Sony accidentally create compact and elegant Ps3 bluetooth keyboard

In a somewhat surprising turn around (from the makers of that hideous Google TV remote, remember?) , Sony have managed to produce one of the most elegant bluetooth keyboards I’ve seen in a while, whilst specifically designed for the Ps3, it will support any bluetooth system, and looks pretty perfect for my Windows Media Center…

Like old Think Pads, the keyboard has a nub in the middle that can be used to control the pointer for web browsing. It’s outfitted with Bluetooth, so it can be paired with other devices.

via Kotaku.

IBM’s amazing fold out laptop keyboard

I love this design classic, beautiful IBM engineering at it’s best. I remember seeing one at a trade show, partnered up with a giant wifi pack mounted onto it’s screen, mad to think now far these things have come…

Karidis figured out a way to stuff a full-sized keyboard (11.5-inches) into a 9.7-inch laptop by dividing the keyboard into two interlocking pieces that folded in and out as you opened and closed the laptop’s lid. Because the movement was driven by a cam on the lid’s hinge, the keyboard’s movement was always fluid and in step with the motion of the lid. In fact, this transforming keyboard was so artful and unique, it’s now on display at MoMa.

via Gizmodo

25 Years of the Model M IBM Keyboard

A detailed look at this design classic from IBM…

The very notion that computer hardware that began its tour of duty in the mid-1980s is still useful today seems improbable. It seems even more improbable that such surviving hardware would have moving parts. But it is, and it does. You can plug a Model M from 1987 into just about any modern computer with a PS/2 port, and it will just work.

The Model M keyboard is terribly fun to use, chiefly because it makes an astonishing racket while you’re using it. Each keystroke of a Model M is famously loud, to the chagrin of at least two generations of spouses and coworkers.

And for all you angry typists (you know who you are), check out this sample of how loud the M keyboard can really be. More details over at the plope blog

How to pair an Apple Wireless Keyboard with Windows 7


I was having some issues pairing my new Apple Wireless Keyboard with Windows 7, some hunting around came up with a variety of suggestions, from hacking the registry to installing alternative Bluetooth software (neither of which I would recommend, as they are far more likely to break more that it fixes). In the end the procedure was straight forward if unfortunately not as simple as it was for every other Bluetooth keyboard I’ve used.

If you already have Bluetooth setup on your pc of laptop, simply use the windows default bluetooth wizard…

  1. Turn on wireless keys ON and Bluetooth on PC ON (make sure it’s discoverable)
  2. Open the ‘Devices and Printers’ panel
  3. Select ‘Add a device’
  4. Let it scan for your keyboard, which may come up as just ‘keyboard’ or as an ‘Apple Keyboard’
  5. Select use your own Passkeys and type in 1111 using your existing keyboard.
  6. Although it won’t look like it, it will now be waiting for you to enter the same password on your new Apple keyboard (remember to press enter)
  7. If successful it will prompt that the device is installed and ready to use.

Check out the Apple Wireless Keyboard on Amazon US or Amazon UK