Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 17, 2011
Screen-Protector for Magic Mouse: Why?
Most people I know who have an Apple Magic Mouse hate it. They hate the carpal-tunnel-inflaming multi-touch gestures, and they hate the stupid shape, which fits nobody’s hand. One thing they probably don’t hate, though, is the resilient glass surface on top.
Even the most cautious of Magic Mouse lovers would likely shy away from this $15 MouseGuard, essentially a screen-protector for something that sits on a desk all day. A screen-protector makes sense when that screen is swinging around your neck (camera) or sitting in your pocket with some carelessly forgotten keys (phone), but not when the worst that could befall the glass panel is being lightly scraped with an untrimmed fingernail.
It’s not even like you need to look through the screen. Seeing a scratch on the LED panel of your $800 camera is frustrating at best, but a mouse is something that is always covered by your hand when in use. In fact, the MouseGuard comes in two opaque flavors, white and gray.
What next? A case to protect your case? Even my friend Pedro, who buys cases for pretty much everything he owns and will likely be spending the next few weeks handling his new iPad with cotton gloves until he finds the perfect sleeve, would shy away from the MouseGuard. And when it comes to protecting gear from scratches, Pedro is an expert. You should listen to him.
MouseGuard [Moshi Mode via Oh Gizmo]
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Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 29, 2010
Protective Keyboard Cases Signal End of Civilization
When you’re a professional gadget blogger, you see a lot of oddities. None of them, though, makes me weep for the future of the human race more than the keyboard case, a sleeve designed to protect possibly the hardiest piece of computer hardware you own.
These two cases, from WaterField Designs, happen to be for the ridiculously resilient, tough and lightweight aluminum bluetooth keyboard from Apple, but their absolute wrongness would apply to any keyboard. But first, lets look at just what perils await a poor keyboard in the horrific depths of your bag.
Let’s assume that you don’t throw in handfuls of grit and half-eaten packs of Cheetos into your bag along with your more valuable goods. Perhaps you may have tossed in some keys? Or a picnic knife has worked its way loose? While a cellphone or tablet computer may risk a scratch to its screen, a scrape on a keyboard won’t make any difference. Who cares if the home keys get a chunk taken out, or the back of the ‘board gets dirtied up? Just typing on the thing with your filthy hands probably does more damage.
And then, why are you carrying a keyboard in the first place? Perhaps you are on a business trip and plan to do some heavy work on your iPad? Then pack the keyboard in with your clothes. Otherwise, you don’t even need that keyboard. Your laptop has one built-in, remember, and you probably aren’t carrying a desktop machine on the road.
Even so, I guess there must be a market for such things, and this is what causes the tears of pity and sorrow to moisten my normally parched, cracked ducts. If you are in fact thinking of wasting some money, you can have the budget Keyboard Socket for $15, cut from the finest “scratch-free material”, or opt for the Keyboard Slip, a $30 case fashioned from ballistic nylon with a padded interior. What’s more, “a piping trimmed edge let’s [sic] you chose [sic] to add a splash of bold color, or to stay under the radar with subdued tones.” Cheeky!
Keyboard Slip [WaterField Designs via MacUser]
Keyboard Socket [WaterField Designs]
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 22, 2010
