CES 2019: Customize every key with Nemeio e-paper keyboard

Keyboards are only customizable to a certain degree. But for the many years since the input method has been around, its format hasn’t really changed. There is, as Slash Gear points out, “still no one keyboard to fit all.” But perhaps, we’ve found a solution for that with the Nemeio e-paper keyboard. The French company has developed a keyboard that doesn’t just let you change keyboard mappings but lets you change what’s displayed from letters to numbers to even icons. By using e-paper technology, this solves one of the biggest issues with customizable keyboards. The keys aren’t engraved or etched, so these can be everything you want it to be. Plus e-paper technology is seen as an energy-efficient way to achieve this.

Nemeio’s keyboard connects to PCs or Macs via Bluetooth, highlighting the portability of this accessory. As expected, it requires a special program to map out the keys. But it’s as simple as dragging and dropping the keys you want where you want them. Unfortunately, there is no word yet on when or how much this unnamed product is going to be. But we’re hoping to hear from the company soon.

A ‘quieter’ keyboard is reportedly exclusive to the 2018 MacBook Pro

iFixit

The new MacBook Pros are getting a new “quieter” keyboard that is also said to protect against damage from dust. Unfortunately, if you have an existing MacBook that did suffer some damage by dust, you won’t be getting this new keyboard. CNET reports that both Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers won’t be permitted to replace the old keyboards with the new one because these are considered to be exclusive to the 2018 model.

It isn’t clear why this is the case but one theory is that it just won’t fit. A teardown done by iFixit of the 13-inch model found the top case has been shaven down, which is said to make more room for the larger battery on the laptop.

First impressions of the BlackBerry KEY2

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We now know that the BlackBerry is aiming for the KEY series of smartphone to be a line. The KEYOne was well received by keyboard fans and was an outstanding opening salvo for TCL's BlackBerry Mobile which resulted in various variants and some spec upgrades.

The BlackBerry KEY2 looks and feels like a more refined KEYOne, with marked improvements in the QWERTY keyboard department as well as a spanking new dual-camera now enabling 2X zoom and portrait mode.

Click to read more ...

New Logitech keyboard introduces smart, customizable dial

The new Logitech keyboard has a bit of magic going on for it—or at least it seems like it. The aptly called Craft keyboard brings with it a “creative input dial” similar to what we see on the Surface Dial. The great thing about this is it work with Windows and Mac. The Craft’s dial comes with built-in integration for seven apps at the moment: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and InDesign as well as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. However, the Microsoft programs are currently limited to Windows use. On top of that, the dial can also be used for more generic functions like volume control or forward or back on pages—if the program supports that. The dial itself is touch sensitive so when you tap on it, it’ll bring up contextual options, which you can see in the video above. It shows, for example, if you select the brush tool, you just tap on the dial and show you different brush tool options like size, softness, etc.

The keyboard itself is built with the same Flow technology used in the MX series of mice, which means you can switch from up to three devices by just moving the mouse over or with a press of a button. And since it’s designed to work with both Mac and PC, you get keys listing for both systems and have specialized function keys work the same on whatever system you are on. The Craft connects to your computer via Bluetooth, Logitech’s Unifying Receiver, or a wired USB-C port. Don’t worry there is a USB-A to USB-C cable in the package. The keyboard is made with soft matte black plastic mixed with an aluminum bar to give some heft and stability to the top of the accessory. The Craft will be available in October for US$199.99 (around CA$250).

Source: The Verge