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Accessories

A More Compact Das Keyboard

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A More Compact Das Keyboard

German keyboard maker Das Keyboard announces a smaller version of the most recent typing device sharing its name-- the Das Keyboard 4C, an 88-key mechanical keyboard designed for customers wanting more desk space.

Like all other Das Keyboard offerings, the 4C features mechanical key switches for tactile and audio feedback-- or, as the company puts it, "tactile feel" and a "psycho-acoustic experience." It features a "tenkeyless" design lacking a numpad, if still complete with media and special function keys, dedicated Windows key disable control and built-in n-key rollover (NKRO) over USB support. Connectivity comes through USB 2.0.

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iPad mini Gets Tactus Physical Keys

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iPad mini Gets Tactus Physical Keys

The iPad mini is the first device to get physical on-screen buttons from Tactus Technology with the Phorm, a screen protector able to pop-up a physical keyboard whenever the user needs to type.

Described as a "morphing tactile surface," the technology uses "tiles" (Tactile Pixels) to turn specific areas of the screen into squishy tactile buttons via micro-fluid. Once the keyboard is not needed the keys disappear with the flick of a trigger. The technology is technically not too new, having made its first appearance back at CES 2013.

However one has to note the keys only work while holding the device in portrait mode, but Tactus says it is working on a case offering both landscape and portrait support.

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The Mac-Locking Sesame 2

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The Mac-Locking Sesame 2

Atama presents a simple means for customers to ensure their Macs are safe from prying eyes and hands-- the Sesame 2, a key fob that, once paired with the Mac, automatically locks the PC when the user walks away from it.

The Sesame 2 is a wireless sensor small and light (10g) enough to attach to a keychain or keep in a pocket. It pairs with OS X machines via Bluetooth 4.0 and companion Sesame app, and handles a number of security features, such as the aforementioned automatic locking and optional 2-factor authentication demanding the use of both Sesame 2 and a password.

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A Backpack's Worth of Backup Power

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A Backpack's Worth of Backup Power

If there's one worry afflicting most, if not all, long distance travelers, it's the charging of all of one's mobile devices. AMPL Lab claims to banish such travel woes with the battery-laden AMPL SmartBackpack.

The concept behind the SmartBackpack is simple enough. As the name suggests it is a backpack carrying what AMPL describes as "the world's most advanced portable charging system"-- namely a modular 15000mAh "SmartBattery" (accommodates up to 3 additional "SmartBoost" modules for up to 147Wh of power) and 6 USB ports for the charging of multiple smartphones, tablets and even a laptop.

AMPL also promises fast battery charging via Qnovo technology, as well as easy battery management via companion mobile device app. Meanwhile the actual backpack features 7 storage compartments and is shock-proof and water-resistant.

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Further Security via Keyboard

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Further Security via Keyboard

Georgia Institute of Technology researchers suggest the keyboard can provide a means of security beyond the simple password, by creating a biometric means of identification based on how the user presses the keys.

To do so, the keyboard records the force users apply to the keys, as well as the time taken between one keystroke and the next. Meanwhile the multi-layer plastic materials making the device allow it to harvest electricity from the users' fingertips (via effect called "contact electrification"), allowing it to either charge a small mobile device or power a wireless transmitter.

As researcher Zhong Lin Wang puts it, “our skin is dielectric and we have electrostatic charges in our fingers. Anything we touch can become charged.”

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Safer, Thinner Batteries via Kevlar

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Safer, Thinner Batteries via Kevlar

According to University of Michigan researchers kevlar might be key for thinner and safer batteries, acting as an advanced barrier between the electrodes in a lithium-ion battery.

The solution is inspired by the battery fires that grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliners back in 2013. Lithium-ion batteries produce power by shuttling lithium ions from one electrode to the other, with a membrane blocking the shortest path between the two electrodes. However the lithium atoms might start creating fern-like structures (or dendrites) poking through the microscopic pores in the membrane, thus shorting out the battery.

Enter the kevlar membrane. While current battery membranes feature pores a "few hundred nanometers" wide, the kevlar membrane features pores 15-20 nanometers across-- wide enough for individual lithium ions to pass through, but small enough to block the dendrites.

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Charging Phones With Lasers

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Charging Phones With Lasers

Microsoft Research presents a unique take on wireless charging-- AutoCharge, a system using what amounts to a ceiling-mounted laser and a Kinect unit to locate smartphones before firing required juice in their direction.

The system works as follows. First, the Kinect camera scans the area for smartphone-like objects. Once a phone is detected, the charger (in this case an UltraFire CREE XM-LT6 Focusing LED Flashlight) rotates and fires a straight beam of focused light at a photovoltaic panel on the handset. Furthermore, the system first communicates with the smartphone via Bluetooth or on-board LED in order to check battery levels and ensure it will actually start firing at a phone, not a random rectangular object.

The light in use can be either visible (dramatic but potentially annoying) or invisible infrared (less dramatic, not annoying). Meanwhile a built-in safety mechanism can switch off the beam in case of interruption in just 50 milliseconds.

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Deep Fried Graphene = Better Batteries?

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Deep Fried Graphene = Better Batteries?

Deep frying might not simply be a method for the making of tasty chicken-- according to S. Korean researchers it might also be key in the making of batteries and supercapacitors with enhanced power storage capabilities.

In this case the "deep frying" consists of spraying graphene oxide droplets into a hot (160℃) blend of acid and organic solvent. The process evaporates the water inside the material, causing it to clump into 3-dimensional "pom-poms."

The 3D pom-poms are important, as battery electrodes require a large material surface area for the exchange of electrons. To test such capabilities the researchers built 1 x 1cm electrodes full of 3D graphene, which they say show a capacitance of 151 farad per gram compared with 118 F/g for the plain graphene electrode.

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Kensington Upgrades KeyFolio iPad Case

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Kensington Upgrades KeyFolio iPad Case

Kensington launches the KeyFolio Thin X3 Plus for iPad Air 2at CES 2015-- an upgraded version of the KeyFolio iPad case featuring a 4500mAh battery and a companion PowerLift power management app.

According to the company the battery can charge an iPhone 2-3 times, as charges an iPad by up to 50%. The case also features an integrated Bluetooth keyboard with 6 rows of high-performance scissor keys within a form-fitting hard shell complete with aluminium accents.

The keyboard automatically switches on and off when engaged or disengaged from the magnetic stand, while a "QuickFold" design allows easy transition between typing and viewing modes.

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