The Optimus Maximus Keyboard

Keyboards have come a long way in the past few years, and their functionality has been rapidly expanding to doing more than just type. They can now launch programs, and even perform specific actions for specific programs like opening an email, or going to the next song on Windows Media Player.

However, display of what to show on the key has always been a problem. If you make the keys configurable to launch any application, then you can't put a definite picture on it in the factory. So how to provide the service of configuration, as well as make the key look like the application?

Introducing the Optimus Maximus Keyboard.. Bye bye to a different keyboard for multiple languages, or any key having a printed picture on it to denote a function that you can't change. Think about LCD technology on each key of a keyboard! The pictures on the keys of the keyboard that you see on top are not really hard printed. They are LCD displays that reflect the Icon of the program that it triggers.

It connects via a PC or a MAC, and is attached with a USB cable. The keys are not movable, and all that moves, is a transparent cover. This is done to protect the electronics from wear and tear, greatly increasing the life of the keyboard. Also, every single button can be removed for ease of cleaning.

The inbuilt software allows you to further configure each key to resemble a series of keystrokes. This allows you to create 'macros' that you can build and customize your keyboard to speed up your regular activity. If you say, use keyboard shortucts to browse gmail, you can set a macro so that a single click tags the current message, archives it, and moves to the next message.

You are even allowed to edit the images that show up on each key. Ideal to brand your personality onto it!

Requiring 256 MB of RAM to run it, you're going to need a nice fast computer to use this baby. But if you're planing to pay the price for this one, you probably already have that :)

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The Apple MacBook Air

A month ago, I walked into the brand new Apple store that had opened close to where I was staying, and thought, "Let's go inside and peep around". I'm a Windows user, but let's face it - We often go green with envy (though we don't show it), when we see someone using a Mac, or Mac accessories.

Of course, as a writer, I can't afford to lose compatibility with any client who might be using Windows, but that's another story.

So I walk into the Apple store (For the first time in my life), along with my wife, and it's all themed white, with colorful gadgets displayed in rows. But what first caught my attention (as it was no doubt designed to), was this amazingly thin laptop! I didn't even believe that it was a working model. I thought it was a dead piece of plastic, until the screen lighted up, and the attendant introduced the two of us to each other. "Bhagwad, this is the MacBook air. MacBook air, this is Bhagwad".

I leaned closer, and examined it all around. It really was as thin as I first thought. It reminded me of a wafer, and I realized that laptops would never be the same again. At least not for me.

So how does the MacBook air get to be this thin? Well, Apple has removed certain portions like a removable media slot (can be purchased separately though). It also incorporates a solid state hard drive, that has no moving parts! For me, this is a major breakthrough. Hard disks are one of the few remaining moving components in a computer, and are therefore more susceptible to failure compared to stationary electrical parts. This latest technology means one less thing to go wrong.

The MacBook Air has a low Carbon Footprint, with a Mercury and Arsenic free LCD glass, and internal cables that are not made of PVC. From what I remember, Greenpeace had earlier objected to Apple's ecological practices, and the MacBook air addresses these concerns.

All in all, the MacBook Air has broken new grounds in Laptop technology. It's sleek design, and ecological footprint, definitely give it the status of an "Irresistable Goodie".

Find the MacBook Air on Pricealerter.com, with the best prices.

The Sony Playstation Portable

Many of us, including myself, remember the days of the handheld video games. Colorful little rectangles with simple graphics that gave all of us hours of pleasure. These have slowly evolved side by side with the TV based Nintendo and Atari.

However, most 'Handheld Consoles' as they are called, have been flops, dwarfed by the cool features of their big brother counterparts. Even the latest ones including the Nintendo DS, have never really taken off. Only with the introduction of the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), have the consoles finally received the status of an 'Irresistible Goodie'

First, the juicy bits. The PSP is a sleek slab of glossy plastic. A high tech touch screen along with all the computing power of the latest pocket PC's, have blurred the distinction between Phones, Pocket PC's, and gaming consoles.

As with all Irresistible Goodies, it's not just the functionality that sets junkies like me drooling. There's something about the design, that speaks to you. Something about the way it feels in your hand that says, "I'm the ultimate in technology". With a screen capable of displaying 16 million colors, that might not be an overstatement.

The standard controls on either side of the screen, make it easy to play any sort of game from driving, to sports, to Ninja games. The PSP also makes it easy to take advantage of the latest genre - Namely Multi Player games, where you connect to people worldwide throughout the Internet and play with or against them.

But quite apart from gaming, the PSP doubles up as a music player too! It's capable of playing upto an amazing eleven hours of music. With sturdy inbuilt speakers, you can listen to music right off your memory card without the need for headphones. The LCD screen provides you with visual playback effects that are worthy of an Irrestible Goodie.

To cap it all, you can play videos, and enjoy wi fi Internet connectivity from it's packaged Microbrowser. It's the first to allow the use of UMD (Universal Media Disks). These babies look just like a normal CD - Only smaller. For me, that's the winning feature of the PSP. It's the ultimate 'blurrer'. Convergence technology at it's best!

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The 'iLiad' Reader

The world of reading is undergoing a revolution. Though some people say that books can never be replaced, electronic media is quickly overtaking the print media.

I made the transition from paper to electronic screens years ago, and have never looked back. I now just download books off the Internet for free, and can carry hundreds at a time. However, I have faced problems like reading in full sunlight, and low battery life.

I've recently come across the product called the 'iLiad'. It's one of the first devices on the market to use 'Electronic Paper'! This product is simply amazing. The screen is just like normal paper in it's consistency, and reflective properties. This means, that all things being equal, you cannot tell whether you're reading real paper, or from Electronic Paper.

Another cool feature, is that it doesn't draw power while it is displaying text! Since it uses reflective technology instead of a traditional backlight, I can read for hours on end without fearing for my battery life.

Manufactured by iRex Technologies, the iLiad consists of a display area of 124x152mm with a resolution of 768x1024 pixels (160 dpi). It runs on a Linux OS and has the dimensions of an A5 document.

Different people like to use different readers for their ebooks. The iLiad offers wide variety of formats in which books can be read like text, pdf, HTML, and recently, Mobipocket. Mobipocket is a popular reading program for Palm and Pocket PC based devices that I happen to use myself.

I'm also a big comic fan, and the iLiad makes it easy for me to view my JPG images as they are really appear on paper. I'm hooked! The existing Palmtops and Pocket PC's were always too small to read full blown comics on, and reading them on the computer means that I can't curl up on the bed with one. With the iLiad in my hands, it's just like the good ol days, with the blanket, and late night reading!

Since it's Linux based, others can write programs for it, extending it's usefullness to one and all. A truly magic breakthrough for avid book lovers like me!

You can find the best prices for the iLiad at PriceAlerter.Com.

Heaven in the bathroom!!

Have you ever imagined that the bathroom in your house can be the most desired place in the whole house. Gone are the days when bathroom used to be just a utility room in the house which no one cared about much. Boom of technology innovation and designer gadgets can convert your bathroom into a place which can help you relax, re-energize and invigorate.

For instance take a look at these high-tech whirlpool, spa, shower room combos to provide the well needed luxury everyone needs. The feature list is long but here are the common notable features which most of these gadgets have:

1. Rain Shower - You will feel like you are you are showering under the rain rather than a shower head. The gravity of falling water is so soothing that you have to try it to believe it.
2. Water Jets - Imagine what could invigorate you better than the jets of warm water hitting your body from all around. Forget that work stress for a moment and enjoy the piece of heaven.
3. Spa - Just lay and float in the warm water with the gently rub of jets underneath giving you well deserved body a gentle massage.
4. AM/FM Radio and Audio Integration - Most of these gadgets are equipped with the AM/FM Radio to keep yourself updated with the latest news and the top music hits. Optionally you can hookup a CD player or MP3 player, if you rather have more personalized music.
5. Integrated Telephone - Never miss an important call even when you are relaxing. Who said you are disconnected just because you are submerged into luxurious bath. Build in microphone allows you to talk hands free.
6. Mood Light - Proper lighting is very important to relax your mind, with mood lights you are able to set just the right illumination needed for the moment.
7. All necessary safety features - Most of these machines have to be built with the local safety code in mind and come with full compliance. (Still you must check very carefully with the installer that the machine has met all the safety standards.)

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-PriceAlerter Blog Team