hardware

Lytro Launches its Amazing Focus-Free Camera for $399

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Lytro camera

I can’t wait to put my hands on one of these, despite the limitations, this is quite a revolution in the world of photography! I wonder what Nikon, Canon, etc. are thinking, while Lytro’s investors are probably wetting themselves at the mere thought of all the licensing opportunities ahead of them.

I’d love to see Lytro’s technology applied to some SLR with a choice of lenses, which would be devoid of focusing elements. This could lead to seriously awesome lenses, a lot smaller in size and much better optical quality and wider apertures. The possibilities are endless.

Remember Lytro, the camera that could care less about focus? The one that captures all the information in its light field, so you can play with the focus after the fact?

Well, it’s no longer just a nice idea. Lytro (the company) just started taking pre-orders for Lytro (the camera) on its website. You won’t be able to get one until early 2012, but you can order one now for $399 (and $499 for a more advanced version).

via Mashable: Lytro Launches: Amazing Focus-Free Camera Will Cost $399.

Lytro’s site

Hardware review: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard

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After my recent woes with the Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard, I went back to my quest for the perfect back-lit keyboard. I’m glad to say my quest has come to an end with the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard. It’s a wired unit, so no worries about running out of batteries and no speed issues when gaming.

The keyboard is physically very thin at about a centimetre and the keys, wide with a short travel, have a laptop feeling to them that’s not unlike my beloved Thinkpad’s (that’s a huge compliment if you haven’t tried a Thinkpad). This is one of the gripes I had with the G110 so I’m now a happy camper and can type without restraints. You can find two fold-out legs to give the keyboard some angle, but not much. There’s no extra USB port, which would have been nice in a keyboard of that price (around $80). The clear plastic bezel surrounding the keyboard gives it a classy style, more so when the back-light is on.

The back-light system has three levels of intensity and is white in colour (no fancy red or blue here). The palm rest is a litte narrow but still very comfortable. The traditional F-keys double as special function keys (when you press the FN key between the Alt and CTRL keys at the righ of the space bar) that can be programmed with the associated software. There’s also a set of volume control keys above the numeric keypad but no dedicated media control keys, which share keys with the F9 to F12 keys and can be activated when pressing the FN key, just as in a lot of laptops.

Installation was once again a breeze, the keyboard was recognized instantly by Windows 7 and the control software is of the lightweight kind. I enjoy being able to disable the Windows key.

I’ve only had it for a few hours and already love it! It is hands down the best desktop keyboard I’ve had in many, many years. I can type fast, my fingers fall naturally on the keys and it’s very quiet. The back-lit keys are very easy to see thanks to the large typeface Logitech used. If you want a good looking keyboard with back-lit keys and a laptop-like feel, this is it.

More details on the manufacturer’s page.

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard

Hardware review: Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard

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I needed a new keyboard and decided to go for an illuminated one since my main rig is in the basement, in a geeky dark corner (as it should be). Considering my usage on that machine (photo editing, media streaming and some FPS gaming), I decided to go for the Logitech G110, which seemed like a good fit: illuminated, and extra USB port and a built-in USB sound card into which I can plug my headset directly. All the reviews are extremely positive and I could get it for a good price. Plus, the dozen extra keys could be useful, for gaming and in apps like Lightroom. Eh, why not.

Installation was a brezze, Windows 7 detected and downloaded the drivers automatically and I downloaded the management software. For once, Logitech did something nice here and I appreciated it detected my games and already had presets for the function keys. I could also change the colours for each of the three colour preset keys, which basically means nuances of red, blue or purple. I opted for red, as it’s the sharpest to my eyes.

The overall build quality is very good, it certainly feels like it’s made to take a beating from frustrated gamers. The sound quality coming out of the built-in sound card was good enough and the wide volume roller is nice to operate. There’s also a set of media control keys, neatly located above the numeric keypad. There’s a USB 2 connector at the back, which is much better than the USB 1.1 commonly found on keyboards.

And then I started using it, both for typing and for gaming, that’s when things started going downhill. The keys have a mushy feeling to them – I prefer a more mechanical feedback and, more importantly to me, are rather small and close together. If I were a nimble, nerdy teenager this wouldn’t be a problem, but I happen to have rather large hands and I just couldn’t type without making tons of typos. The space bar seemed too narrow and too close to the row above it,  which I found uncomfortable.  Worst, the two rows of G-keys on the left hand side of the keyboard are inexplicably raised compared to the rest of the standard keys, which means that the side of my left hand continuously rests on the bottom G-keys, especially when playing with the WASD keys in FPSs.

Verdict: It’s a great keyboard, granted you don’t have big hands despite its generous size. Between my large hands, the cramped keys and the raised G-keys, this is a bad combination for me. I strongly suggest you try it before shelling approximately $65 on it. If if fits you, then I’m sure you’ll love it!

I’m going to try the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard next, which has a laptop feel and no G-keys. It’s also nearly $20 more expensive. Or maybe I’ll get a $15 keyboard and a desk lamp!

Logitech G110 Keyboard

More info on the manufacturer’s page.