It’s official. Accompanying the Xbox 360’s summer update will be a QWERTY attachment that will make inputing text in Windows Live Messenger a lot faster. No price or even name for the accessory has been announced but we do know it interfaces with the controller via the headphone jack.
In the between time, Xbox Live users will see Windows Live Messenger integrated into their dashboard this spring with an onscreen keyboard.
So now Microsoft decides to go back to a gigantic controller design that so miserably failed the first Xbox . . . Yay?
And why wouldn’t they? The new Helio Ocean is everything the Sidekick 3 should have been. You’ve got a 2.4″ QVGA screen, unrestricted bluetooth 2.0, music, video, POP and IMAP with push-email support, 2 megapixel camera and GPS all running on a real 3G network. However the most impressive feature is the dual-sliding keypad revealing a QWERTY keyboard in one direction and a full numeric keypad in the other.
Just like other phones in Helio’s lineup, you’ve also got GPS enabled Google Maps with Buddy Beacon to locate all your friends, fast HTML web browsing, tight MySpace integration and stereo speakers.
So Sidekick users, I know you want it but you’ll have to wait a bit. This wave hits this spring for $295.
Typing in the dark, trying to use only the light from the monitor is a real pain. Problem is since my computer is in the bedroom it’s the only way I can use the computer at night after my girlfriend goes to bed. I’ve tried using USB lights, but found them to be distracting and ineffecient. Enter the Illuminated keyboard!
There have been a few other illuminated keyboards on the market, but they’ve all been backlit, which may look cool but doesn’t really do us any good in the cold dark night. This bad boy here has a small strip at the top that pops up and shines down on the keys. Hopefully it does so with a soft glow that’ll allow those of us who are up at 2am ordering t-shirts to do so in the comforting blackness of the night. Sadly, no price as of now, it’s only a concept.
Keyboards aren’t just for typing and locating pron, no, they’re for beating the crap out of annoying co-workers as well. Case in point: this video. Check out this high-strung dude who goes a bit mental on his office mate.
While Verizon users have had theirs for awhile, Sprint users can expect to see the Motorola Q hit stores in the next couple of weeks. The Moto Q is a a QWERTY Smartphone running Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, and packs a lot of features in a thin little package. The Sprint website is already taking orders for the Q, and offers it at the reasonable price of $199 with a 2 year contract. When I spoke with a Sprint rep, I was informed that the Moto Q was “selling like crazy”, which makes sense, as Sprint users have been somewhat cheated by limited phone selection in the past.
The above pictured is my Q. I received it a couple of days ago and am very pleased so far, although I admit I’m still in the ‘honeymoon phase’. The keyboard performs nicely and makes email and web on the go a snap. A good thing: this is easily, hands down, the best reception I’ve ever heard in a phone. The Q may not be the full office-on-the-go for a road warrior, but its email, web, scheduling, and sync features can make a lot of people’s lives a bit easier. I know its working for me.
