t exactly the most well-hidden surprise of the year. The picture right above this paragraph is one of the few that had been leaked and publicized by blogs such as Gizmodo a couple of months ago. Many a critic had complained that the Lenovo X300 doesn’t look as “sexy” as the Macbook Air - and I find myself agreeing. However, contrary to skepticism, I find myself thinking that the Lenovo X300 doesn’t have to look pretty to sell.
It’s a corporate product - simple as that. In fact, since when was the last time Lenovo (or IBM for that matter) popular with the mainstream consumer world? Probably around the same time you purchased your old beige IBM box - around eight years ago, when StarCraft was still popular. In fact, I’ve got very vivid memories of purchasing it, one of the most exciting and defining moments of my life (I was wow-ed by the fish and maze screensavers on the Windows ‘98 though, I feel obligated to admit).
Back on topic - thanks to its business appeal, it doesn’t have to look good. All it has to do is perform, be affordable, and work. That’s it. The two products are directed towards different crowds, which is why they look so different event though they’re both ULPCs. Hopefully I didn’t come off to angry, I just felt the need to express my own opinions urgently. Besides, my first computer was an IBM - so get off their backs (ha ha, just kidding - hate them all you want, I assure you that I don’t mind). Also, its got an optical drive: a DVD-burner, in fact, for copying those secret documents. Oooh, aaah.
Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/images/706311.jpg
What this does mean, though, is that Lenovo has made a strategic move in capturing the market. With Apple focused on the mainstream markets, Lenovo snuck around them and went straight to the corporations, and this will perhaps decrease the number of Macbook Airs being bought for company purposes. Even though they do fit into the Manila envelope.
I haven’t explained the Lenovo X300 much, so I’ll let the official site do the talking. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the few ordinary consumers that want one.
So far into the series of iPod Touch competitors, I’ve taken a brief look at four alternatives and how well they stack up against the iPod Touch. They’ve all been very tough competitors, but I think that this one is the toughest and most promising of the bunch. Released at around the same time as the iPod Touch, Samsung looked to capitalize on the same niche of the market with their product, the P2. From what I’ve found, there are three things that make the Samsung P2 exceptional.
The Samsung P2 definitely succeeded the most in this department in contrast to the rest of the iPod Touch competitors - it’s arguably the darker, sleeker, smaller twin brother of the iPod Touch. Its GUI looks great - typical Samsung quality (which is meant as a good thing, although some can interpret otherwise). It sports a 3″ screen - smaller than the iPod Touch’s 3.5″, but larger than the iPod Video’s 2.5″; the resolution is similarly slightly smaller in comparison to the iPod Touch (480×272px vs. 480×320px). The Samsung P2 is definitely a looker.
Video
I know that the Archos brothers play movies very nicely on their 800×480px screens, but the Samsung P2 is no wimp. Sporting a 480×272px screen, as mentioned a couple of sentences ago, it’s got a nearly perfect 16:9 resolution. With all this talk of widescreen and hi-def nowadays, the Samsung P2 sounds more like a device from the future than the norm.
It’s got Bluetooth 2.0 integrated into it, which allows it to connect it to wireless headsets - ones similar to the headsets used with cellular phones. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg - rumour is Samsung plans to incorporate file sharing, between other P2s and PCs, which is actually a very feasible addition (all they’d have to do is mod the firmware, since the hardware is all ready to go).
A Couple of Cons
There’s only eight gigabytes of storage on the Samsung P2 - comparable to the cheapest version of the iPod Touch, but the difference is vast when the full potential of the iPod Touch is acknowledged (the maximum storage on the iPod Touch is thirty-two gigs - whopping, eh?). Also, there is no wi-fi incorporated into the P2 - I’m dearly hoping that Samsung retains the sleek shell of the P2, but incorporates wi-fi connectivity and more storage the next time around. All-in-all, it’s not too bad.
If you’re serious about how your gadgets look on the outside, or if you need something that just plays music or has a touch interface and you’re on a budget, the Samsung P2 is for you. However, if you desperately need wi-fi connectivity or have a huge multimedia collection, move on up the list of iPod Touch competitors, because this is the last.
It’s been great writing this series, but I’ll probably be leaving the runner-ups alone. To be honest, I’ve gotten pretty sick of writing about personal media players/digital audio players, and I’m pretty sure you’re just as sick of reading so many of them in such a short time. It’s ok - I’ve got a more broad variety of material planned for the next week or two.
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