keyboard

It's not uncommon to own multiple PCs. For example, you might use both a desktop and a laptop, frequently hopping back and forth between their keyboards. That's kind of a hassle.

Wouldn't it be great if you could control both those machines from a single spot? That's the idea behind ShareMouse (Win/Mac), an invaluable utility that lets you share your mouse and keyboard with multiple networked PCs.

The software normally runs $30 per license, and you need a license for each system you want to control -- in other words, a minimum of two. Today … Read more

Some iPhone 5 users are seeing lines in front of their eyes, at least when they key in their passwords.

Users chiming in on MacForums and on Apple's Discussion Forums say that lines of static appear across their keyboard as they type. But the problem seems to occur only when they enter their passwords at the App Store or iTunes store.

A YouTube video posted by one user clearly shows the static lines hopping across the screen.

Some posters believe the problem made be software related, especially since Apple changed the look and layout of the App Store and … Read more

While we think the iOS default keyboard is nicely designed as it is, Color Keyboard Pro allows you to choose from more than six different skins that have the full set of QWERTY keys in various colors.

At launch, you'll see a colored keyboard with one of the available custom skins. While it was very easy to choose a skin, we found it annoying that the click is louder when you type than with the original iPhone option, and we couldn't find a reasonable explanation for this.

You can also use Color Keyboard Pro to create messages. When … Read more

Multiplicity is geared for the power user who wants to control several computers with a single keyboard and mouse.

After installing the program, you'll be greeted with a simple setup process; designate your primary computer with the mouse/keyboard setup. Users should note that all their PCs must be networked via Ethernet or wireless so that Multiplicity can sync them all together.

Stardock's program will guide users through the setup process: simply log the secondary computer ID and passcode under the "Computers" tab in the primary computer. To set the secondary computer, users must also install … Read more

Initially available on Boost Mobile, the Samsung Array has made its way onto Sprint today.

Offered at $19.99 after a two-year contract and mail-in rebate, this feature phone has a sliding four-row QWERTY keyboard, a 2.4-inch screen, and a 2-megapixel camera in the rear.

It's powered by a 480MHz CPU and a 1,000mAh battery, which roughly translates to a reported talk time of 4 hours.

When CNET's own Brian Bennett got his hands on the phone, the device's build aesthetic was reminiscent of a Sidekick, and its screen's low resolution was unimpressive.

For … Read more

MidiPiano is free software for playing and producing MIDI music files, with the addition of a virtual piano that can be played with your keyboard or cursor.

The interface for MidiPiano is okay, but not fantastic. The buttons are simple and easy to understand, but almost too simple and could be improved upon for functionality. You can play previously saved MIDI files or make your own. Creating MIDI music with this software consists of recording while you play the virtual piano and then editing to cut or insert notes. You can also adjust the octave, speed, and volume.

The virtual … Read more

The aesthetics of the modern keyboard reminds me of the U.S. car industry several years ago: uninspired.

Enter the Orée wooden keyboard, nearly made in full out of Mother Nature's greatest asset. French entrepreneur Julien Salanave came up with Orée and works in collaboration with a small design team in southern France to produce the wooden Bluetooth 3.0 wireless keyboard. … Read more

It's been 12 years since Chad Ruble's mother suffered a stroke that led to aphasia, a disorder that affects language processing but not intelligence. Most of the one million Americans who have the disorder experience difficulty both reading and writing, according to the National Aphasia Association, and Chad's mother Lindy was unable to recognize text and thus unable to use a keyboard.

So Chad did what any computer-savvy son should: he hacked a Kinect to help her.

After designing a visual dashboard of emoticons (happy, sad, angry, tired, etc.), each of which can be further qualified by an amount (expressed as signal strength -- one, two, three, or four bars), Chad says he turned to a Kinect, some gesture recognition code, and the simple OpenNI library for Processing to track the position of his mother's hand. A green arrow button sends the email and a red X resets the screen.… Read more