X-bit labs

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Full-Size Infrared Keyboard Fits in a Pocket. i.Tech Virtual Keyboard Reviewed

TrustedReviews has taken a look at i.Tech Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard, which is a unique offering for people who need a full size keyboard with their PDAs or smartphones. The pocket-size device projects a nearly full-size keyboard with infrared rays onto any flat surface. Users can then type on the infrared images as if typing on conventional keyboards. The product is small, its dimensions are of 90x34x24mm, and light, it weights only 80g. The “virtual” keyboard delivers up to two hours of continues typing.

“Unlike any other keyboard, the i-Tech doesn’t actually have any keys. In fact it doesn’t resemble a keyboard in any way - instead looking like a prop from 2001 A Space Odyssey. Looking like an extra terrestrial black monolith may be part of what makes the i-Tech cool, but it’s actually the functionality that’s the really cool part. Stand the i-Tech on a desk/table/any flat surface and press the button on the side - instantly the image of a keyboard will be thrown onto the surface in front of it. Press the button again and the keyboard disappears – magic!,” writes TrustedReviews.

What definitely makes the device pretty comfortable is the lack of any wires.

“Once the i-Tech keyboard is connected up to your device of choice via Bluetooth, it’s just a case of opening a text editor application (such as Word) and tapping away at your desk. Typing on the i-Tech is a bit tricky at first, and you’ll probably find yourself making quite a few mistakes at first,” adds the web-site.

• TrustedReviews: i.Tech Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard.

Doctors Put Laptops Under Fire. Notebooks Bring a Number of Possible Injuries

Long ago mobile computers became popular among road warriors who had to work outside of home or office, but today a number of people using notebooks is growing day by day, which is primarily a result of their cost decrease. Historically, there has always been a tradeoff between mobility and performance, however the compromise that we have recognize when using a contemporary notebook is influence of a laptop’s ergonomics on our health.

“The main problem with laptops is that the screen and keyboard are so close together. Without the aid of peripherals, laptop users have two choices, neither of which would win them any points for posture. They can cramp their neck down to view the monitor or they can elevate the machine to eye level, which can wreak havoc on shoulders and arms,” writes CNET News.com.

“When you look at the design, laptops were never (meant) as a replacement for a desktop computer. The idea was portability for occasional use. It was never intended to be a machine you would work at for eight hours a day, 52 weeks a year,” said Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University.

• CNET News.com: Is Your Laptop a Pain in the Neck?

Intel GMA 950 Compared Against ATI RADEON XPRESS 200. ATI and Intel Race for Highest Performing Integrated Graphics

AnandTech has taken a look at the latest integrated graphics cores from ATI Technologies and Intel Corp., particularly the new Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 as well as ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 for Intel processors.

“For those who truly do not need or care about 3D, integrated graphics are fine. People who are nostalgic about Quake III and earlier 3D games will also be satisfied. If just running something with 3D is important, these solutions will get the job done. But integrated performance has still not reached a level where we can recommend it to anyone who wants to play the current generation titles,” believes AnandTech.

General specifications of the graphics cores are pretty similar. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which is featured in Intel 945G core-logic, has 4 pixel pipelines is clocked at 400MHz and sports DirectX 9 and HDTV capabilities. ATI RADEON XPRESS 200 for Intel processors builds-in RADEON X300-like graphics core that offers similar specs.

“Out of the integrated cards that we tested, the ATI part came out on top in the performance tests. We can also expect ATI to put more effort into supporting (at least on some level) the latest games than Intel. On the other hand, Intel ships more graphics components than any other manufacturer in the world. We can expect their home and business graphics support to be of the same quality of which they provide for all their other components,” AnandTech concludes.

• AnandTech: Integrated Graphics: XPRESS 200 vs. GMA 950.
• Intel: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Overview.

Round-up of Modern AGP Graphics Cards Posted. Web-Site Helps to Choose the Best AGP Graphics Card

TweakTown has issued a comparison of modern AGP graphics cards that covers mainstream and high end products, starting from ATI’s RADEON X700 PRO and NVIDIA’s GeForce 6600 GT all the way up to ATI RADEON X850 XT Platinum Edition as well as NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra. Offerings from ATI and NVIDIA were compared in terms of performance and price criteria.

In total, the web-site compared 6 graphics cards in 5 benchmarks, including Futuremark’s 3DMark 2001SE, 3DMark03, 3DMark05 as well as in Doom III, FarCry and Half-Life 2 games.

“The eight major AGP graphics cards currently on the market compared ranging from the extremely value packed 6600GT to the expensive yet high performing X850XT Platinum Edition. If you are into high resolution gaming at around 1600x1200, we would recommend that you don’t look past any of the High End Performance cards here today but if you’re running an LCD with a resolution of no higher then 1280 x 1024 and like to place on a little bit of eye candy, the Mid Range cards are what you should be looking at,” concludes TweakTown.

• TweakTown: The Great and Last AGP Graphics Card Roundup - ATI vs. NVIDIA.