Ideazon Merc Stealth: N00b-hunting keyboard

Ideazon had a hefty hit with PC gamers a few years back--the innovative Zboard keyboard, which offered different keysets for specific games. It was rather clunky, but it succeeded in making PC gaming slightly friendlier--the Battlefield 2 keys were certainly very handy. Now Ideazon's back with the altogether sleeker Merc Stealth keyboard.

Instead of a swappable keyset, the Stealth has an extra-wide chassis with special gaming keys built into the left side. These are basically a second set of the keys you use most when playing FPS-type PC games, such as W, A, S, D, Shift, Space and so on, but in a much more user-friendly design. It means you still use the key presses that are hard-wired into your shooter brain, but with less RSI and fewer mistaken keypresses. The W key, for instance, is exactly above the S, unlike on a normal keyboard, and both are much wider than your run of the mill key.

Other features include a backlit keyboard so you can play in the dark--very cool if you're playing something scary like F.E.A.R.--which can change color at the press of a button. Red, blue and purple lighting are available for your customization delight. Ideazon also bundles a very easy-to-use software tool to assign functions to each key, which brilliantly includes mods for dozens of the most popular games.

Testing the Merc Stealth out on a few of our favorite titles, we found the gaming keys responsive and very comfortable. The build quality is very high and (although obviously we haven't been hammering it for months) we imagine it'll last a good deal longer than a bog-standard keyboard would.

The only downside we could find was that the design has squashed the right-hand side of the keyboard together, so the cursor keys and those you'd normally find above them (Insert, Home, Page Up and so on) are all part of the number pad. This can be irritating if you plan to use the keyboard for more mundane pursuits.

The Ideazon Merc Stealth is available now online for US$89.99 (S$127.78).

Via CNET UK Crave

Analyst: Motorola may exit handset business

Good things don't seem to be happening at Motorola, but bad news is certainly coming in droves. Just last week, the company reported an 84-percent decline in its fourth-quarter profit and the newly appointed CEO said that reviving its handset business "will take longer than expected". The company's stock dropped more than 22 percent to US$9.55 as a result.

Adding to the turmoil, an analyst with Nomura International Richard Windsor told clients in a note published yesterday that Moto "may exit the handset business and concentrate on becoming an enterprise and government company". He also raised the speculation of Chinese vendors buying out the company, but turned around to say that that's not likely to happen. Problems he cited are platform- and software-related rather than hardware.

While Windsor has made a very bold comment in his note, it's not hard to see where he's coming from. Motorola has been struggling for the past few quarters and the problem lies not only in platform, software and hardware, but also in the management. In short, it's a whole spiral of trouble that the company can't seem to get out of. We just have to wait and see how things will unfold this year. This will either go down in history as the boldest comment of 2008, or utter bollocks.

Via Market Watch

Panasonic's new Lumix features ultra-wide-angle lens

One of the cameras that caught our attention at the recent Panasonic product launch in Las Vegas is the FX36 (also known as the FX35 in the US). Not only does it feature 720p High-Definition (HD) video recording and optional component video output, it also comes equipped with a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

As its name suggests, wide-angle lenses generally allow a camera to capture a wider angle of view. However, most compact cameras in the market today feature up to only 28mm wide-angle lenses. The FX36 is possibly one of the first ultracompact cameras fitted with a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens, allowing it to shoot almost twice as much as a standard 35mm camera. According to a Panasonic spokesperson, the installation of the 25mm lens in a slim body is possible due to a new Panasonic lens technology.

The 10.1-megapixel FX36 also comes with Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode, Digital Red Eye Correction (corrects red-eye problems), Intelligent Exposure (automatically brightens dark areas in an image) and Intelligent LCD function (automatically adjusts the screen brightness according to light conditions). It is powered by the new Venus Engine IV image processor which boasts an improvement in noise reduction. Asian availability date or price was set for the FX36 at press time.

Epson's latest affordable all-in-one cinema

These Swiss knife-like entertainment projectors aren't new, but this upcoming Epson Dreamio is truly unique, price-wise. At only S$1,199 (US$881.62) a set, the portable EMP-DM1 delivers all the key components for movie screening ranging from a standard-definition light cannon to inbuilt surround speakers and DVD-Audio/Video player. There's even an onboard USB port which enables direct JPEG and DivX playback right out-of-the-box for hassle-free media sharing.

Believe it or not, there's even a slide-out handle to facilitate easy transportation for this 3.8kg 3LCD projector. You will just need to add a portable projection screen and you are all set for a primetime movie marathon. That said, it could have been better if there's HDMI input to go with a cable settop box and TV tuner, though there's always a set of component-video sockets and PC input to fall back on. The Epson Dreamio EMP-DM1 is expected to launch in Singapore from March 3. The rest of Asia will follow thereafter.

Get Apple stuff at a discount

Apple is one of the few vendors which doesn't believe in price wars. In fact, other than an Educator Purchase program, it's probably easier to squeeze blood from stone than get a discount for Apple stuff.

But for a short 24-hour period, the Apple Singapore online store will be pushing out special deals for its products. Starting from 12 midnight on January 30, you can get a headstart on your Valentine's Day present (or presents, if you don't believe in putting all your eggs in one basket). Don't worry if you miss this offer, as another one will roll around in, oh, another year or so.

And no, we do not get advance notice on specific deals, so please stop calling us and stay up late like everyone else.

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