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PC GEAR
The New Eclipse Keyboard from Mad Catz

The new line of Eclipse keyboards seems to take the series back to its initial minimalist design approach. But with the addition of an LCD touch panel in place of where the numeric keypad usually is, the new Eclipse litetouch and Eclipse Wireless litetouch keyboards are also taking a step forward with their Star Trek-like sensibilities. Then again, the keyboard also has a trackball in it, which is so retro it’s crazy. Mad props to the designers that worked on this for fitting all these elements in so nicely.

The touch panel on the keyboard can switch between any of three configurations: media mode, numerical-pad mode, and the customizable via software drag-and-drop MyEclipse mode. From the information currently available, it looks like the touch panel’s keys will be in the same grid formation despite the configuration chosen. It appears the changes on the keys only indicate which mode it’s in, and thus more superficial than functional.

The small trackball, located below the touch panel, is meant to streamline navigation on media centres without the need for an additional pointer peripheral. Additionally, the wireless version is powered by a lithium-ion battery that provides up to 20 hours of use on a single charge.

While the keyboards debuted at CES, they should also be debuting in stores this month. The wireless model will retail for approximately $130 US while its wired counterpart has a $100 USD suggested retail price.

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PHOTO POST
Saitek Eclipse Keyboard

All the high-tech gadget news coming out of CES this week has reminded me of how many cool gadgets I already own. In turn, this made me want to take some better photos of my original Saitek Eclipse keyboard, which is currently the top viewed photo in my personal Flickr photostream as it’s one of the main images that comes up for the product in Google’s image search.

These new photos turned out much better and they’ve also given me a new appreciation for the keyboard. I know new versions of the Eclipse keyboard have added more features and colours to the LED backlighting, but I like this one just the way it is.

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GADGET GEEKERY
Some Highlights from ION’s CES Showing

Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch have made a significant impact on the mobile gaming market since their introduction a couple of years ago. With software developers large, small, experienced, and amateur alike rushing to create software for the devices it’s no wonder that the App Store is a beast to navigate through. I was checking through it the other day looking for synthesizer Apps and didn’t end up finding anything I liked despite spending a good chunk of time searching.

With these devices being so robust in terms of features, it’s no surprise there’s so much software available. What about the platform’s hardware possibilities? Until today, most hardware I’d seen for the iPhone and iPod Touch has been speaker docks or FM transmitters. ION, however, has just announced a few crazy peripherals for these devices.

The iDiscover Keyboard, shown above, is much more than a simple App. It’s an actual 25-key instrument that the iPhone or iPod Touch slides into and it offers users the opportunity to learn to and play music. It actually looks quite similar to comparable-sized MIDI controllers, such as M-Audio’s Axiom 25. The iDiscover Keyboard can also be used as a MIDI controller and features pitch and modulation wheels as well as trigger pads. It even includes 24 different sounds and has RCA and headphone outs. Cool stuff!

Another piece of Apple-related hardware ION announced is the iType, a laptop-sized keyboard that the iPhone and iPod Touch can slide into, effectively giving users the ability to write more efficiently on the go. While this looks kind of cool, I’ve been burned before on portable keyboards for small devices (i.e., Sony Clié’s folding keyboard), so am hesitant to try this, never mind that I already own a trusty netbook.

On the gaming side of things, ION will be releasing a variety of different joysticks and control pads but their gaming product that really caught my eye is the ION Power Stick, a PC controller that seems to want to be a Mad Catz Tournament Edition FightStick. Here’s hoping its face design isn’t final.

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