Review: iSkin ProTouch keyboard protector

Section: Mac + Computers, Laptops, Peripherals, Keyboards, Features, Review Provides: Keyboard protection Developer: iSkin Minimum Requirements: MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or Apple Keyboard (wire or wireless) Retail Price: $29.99 to $34.99 Availability: Out now Sleek. Slim. Svelte. Apple’s wireless aluminum keyboard is razor thin, edgy, and perfectly balanced. Any addition to such a perfect package runs a serious risk of ruining this perfect image. It was with a degree of skepticism that I approached the iSkin ProTouch keyboard protectors, with visions of old public-library keyboards covered in a thick plastic shield harboring years of residue. To my pleasant surprise, iSkin has achieved wonders; the ProTouch keyboard perfectly compliments the Apple Wireless keyboard, adding both comfort and protection, while masking none of the traits that make this keyboard shine. The ProTouch cover is made from a smooth and pleasantly tactile silicone, with enhanced home key ridges and the added protection of Microban® antimicrobial agent to inhibit the growth of bacteria (something all too common on keyboards). As an added bonus, the ProTouch can be removed and handwashed with mild soap and water, so refreshing your keyboard is as simple as a quick trip to the sink! The ProTouch covers not only all 78 keys on the keyboard, but also the space between keys. This is especially helpful for those of us who eat, drink, and do other non-keyboard-safe activities; iSkin understands. While the ProTouch never got in the way of typing during the week long review, it does dampen the tactile feedback of the keyboard. True touch-typists who desire this feedback may be disappointed, though they would likely avoid the current generation Apple keyboards, which mimic their less-tactile laptop cousins. The ProTouch also deadens the sound that they keyboard makes, no matter how hard you type on the keyboard. With such miniature scissor switches, the Apple Wireless keyboard is not really all that noisy to begin with, but in a shared space such as an office, the reduced key sounds could be a distinct advantage. Don’t have the latest aluminum wireless keyboard? No problem! iSkin manufactures a range of ProTouch covers for both current and past versions of Apple wired/wireless keyboards, as well as the built-in keyboards of all current laptop models. Prices range from $29.99 for a translucent cover to $34.99 for a version with printed keys. The printed key version (see gallery images below) is great for users with visual impairments or hunt-and-peck typists, as the white-on-black lettering offers higher contrast than Apple’s grey-on-white silkscreening. The ProTouch covers even come in a variety of funky colors from clear (Arctic) to pink (Blush) to a groovy Kiwi Green. So, if aluminum just isn’t your thing, you can change it up a bit. On balance, I am calling the ProTouch keyboard cover a keeper. As a barrier against dirt, spills, and grime, I value the protection of my keyboard investment. And as an ardent germophobe, I love the quick washability! For long typing sessions where tactile feedback is important, I might pull the ProTouch off and get back in touch with the keys; luckily, this is as easy as lifting the cover off. After years of using iSkin cases for my iPods, I’ll be adding another iSkin cover to protect more of my Apple gear! Appletell Rating: Buy iSkin ProTouch Full Story » | Written by Aaron Kraus for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Battery calibration recommended by Apple, why no utility?

Like virtually all mobile computer manufacturers, Apple recommends that users calibrate their laptop batteries every few months, as Scott pointed out a couple of years ago. Unlike many manufacturers, however, Apple does not include a utility to automatically perform a calibration. Given Apple's uncanny ability to make things user-friendly, this seems like a bit of a glaring oversight. What are the benefits of calibration? Primarily the goal is to ensure that the microprocessor in your battery provides an accurate estimate of how much time you have left on the battery. Over time it can lose track of just how much juice your battery has in it, and calibration gives it a very accurate reading on the battery's health. Older battery technologies also benefited from a process called conditioning, which was typically performed the same way as a current battery's calibration process. In a nutshell, you fully charge the battery, fully discharge it, then fully charge it again. It's unclear whether modern lithium batteries gain anything in an actual capacity perspective from this process, or if it is simply a calibration of the microprocessor for the purpose of providing accurate time estimates.Continue reading Battery calibration recommended by Apple, why no utility?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

TUAW Review: Richard | Solo Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPod

If there's anything I've learned about the iPhone 3G since July 11th, it's that the battery life is horrible. If I'm just texting and making the occasional call, I can survive for a day, but if I try to play games or use 3G I know it's going to go to the dreaded red battery icon quickly.That's why there are a growing number of manufacturers who have extended battery packs for the iPhone on the market. For example, I looked at the Kensington Mini Battery Pack and Charger (US$49.99), but the website doesn't show that it works with the iPhone 3G. My next choice was the Richard | Solo Smart Backup Battery. This US$49.95 lithium-ion battery pack has saved me from running out of juice prematurely more than once! Read on for more information about this must-have sidekick for the iPhone 3G.Continue reading TUAW Review: Richard | Solo Smart Backup Battery for iPhone / iPodRead | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Appletell review - KR-6170 X-Slim Keyboard and RF-7550A 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse

Section: Mac + Computers, Peripherals, Keyboards, Mice, Features, Review Product: Slim USB keyboard and cordless mouse Developer: i-rocks Requirements: Mac OS X v10.1, USB port Retail Price: Keyboard - $29.99, Mouse - $29.99 You know Apple is doing something right when keyboard manufacturers are promoting their products with the phrase, “Inspired by Apple, Captured by i-Rocks.” Such is the case with the KR-6170 X-Slim Keyboard. And to look at it, yeah, you’d momentarily think this could be an Apple product, but then you’d think better of it. The design is too pedestrian to be from Apple, and it’s too wide. Apple has nearly always gravitated towards making their keyboards as small as possible, and the KR-6170 just has too much padding around the keys. Then, of course, there are those funky Windows and contextual menu keys that you obviously wouldn’t find on an Apple keyboard. So, why review a keyboard that’s obviously geared towards Windows users? Because keyboards are keyboards, and there’s usually no reason to limit yourself to those with the Mac compatible logo on the box when looking for new ones. The KR-6170 X-Slim Keyboard comes in white or black, both of which have a chrome strip accent around the side. It’s 18.11” long, 6.18” wide and 0.83” high. Two legs in the back bottom can be flipped out to raise the keyboard at a slight angle, an improvement over the Apple Keyboard, which forces you to use it at a preset angle. However, unlike the Apple Keyboard, the X-Slim contains no USB ports. The X-Slim’s biggest asset are the scissor-structure (or X-structure, as i-rocks calls it) keyswitches, which provide very nice feedback on your keystrokes. They go down easily, but snap back up with some life, putting a nice spring to your typing. The keyboard is quiet, too, with only a small (and somewhat pleasant, actually) “click” to be heard as you type. Unfortunately, there are three issues that prevent me from fully recommending the X-Slim Keyboard. First, the function keys didn’t seem to work as they do on my Apple Keyboard, so I lost Exposé control, my iTunes media controls, the eject key, and such. Whether this was do to the keyboard’s design, a glitch with my personal model or the fact that I needed to set something up, I couldn’t determine. Second, the number lock, caps lock and scroll lock indicator lights are far too bright. When on, they’re accompanied by a tiny white but very bright light that seems to nag at you from the corner or your eye...like driving behind a car at night with the red cover missing from its tail lights. It’s quite annoying, and I was never able to fully get used to it. And finally, the X-Slim Keyboard uses the large return key format, shaped like a backwards L. To compensate, the \ key is pushed up to the top row, and the delete key is cut in half to make room for it. Because of this, I was constantly hitting the \ key when I wanted to hit delete...another problem I could never get used to. If this is your standard keyboard layout, you’ll be fine. For the rest of us, it’s just too unnatural to get around. The RF-7550A 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse shares similar compatibility issues, but is generally pretty solid. i-rocks is selling this as a mouse for notebooks, but I found it a bit too large for that purpose. Because I prefer my laptop cases to be as small as possible, I need a small mouse, as well. The 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse about 3/4 the size of my standard Logitech desktop mouse; not quite small enough to make it truly portable. However, i-rocks does include a decent travel pouch, and the USB dongle receiver is small enough to fit into even the tightest USB port layouts on laptops. The 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse operates on one AA battery (included), and includes an on/off switch on the bottom to preserve battery life when the mouse is not in use (a “battery low” indicator just below the scroll wheel area will let you know it’s time to replace the battery). Oddly, when I plugged in the USB dongle, a message appeared on my screen stating I couldn’t use the new keyboard until I told the computer what type of keyboard it is. This didn’t affect use of anything, but I found it quite strange that the dongle was apparently feeding bad info to the computer. Unfortunately, the 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse isn’t configurable, so you’re stuck with the settings it wants you to use. This is fine for the left and right buttons and the scroll wheel, but the thumb buttons are stuck on back/forward browser use. And curiously, although the mouse is designed for right or left handed use, these side thumb buttons are only on the left, meaning only righties have access to them. I also found the scroll wheel button a bit hard to press if my hand wasn’t in the perfect position. This may not be such a bad thing, however, as it prevented me from clicking it accidentally while scrolling. Beyond these complaints, the 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse worked quite well. With 2.4GHz RF technology, a nearly 50 foot range and 800 dpi optical performance, the mouse proved to be very precise and responsive. It also seems quite durable, although I wasn’t able to put it through any prolonged periods of heavy travel. From a design point of view, the black and silver color approach is a nice complement to the look of the MacBooks Pro and Air. There are mice out there that are better designed for travel, and there are those better designed for desktop use. But, if you’re looking for one that fits well with both, the i-rocks 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse is a good choice...provided you’re happy with the default button programming. Thankfully, the fairly low cost of both products make the limitations a bit easier to deal with. Appletell Rating for KR-6170 X-Slim Keyboard Buy KR-6170 X-Slim Keyboard Appletell Rating for RF-7550A 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse Buy RF-7550A 2.4GHz Cordless Optical Mouse Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

New Kensington gear certified for iPhone

Kensington has announced "Works with iPhone" certification from Apple for its line of battery packs and chargers for the iPhone 3G. The line includes full-size and miniature battery packs, car chargers and September arrivals for an International Travel Charger and a Power and Sync Cable. The products work with the Apple iPhone 3G, 2G and iPod touch....

Review: A $130 phone headset helpfully talks back

Bluetooth wireless headsets for mobile phones are puzzling: We're supposed to control them with couple of unmarked buttons and get feedback from a single indicator light.