Technabob » backlight http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Geek Stuff Sun, 27 May 2012 16:00:53 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Minebea COOL LEAF Mirrored Keyboard Now Available: Admire Your Good Looks While You Type http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/25/minebea-cool-leaf-keyboard/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/25/minebea-cool-leaf-keyboard/#comments Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:39:32 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=65270 Remember that funky COOL LEAF mirrored keyboard we talked about back in April? Well, it’s finally available for purchase, and it’s even cooler looking now than it was in the early prototype images.

minebea cool leaf keyboard 1

The Minebea COOL LEAF is a completely flat keyboard, with no surface texture at all. Instead, you get a super-shiny mirrored surface, created from “2000 layers of PET film”, whatever that means. A complex grid of force sensors detect your keypresses on the surface. The keys are illuminated from underneath the surface of the mirror, making them easy to see in a darkened room. It also offers an adjustable keypress beep to help provide feedback. Another advantage of the smooth surface is that you’ll never have to worry about dirt getting stuck between keys (although it will surely be a fingerprint magnet).

minebea cool leaf keyboard 2

It offers 108 keys, and connects via USB. It’s listed as working with Windows 7, Vista and XP, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work with a Mac or Linux computer either.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can order the COOL LEAF keyboard from Dynamism for $249.99 (USD). Plus, you’ll never be able to touch-type on this thing, but at least you can see if you have something stuck between your teeth.

 

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/08/25/minebea-cool-leaf-keyboard/feed/ 2 Flex Lighting Claims World’S Thinnest LED Backlight for LCD Tvs http://technabob.com/blog/2010/01/03/flex-lighting-worlds-thinnest-led-backlight/ http://technabob.com/blog/2010/01/03/flex-lighting-worlds-thinnest-led-backlight/#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:30:32 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=25857 At this week’s upcoming CES show, I fully expect to see thinner television sets than I’ve ever seen before. Now a new LED backlight technology could allow sets to get even slimmer and cheaper to produce.

flex led tv backlighting

Chicago startup FLEx Lighting claims to have come up with a way to manufacture LED backlighting that’s as slim as just 0.02″ (appx. 0.5mm) thick. Their new method for producing LED backlights involves coupling LEDs to a flexible film lightguide. As a result, the light can be used to produce edgeless LED/LCD television sets, and a more even backlight with far fewer LEDs than other edge-lighting technologies. And since the backlight material is flexible, it can be produced using a roll-to-roll manufacturing process, which will keep costs even lower than other LED lighting technologies. I’m hoping someday, it might enable the production of curved displays. The ultra-thin lighting technology can also be used to produce flexible banner advertising.

FLEx plans on showing off their new technology to prospective buyers at the upcoming CES show.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2010/01/03/flex-lighting-worlds-thinnest-led-backlight/feed/ 1 Keyboard Lights Up, Rolls Up http://technabob.com/blog/2007/03/09/keyboard-lights-up-rolls-up/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/03/09/keyboard-lights-up-rolls-up/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:38:06 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2007/03/09/keyboard-lights-up-rolls-up/ I’ve seen plenty of illuminated keyboards in my time, and also several that are flexible, but this is the first keyboard I’ve seen that both lights up and rolls up.

light up flex keyboard

Made from flexible Silicone, The USB Illuminated Roll-Up Keyboard from USBGeek gets its glow from a cool sapphire blue electroluminescent layer. It’s designed to be easily rolled up and thrown your briefcase or backpack for easy travel. As an added bonus, the keyboard’s soft, flexible construction resists water and dust contamination.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/03/09/keyboard-lights-up-rolls-up/feed/ 4 47-Inch LG LCD Set to Get Mega Contrast Ratio http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/05/47-inch-lg-lcd-set-to-get-mega-contrast-ratio/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/05/47-inch-lg-lcd-set-to-get-mega-contrast-ratio/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:05:28 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/05/47-inch-lg-lcd-set-to-get-mega-contrast-ratio/ LCD sets just keep getting better and better these days. LG upped the ante today by showing off a new 47-inch screen loaded with features that could put LCD ahead of plasma in picture quality once and for all.

lg 47 inch lcd

The new display features LED backlighting with what’s being called “local dimming”. This allows the display to dynamically adjust the brightness of the LED backlights in sections, to produce much higher than normal contrast ratios. According to LG, the contrast ratio could be as high as 1,000,000 to 1. The set also features full 1080p native resolution and a super-wide color gamut of 105%.

While the display is still a prototype, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of these features in retail sets within the next 12 to 18 months.

[via AVING]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/02/05/47-inch-lg-lcd-set-to-get-mega-contrast-ratio/feed/ 0 Sunwave Src-3200: the Universal Remote Goes Technicolor http://technabob.com/blog/2007/01/21/sunwave-src-3200-the-universal-remote-goes-technicolor/ http://technabob.com/blog/2007/01/21/sunwave-src-3200-the-universal-remote-goes-technicolor/#comments Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:30:28 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2007/01/21/sunwave-src-3200-the-universal-remote-goes-technicolor/ With all of the universal remote controls out there, it’s getting pretty tough for remote makers to differentiate themselves. This new remote from Sunwave does a good job standing out from the crowd by offering multi-color LED backlighting for its touchscreen interface.

sunwave src 3200

The Sunwave SRC-3200 lets you choose from 7 different backlight colors and an LCD touch panel display that only shows relevant buttons for the current device. It also features such conveniences as a motion sensor that automatically turns on the backlight when picked up. The learning remote has 512k of flash memory and can store 2 pages of soft keys each for up to 8 devices. In addition, it features a nice aluminum case, instead of the cheap plastic one found on most remotes. The remote will also offer PC based software and the ability to upgrade firmware.

No pricing or release date has been announced. Sunwave just says it’s “Coming Soon.”

[via Gizmodo]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2007/01/21/sunwave-src-3200-the-universal-remote-goes-technicolor/feed/ 1 Ambilight Knock-Off for Your Pc http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/08/ambilight-knock-off-for-your-pc/ http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/08/ambilight-knock-off-for-your-pc/#comments Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:14:20 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/2006/09/08/ambilight-knock-off-for-your-pc/ Philips Ambilight technology is said to improve perceived contrast and reduce eyestrain. Well now you can try a similar technology on your PC’s monitor. Smartbytes’ Ambient Reality Effects is a compact device designed to mount to the back of your monitor and produce colored background light on your surrounding walls. The system uses an array of red, green and blue LEDs to work its magic.

ambient reality effects

It’s said to be compatible with most Windows applications, and provides a highly configurable software interface which allows you to either set colors manually or to let the application automatically decide the best colors to output.

The standard model includes a single bar of LEDs, the USB controller, software and power supply for 165 EUR (appx. $211 USD.) Additional LED bars run 55 EUR (appx. $70 USD.) A single controller can handle up to 4 LED bars.

Can you say patent infringement?

[via Gizmodo]

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