SLSing - techies on the prowl

Indulging in gadgets is one of my favorite past times, I simply adore my peripherals to bits. I’ve recently taken interest in MP3 players (Ipods specifically) and keyboards, and this post will document some of my recent buys.

Four Ipods are shown here, a 5G 30G, 8GB Touch, 2GB Nano and a 4G 40GB. I bring them out according to my moods and usage, the Touch is perfect for watching video via MX Tube (yes, it’s Jailbroken!), the Nano is great for jogging (not that I go often anyway), and the 4G 40GB contains my lossless music files. In the foreground is my favorite keyboard, the Logitech Dinovo Mini.

The Logitech Dinovo Mini is a palm-sized keyboard that’s positioned as a HTPC remote, keyboard and pointing device. Works flawlessly with Windows Vista’s media center software as well as a variety of video playback software like PowerDVD 8.

The Mini is based on Logitech’s unique Bluetooth wireless technology, which allows the keyboard to be constantly connected to the computer all the time upon insertion of the USB dongle, unlike other Bluetooth-based keyboards available in the market now, which requires you to pair them up with the computer just like other bluetooth devices, which may be quite impossible unless you have a backup keyboard/mouse to perform thaat intended function. Performs nicely for its intended purpose.

The Mini is based on the Membrane Keyboard Technology, something that isn’t quite common in keyboards that’s available in the market now. Tactile response is crisp but minimal, and it’s definitely not a device that you’d want to type a word document with.

The Mini retails locally at slightly less than SGD$300, an expensive but nice toy.

The Logitech Dinovo Edge is the bigger brother of the mini. Touted as the first rechargable wireless keyboard, the Edge is also positioned to be a HTPC-friendly device, with a built-in touchpad that allows you to operate the computer with just one device. The keyboard is carved out of a single piece of plexiglass in gloss black finish with an aluminum palm rest and it’s just a mere 11mm thick!

Just like the Mini, the Edge is constantly connected to the PC upon insertion on the USB dongle. My only gripe of the Edge is the absence of the numberpad.

The Edge is based on the Scissors-switch keyboard technology, with impressive tactile feedback, one of the best that I’ve used in a while, definitely better than the Moshi Celesta, the keyboard that I used to adore. On a side note, most laptops around are based on the scissors-switch keyboard too.

The Edge retails for a little less than SGD$400 in Singapore, definitely one of the most expensive keyboards that you can get of the shelves today.

That’s the Moshi Celesta Keyboard together with the HiVi Speakers and my Travagans red 2″ cuties. I first caught sight of the Celesta in 2007 when I was away in Taiwan for a business trip. The Celesta was sold in the Apple Shop in Taipei, and I was instantly captivated by it. The sleek aluminum frame coupled with good tactile feedback thanks to the scissors switch technology it utilizes. I have a couple of these, and late last year, I organized a mass buy for this keyboard and sold more than a hundred pieces to vr-zone’s forum members.

The HiVi Swan S3W was a birthday gift from Melvin, one of my techie friends, bought while he’s away in China for attachment, and they’re great for its size. The Travagan 2″ cuties are attached to my Aego2’s subwoofer, and serves as my main set of speakers.

The Moshi Celesta currently retails at SGD$179 at Epicenter Shops in Singapore, or you can acquire it at Moshi’s online store at USD$120. The Swan S3W speakers can be bought here at USD$56.

The last item that I am going to write about is the Diatec Filco Majestouch Bluetooth keyboard. This keyboard was loaned from booest, who imported this from Japan. The Filco Majestouch is the only wireless bluetooth keyboard that’s based on the mechanical switch keyboard technology available in the world at this current moment. Mechanical keys are known to provide the best tactile feedback among all the keyboard technologies available, and are supposed to last the longest (up to 5 million keystrokes per key).

The Filcos, sadly, are not available out of Japan at the moment.