PC Tech World: mechanical

Showing posts with label mechanical. Show all posts

Monday, April 8, 2013

Razer promises sneakier sneak attacks with $130 Orbweaver Stealth Edition mechanical keypad

That guard you just stealth-killed in Dishonored never heard you coming. But everyone else did. Which is why you might want to consider a noise-dampened mechanical keyboard of some sort. There are a few of 'em out there, not least the Matias Quiet Pro we reviewed last year, and now Razer has a keypad option solely for gamers: a new Stealth Edition of the original Orbweaver that came out in January. The price is unchanged at $130, as are the main specs and adjustable design, but Razer promises "silent tactile feedback" that provides an "entirely new feel," alongside a slightly reduced actuation force of 45g (instead of 50g). Perhaps your long-suffering colleagues will throw in a decent headset to go with it.

Source: Razer

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lemons to lemonade: how manufacturing and mechanical setbacks shrank the Wikipad

Lemons to lemonade how manufacturing and mechanical setbacks shrunk the Wikipad

A smaller, cheaper gaming tablet? Wikipad President of sales Fraser Townley says it was always in the cards -- but it was supposed to be the company's second tablet, not its first. Business, of course, doesn't always go according to plan. Just before the Wikipad's planned October launch, the company stayed production to refine the product's gamepad element, Townley told us, addressing a technical hiccup that could have troubled customers. Not too long after that, the company's screen supplier told them the part they had hoped to use for the Wikipad's 10.1-inch display was being discontinued. Salt? Meet wound.

Wikipad set out to make the best of a bad situation: it skipped a step. "The 7-inch was always in our roadmap and on our plan," Townley told us, "we just accelerated it." That decision was partly made to please the community, which was a little concerned about price. At $249, the new Wikipad is certainly easier on the pocket book, but the redesign delayed the product just long enough to leave it teetering on the edge of a new generation -- the next Tegra chip is right around the corner. Fortunately, so is another Wikipad -- Townley told us the tablet's original 10.1-inch form would be out by the end of the year. He couldn't say if the delayed slate would be using NVIDIA's latest, but he left the possibility wide open. "There would be no point in launching a Tegra 3 tablet just months before the launch of Tegra 4, would there?" he joked. "We'll keep up with the market." An admirable goal, to say the least.

Source

By: Unknown On 10:41 PM

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Razer releases $130 Orbweaver for single-pawed, mechanical PC gaming (video)

Belkin made gamer's hearts flutter with the original N52te speedpad, which Razer took over a couple of years ago and developed into the Nostromo. Now, that peripheral-maker has taken the concept to a new level (and price) with the $130 gadget-tastic Orbweaver gaming keypad. Each of the 20 mechanical keys is programmable with unlimited-length macros, and produces a tactile click when actuated with 2mm travel / 50g of force -- all in the service of max speed to give gamers the drop on foes, according to Razer. Also provided is an eight-way directional thumbpad along with adjustable hand, thumb and palm-rest modules, plus Razer Synapse 2.0 software for re-binding buttons and assigning macros. It's available now for Windows or OS X, so if you're looking for a way to get that tricky drop, roll and fire combo into a single, satisfying click, check the source.

[Thanks, Arjun]

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

This 200-Year-Old Mechanical Caterpillar Does Everything But Turn Into a Butterfly

This story will display in ...Dec 25, 2012 9:00 PM

This 200-Year-Old Mechanical Caterpillar Does Everything But Turn Into a Butterfly Robots are so commonplace now that we use them to entertain kids at amusement parks. But even though modern technology has given us artificial lifeforms that can walk, talk, and even fly, there's still something utterly fascinating about pre-electronic mechanical automatons like this Vers de Soie caterpillar dating back to 1820.

It's almost 200 years old and despite being so small you'd think there was no room for gears or other mechanisms, it can still crawl across a flat surface, writhing and undulating like the real thing. The creation is attributed to Henri Maillardet who is thought to have designed and built it in Switzerland, presumably taking advantage of the country's history and expertise in watchmaking.

And unlike other antique automatons that reveal their age through extensive wear and tear, this bejewelled gold and enamel creation sparkles and shines as bright as the day it was first wound. And that's probably part of the reason the Vers de Soie recently sold at auction for over $415,000.

This 200-Year-Old Mechanical Caterpillar Does Everything But Turn Into a Butterfly

[Worldtempus via Neatorama via Richard Kadrey]

View the original article here

By: Dilusha On 9:20 PM

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Slickdeals' best in tech for November 7th: digital cameras, mechanical keyboards and subwoofers

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
Slickdeals' best in tech for November 7th digital cameras, mechanical keyboards and subwoofers

There's no doubt that a little online shopping can help turn the mid-week blues around. Luckily, we have a handful of new discounted items that are ready to greet your open wallets. Canon and Sigma digital cameras top the list, while a mechanical keyboard and powered subwoofer also make the cut. Head down past the break to take a gander, but don't delay. These bad boys are sure to be gone in no time.

By: Dilusha On 12:11 PM